Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Solutions

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is the technology that enables interaction between a caller and a computer via the telephone. Callers can interact with an IVR using touch tone input on their phone or by speech via automated speech recognition (ASR) to perform self service transactions. Calls answered by the IVR automate customer service producing compelling cost savings for the call center. Many call centers achieve 10-1 savings over calls answered by live-agents. Carefully constructed IVR solutions can deliver answers to customers that are complete and quick, saving the customer time while providing the information the customer needs.

Call centers use IVR systems to quickly identify callers and their reasons for calling. This allows for the ability to tailor services according to a customer profile. It also allows for giving the caller the option of choosing automated services. Information can be fed to the caller allowing choices such as: wait in queue for an agent, use self-service applications, or to request an agent call back using caller-elected callbacks. The use of Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) allows the IVR system to look up the calling line ID (CLID/ANI) in a database and identify the caller. In the cases where ANI is blocked or unavailable, the caller can be asked to identify themselves by other methods such as an account number/PIN. Dynamic port allocation and call routing through the use of DNIS ensures that the correct application and language is executed by the IVR system. The use of VoiceXML and web services allows IVR applications to be hosted remotely from the call center (see CloudBurst). Chrysalis Software has developed a number of toolkits and SDK's to support the implementation of IVR solutions. These products include Sonata VXML Server, ChrysTerm, Chrysalis Host Access Server, Chrysalis IVR Utilities Library, and Chrysalis VXML Tools.

IVR systems are typically used to service high call volumes, reduce cost and improve the customer experience. Examples of typical IVR applications are:

• Customer Account Inquiry
• Pay-by-Phone
• Outage Management
• Customer Surveys
• Outbound Collections Campaigns
• Automated Fax Back
• Dealer Locator

For more information on IVR Solutions see Applications Briefs