Today, more and more in everyday life you can come across the concept of IVR (Interactive Voice Response). This is what, far from everyone knows, although they almost daily encounter this technology in real life. Let us try to give an idea of such systems, describing them in a generally understandable language.
IVR: what is it?
To immediately understand what such systems are, we give a simple example. Most of us had to contact the service center of the mobile operator one way or another. When you call, a greeting sounds and an offer to press a specific button on your mobile phone to select the section that best matches the request in the interactive menu.
What is an IVR? Just this is such an organization of the help system based on the use of pre-recorded or synthesized voice messages, designed to redirect the user to the desired section of the service center. It is naive to believe that a living person sits on the other end of the line and constantly utters the same phrases. Instead, at the time of the call, a special application is activated, which activates the playback of the greeting message, and then, depending on which button was pressed by the subscriber, a redirect to the corresponding section takes place, where the choice of another audio track is triggered or direct voice synthesis is performed based on advance assigned text.
And, as you can see, any IVR-system is a multi-level structure with pre-distributed transitions on the submenu.
Where are IVR systems used?
What is an IVR service, in general terms, is probably understandable. This is not the only example of using such a structure.
The most widespread such systems are in the so-called call centers and in most cases are used in such areas as:
- mobile connection;
- banking institutions;
- Insurance companies;
- payment systems;
- ground and air transportation (pre-ordering tickets, clarifying schedules, etc.);
- large, medium and small businesses (enterprises providing reference services for their goods and services) and so on.
As you can see, these are just the simplest examples. Today, the correct organization of IVR systems allows you to attract customers in various fields and improve the quality of service. At the same time, they distinguish systems that work both on the basis of actions with technical devices and on voice client requests (for example, in a bank, to find out the status of your credit or deposit account, sometimes you just need to give the full number of the agreement or the last few digits).
Varieties of IVR systems
Now let's look at the complexity of IVR systems. What it is, it is not difficult to understand if you consider their organization. The simplest structures work on the basis of pre-recorded samples and do not particularly shine with the complexity of the software.
As for the major market players providing their customers with access to help systems, the following technologies can be separately noted:
- ASR - speech synthesis.
- TTS - text based speech playback.
- Response systems based on voice queries followed by access to special databases (DB).
Basic principles of work
Such systems work on the basis of specially designed scripts. The most widely used technology is VXML, which involves adapting the XML language to voice applications.
For example, in the Call Manager Express platform, based on Cisco technologies, when an incoming call arrives, the system first tests the dial-peer, and after finding a match, it accesses the flash memory and runs a special VXML-IVR script. After pressing the buttons on the phone, DTMF operations are processed, as a result of which redirection to a particular section of the help system is carried out.
IVR Settings
As mentioned above, the correct organization of the hierarchy and structure of the system itself plays a significant role (in some cases, this determines the client’s attitude to the convenience or inconvenience of access to the help system).
If the structure has too many sublevels and various kinds of interactive sections, the subscriber can simply get confused in them. In addition, many of us obviously do not want to listen to the standard recorded templates, but want to talk to the operator live. In the event that there is currently no free operator, steps must be taken so that the system reports the approximate time during which the subscriber will be in the queue. Finally, he should also know his order, because not everyone wants to be on the line and listen to annoying music. In addition, calls may be charged for calls from mobile devices.
Requirements for recording IVR greetings
This is another point to consider regarding IVR systems. What it is is already a little clear. Now let’s look at some important points that are no longer associated with the organization of the structure of the help system, but with the design requirements.
Today you can record IVR messages in companies specializing in this company or make short greetings or descriptive parts of the sections yourself. Here comes to the fore (not to mention the fact that all messages should be concise and as informative as possible) the choice of the timbre of the male or female voice, as well as the musical accompaniment, if any.
When recording audio, many companies ask you to specify with what intonation the phrase should be pronounced, in which place the text will increase or decrease the tone, how fast this or that text will be read, etc. Roughly speaking, the answering voice should be unobtrusive and pleasant to hear, so that no subscriber has a desire to immediately drop the phone.
The same goes for music. Her choice should be approached very carefully, because for many, Beethoven’s same composition “Towards Elise”, in spite of all her genius, was already simply tired. So here you should use some kind of jaded melody, which will be more relaxing than dancing or written at a fast pace. But the subscriber should not be allowed to fall asleep either. However, there is so much music in the world today that there is obviously something to choose from.
Advantages and disadvantages of IVR systems
If we talk about the benefits that the enterprise or company receives with the introduction of such systems, it is obvious, because the subscriber receives exactly the information that interests him, the system works constantly, which means that you can get access to it at any time, day or night.
But among the shortcomings, many experts often note an overabundance of sublevels to which redirection occurs, which leads only to the fact that a person is lost in them. In addition, depending on the package of the same mobile operator, calls may be made for calls to such service centers, despite the fact that many organizations today are increasingly switching to numbers, calls to which are neither from mobile operators nor from organizations serving home (city) phone numbers are not charged.
Conclusion
Here's a quick summary of everything about a basic understanding of IVR systems. What it is was explained with the simplest examples, and the technical part of the question was not particularly addressed, since the subscriber trying to get information of an advisory nature does not need this. But in terms of a general idea of the principles of functioning of such services, this will be enough.