IVR Software

IVR Software is the system behind those "press 1 for sales, press 2 for support" phone menus. It routes calls to the right department without a live person playing traffic controller at the front desk.

Newer systems understand spoken words, so callers can just say "billing question" instead of pressing through three layers of numbered menus. The simpler and shorter the menu, the better the experience.

Done well, IVR is invisible — callers barely notice it before they're talking to the right person. Done poorly, it's the reason people hang up. Setup matters a lot on day one.