# Set up IVR Prompts

An IVR (Interactive Voice Response) is the automated menu that answers a call and lets the caller choose where to go by pressing a key. The audio a caller hears when they reach an IVR shapes their first impression of your business. By replacing the default recording with your own greeting and menu, you can guide callers to the right destination in your own voice. This page explains what an IVR prompt is made of and how to apply your custom audio to an IVR.

## What an IVR prompt includes

A complete IVR prompt usually strings together a few distinct pieces:

- **Welcome greeting**: the opening message callers hear the moment they enter the IVR, for example "Thank you for calling IZT."
- **Menu prompt**: the list of choices you offer, along with the keypad digit that selects each one. When a caller presses a key, the phone sends a DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) tone that the IVR acts on. For example, "For something urgent, press 1 to reach support. To leave a voicemail, press 2."
- **Goodbye greeting**: a closing message that plays just before the call ends.

## Choose how to structure your audio

Cloud Voice ships with a default IVR prompt, but you'll almost always want your own. You can supply that audio as one file or as several shorter clips.

**A single audio file** holds the greeting, menu, and any other messaging in one recording. This keeps things tidy and means you only manage one prompt.

**Multiple audio clips** let you assign up to five separate files to a single IVR. Cloud Voice plays them back-to-back, in the order you list them. Splitting your prompt across clips is worth doing when:

- **You revise the menu often.** Every menu change means re-recording the prompt. If you break the audio into pieces by purpose, one clip for the welcome greeting, another for the menu options, and so on, you only need to swap the clip that actually changed.
- **One recording is too large.** A single prompt file can't exceed 8 MB, and every file must meet the [audio file requirements](/pbx/administrator-guide/audio-files-requirements/). Dividing a long recording into smaller clips keeps each one under the limit.

:::tip
If you expect to edit your menu regularly, record each part as its own clip from the start. Swapping a single "menu options" clip later is far quicker than re-recording one long prompt every time.
:::

:::caution
Uploads that are larger than 8 MB or that do not match the [audio file requirements](/pbx/administrator-guide/audio-files-requirements/) (format, sample rate, channels) will be rejected. Convert or split the file before you try again.
:::

## Apply custom prompts to an IVR

1. In the management portal, go to **PBX Settings > Voice Prompt > Custom Prompt** and either [upload a custom prompt](/pbx/administrator-guide/upload-a-custom-prompt/) or [record a custom prompt](/pbx/administrator-guide/record-a-custom-prompt/).

   :::note
   This step only adds the audio to the system. It does not attach it to any IVR yet. That happens in the steps below.
   :::

2. Go to **Call Features > IVR** and open the IVR you want to change.
3. From the **Prompt** drop-down list, choose your custom prompts. You can pick up to five audio files, and they play in the order shown.

   :::note
   Only prompts you have already added under **Custom Prompt** appear in this list. If your recording is missing, go back to step 1 and add it first.
   :::

   ![The IVR editing screen with the Prompt drop-down set to a custom recording](/images/pbx/IVR-change-prompt.png)

4. From the **Prompt Repeat Count** drop-down list, set how many times the prompt should replay.

   :::note
   The repeat count controls how many times the whole prompt plays for a caller who does not press a key. A higher count gives callers more time to decide before the IVR moves on.
   :::

5. Click **Save**, then **Apply**.

   :::caution
   Your changes are not live until you click **Apply**. Saving alone stores the settings but keeps the old prompt playing to callers.
   :::