IVR (Interactive Voice Response)
Table of contents
Contact Center IVR Types
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) applications are a powerful component of the Cloud Contact Center Platform. Contact Center can be configured to let you play an IVR to your callers in a number of circumstances. The most common kinds of IVRs are:
Hold IVR—an IVR played to a caller while they are on hold.
Initial IVR—an IVR played to a caller before they enter the call queue (also called a "pre-IVR").
Outleg IVR—an IVR played to the person answering a call sent out from Contact Center (e.g. as part of a transfer).
Post Call IVR—an IVR played to a caller after the Agent leg has ended. These are generally used to play customer feedback surveys.
Queue IVR—an IVR played to a caller while they are in the call queue.
IVRs are Javascript programs. These are created and deployed by staff. Once deployed, you (a Contact Center Administrator) can configure IVR parameters and assign specific IVRs to your Campaigns.
- For specific IVR requests, contact your account manager.
To configure IVRs:
- Select the Configure menu
- Expand the Call Assets sub-menu
- Choose IVRs
Basic IVR Configuration
- Select the Routing > Campaigns menu.
- Click the Add New Campaign button or locate an existing Standard Campaign and click its Edit link.
- If creating a new Campaign, follow the steps described in Adding a New Campaign article.
- Click the IVRs tab
- Click the Add IVR link for each kind of IVR you want to assign
- (Optional) Adjust each IVR's Weight, Start Time and End Time (described below)
- Click Save
Table 10-1 describes the IVR configuration fields.
| Table 10-1: IVR Configuration Fields. | |
| Option | Description |
| IVR | The IVR name. Only IVRs belonging to this Program are shown. You can assign multiple IVRs of each type to a Campaign. |
| Weight | If you assign more than one IVR of a given type to a Campaign, Contact Center distributes calls to those IVRs randomly, unless you change the IVR weighting. Weighting sets the probability that a IVR will be used, balanced against the weights of the other IVRs in your Campaign. By default, each IVR you assign to a Campaign has an equal chance of being selected to play to an incoming call. If you want a particular IVR to get special consideration, adjust that IVR's weight accordingly. For example, if you have two Initial IVRs (IVR A and IVR B) assigned to a Campaign and you want IVR B to be twice as likely as IVR A to be played to the call, then assign a weight of 2 to IVR B. Setting a weight to zero means that IVR will never be played. Learn more about call routing.
|
| Start | The date and time this IVR will become active. |
| End | The date and time this IVR will become inactive. |
IVR Options
Table 10-2 shows the types of IVRs supported by Contact Center and their options:
| Table 10-2: IVR Types | |
| IVR Type | Description |
| Hold IVR | The IVR to play to a caller while they are on hold. The Hold IVR can play audio, such as music or provide information to the caller. As there is no guarantee the caller will hear the complete IVR (since they can be retrieved from hold at any time), Hold IVRs should be fairly simple. |
| Initial IVR (aka Pre IVR) | The IVR to play to a caller before they enter the call queue. This IVR can play audio, get information or transfer the call to a more appropriate Campaign. If set, callers will experience the IVR before landing in the call queue. |
| Outleg IVR | The IVR to play to the person answering an incoming call. This is an IVR that will be played for the person who answers an inbound call (this portion of the call is the "out leg", hence the name of this IVR). This could be an Agent, or a client receiving a transferred call. Outleg IVRs are typically used to "brand" the incoming call with a short message or "jingle," which identifies the source of the call. |
| Post Call IVR | The IVR to play to a caller after the Agent hangs up. This IVR is most often used for playing surveys to callers to asses their opinion of the previous call or to gather other post call information. This section has the following fields:
The default survey can be overridden by defining a different survey in this Campaign's Initial IVR or Post Call IVR.
Learn more about customer satisfaction surveys.
|
| Queue IVR | The IVR to play to a caller while they are in the call queue. This IVR can play audio, such as music or ring tones, or provide information to the caller. Since there is no guarantee the caller will hear the IVR (if there is no wait time for an Agent), queue IVRs should be fairly simple. If you want every caller to hear some information or answer questions, use an Initial IVR. |
Working With IVRs
| Table 10-3: IVR Controls | |
| If you want to... | Then do this |
| Change the order of IVRs of a given type | Use the up and down arrow widget to change the display order of this Campaign's IVRs. The order in which IVRs are listed has no effect on determining which IVR will be played.
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| Edit the IVR code | The IVR code itself is written by Staff. Work with your Account Manager to create the IVR code you need. |
| Delete an IVR | Use the X widget to delete a IVR from this Campaign. Deleting an IVR from a Campaign does not delete the IVR itself.
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