Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Overview

Cloud Voice includes a built-in Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system at no extra cost. This page explains what an IVR is, the kinds of call handling it makes possible, and how multi-level menus extend it.

What an IVR does

An IVR is an automated attendant that answers incoming calls, presents callers with spoken options, collects their keypad input, and sends each call to the right place. Think of it as a virtual receptionist: it can absorb high call volumes without a person manually transferring every caller, and it lets people reach the information or service they need on their own.

How you can use it

You build a menu out of your own voice prompts that tell callers what to do, for example “Press 1 for sales, press 2 to leave a message.” When a caller makes a selection, the IVR connects them to the matching destination, such as a specific person, a department, or a call queue.

For deeper menus, you can point one of the menu options at another IVR. This is a multi-level IVR, and it gives you finer control over routing. You might, for instance, split a sales menu into geographic regions so callers land with exactly the right team.

An IVR can be tailored to serve both the people calling in and your own staff:

For callers

• Greet them with a custom message so they feel welcome.
• Let them leave a voicemail.
• Let them reach an employee directly by dialing an extension number or spelling a name.
• Let them dial a ring group, queue, or conference directly.

For employees

• Place outbound calls through the IVR.
• Check voicemail through the IVR.
• Update the IVR prompt remotely by dialing the feature code #9.

Note

A feature code is a short dialing sequence (it usually starts with * or #) that triggers a built-in system function from any phone. Dialing #9 lets an authorized employee re-record the IVR greeting over the phone, so the message can be updated without signing in to the admin portal (handy when the office closes unexpectedly).

Keypress events

An IVR reacts to caller keypad input, sent as DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) tones, through a set of keypress events:

• Menu options: the number keys along with # and *, which callers use to reach a destination.
• Invalid: where the call goes when a caller presses a key that isn’t defined in the menu.
• Timeout: where the call goes when no input arrives within the timeout you set.

Advanced routing

Beyond the basic events, you can layer on additional routing controls:

• Time Condition: send inbound calls to different destinations depending on the time of day.
• Language: offer callers a choice of language and play system prompts in the one they pick.
• Custom Key: route inbound calls to different destinations based on a PIN code.

Keypress destinations

Each keypress event can be pointed at any of the following destinations:

• Hang Up: end the call.
• Extension: send the call to a specific extension.
• Extension Voicemail: let the caller leave a message for a specific extension.
• Group Voicemail: let the caller leave a message for a queue, a ring group, or a custom group.
• IVR: hand the caller off to another IVR menu.
• Call Flow: send the caller into a specific call flow.
• AI Receptionist: route the call to a specified AI receptionist.
• Ring Group: send the call to a ring group.
• Queue: send the call to a queue.
• Conference: send the call to a conference.
• Dial by Name: let the caller reach someone by spelling an extension user’s name. See Allow Callers to Dial by Name via IVR for details.
• External Number: route the call to an outside number.
• Play Prompt and Exit: play a custom prompt, then hang up.
• Play Prompt and Return to IVR: play a custom prompt, then return the caller to the IVR.
• Play IVR Prompt: play the IVR prompt, then hang up.

Note

Play IVR Prompt applies only to the Invalid Input Destination. When a caller enters a DTMF digit that the IVR doesn’t recognize, the system replays the IVR prompt. Once the prompt has played the maximum number of times you allow, the call is dropped.