Recently, I have come across some interesting outbound IVR ( Interactive Voice Response System) implementation. While it may not be the best outbound IVR arrangement, but it sure is the cheapest and most reliable in the circumstances in India. Just to mention, majority of the outbound IVR applications dial out a number, plays a recorded message and disconnect. It does not capture any response from the called party.

OUTBOUND IVR Implementation in India

How is this outbound IVR implemented ?

It uses a EPABX ( Electronic Private Automatic Branch Exchange ) which has minimum one PRI card in it as well as few FXO/CO lines. Then it uses normal SIM ( Subscriber Identity Module) of all available GSM operators available in India ( GSM Cards available on many EPABX models in India). There are also few equipment called “E1 PRI ISDN GSM Gateway” which allows connecting multiple SIMs at one end and E1/PRI link at the other.

Apart from this, it uses normal CTI board with E1/PRI connectivity and one smart outbound IVR with database connectivity.

Now, the role of the smart outbound IVR is :

1. The outbound IVR is designed such that it is able to detect the operator once it picks the phone number from database to make an outbound call.

2. Once it detects the operator, it seizes a channel from CTI board which corresponds to the SIM of the same operator in the “E1 PRI ISDN GSM Gateway”. So, it uses the same operator SIM to make the outbound call. If it is landline number, it uses the FXO/CO line to make outbound call!

So, at the end, it is just a very smart ‘least cost routing’ feature available in many EPABX models!

How does t benefit ?

In India, operators have various tariff plans where one can make unlimited calls anywhere across the country in its same network. For example, an Airtel Mobile subscriber can make unlimited number of calls to any other Airtel number all across India. If it is not unlimited, then it is very big number for a fixed cost.

Whereas, if one uses normal PRI or E1 links from telecom operators, they do not have this kind of tariff for users. So, making he outgoing calls from SIMs than PRI lines are much cheaper than making outbound calls from PRI lines.

Big call centers or hosted IVR providers may subscribe to PRI lines from all telecom operators, but the the hardware and software cost will also be enormous, apart from maintenance problems. So, it is observed that, many people are using this kind of arrangement for making outbound Bulk voice calls.

While talking to some telecom operators, they have no idea about this practice. Some people had told me about demerits of using SIM to make calls like network congestion, signal problems etc!

This is quite interesting implementation of outbound IVR in India!

While outbound IVR systems are being widely used now a days for many promotional activities, but outbound IVR potential as smart predictive dialer is still to be tapped.

While many acknowledge that, outbound IVR has many advantages over predictive dialer, call centers still deploy predictive dialer for making outbound calls and then transferring the calls to human agents.

History of predictive dialer shows, it came to be used in call centers for increase efficiency of human agents, as well as effective monitoring by supervises. Predictive dialer increase productivity by automating the dialing, then detecting answering machine, FAX tone or human answering and then connecting to human agent. Any outbound IVR with small computation power using CPA ( Call Progress Analysis) can achieve these and much more!

Another major advantage of outbound IVR ( or any IVR for that matter) is its availability in both on-premise and hosted environment. Hosted environment provides many advantages like low initial cost as well as sudden spike in call volume! Predictive dialer are normally on premise and sudden spike of calls can only be served by increasing number of ports in it.

So, why call center owners are still having separate predictive dialer and not using their inbound IVR as predictive dialer in outbound IVR configuration ?

As I had interacted some call center owners as well as few vendors for call center industry, I think, in India, only two reasons for not using outbound IVR as predictive dialer :-

1. Lack of information
Not many people are aware that IVR can be used for making outbound calls and then transferring it to human agent along with call whispering or agent pop up with the connected call. Many call center owners include inbound IVR, but they are not aware or made aware that the same IVR could be used for making outbound calls as well as it can eliminate predictive dialer all together.
IVR being based on a PC, it has many options for monitoring, accessing data from various sources as well as present status of calls and activity of human agents.

2. Lack of confidence in IVR applications
While predictive dialer is a proven product, but many consider IVR applications to be just add-on and stand-by arrangement in India. Most probably, this has to do with technology adoption problem! Also, many people cite example of ‘hard coded’ IVR applications and lack of support and maintenance by IVR companies. Most of the IVR companies in India uses CTI boards APIs to develop IVR applications instead of open standards or tools. It may create problem in upgrading the application as well as maintenance.

So, it looks like outbound IVR will not be able to replace predictive dialer as preferred ‘smart dialer’ in call center in near future in India.

Recently, there has been news about growth of outbound IVR systems everywhere in the world. I have also experienced people preferring outbound IVR over inbound IVR. Outbound IVR systems are being preferred in those kind of application where some customer authentication or verification like credit card authorisaton, phone banking, voice alerts are required or in IVR applications like appeal for voting in election campaign apart from traditional usage of outbound IVR as predictive auto dialer in call center or contact center.

Difference between Inbound IVR and Outbound IVR systems

Technically speaking, there is not difference between inbound IVR systems and outbound IVR systems. Though in outbound system, few extra tasks by IVR software needs to perform like Call Progress Analysis (CPA). Apart form that, there is minor difference in call flow only. There is no hardware difference.

But there is a huge difference between inbound IVRS and outbound IVRS commercially. The major difference is, apart from IVR systems on toll free numbers, caller has to pay for calling to IVR number for per minute of usage as per tariff plan subscribed by the caller from a Telecom operator. But in outbound IVR, the called party or the user of the IVR system is not charged!

In inbound IVR, user dial in to the IVR number while in outbound IVR, the IVR calls out to the user. Once call is connected, the IVR operation remains the same.

In real world, outbound IVR faces many problems like detecting reason for connection of the call. Because call may be connected due to called party picking up the phone, called party transferring the call to its voice mailbox, answering machine etc. While these may cause problems, but with CTI boards offering advanced features for call progress analysis, outbound IVR software can detect these different types of connections though not with 100% accuracy all the time.

Why Outbound IVR is growing ?

1. IVR being increasing used as utility services
Outbound IVR is majorly growing as IVR is becoming increasingly a public utility service. If any public utility services to be successful, it should always be offered “free” to the actual users! Recently, people are increasingly using IVR for various public utility services like flight status alert, news alerts, remainder services etc.

2. Security reasons
In a any verification, it is always more secure if the call is originated from the verification agencies. I hope some fraud can be eliminated if the call is originated from verification agency. Verification calls or credit card authentication calls can be scheduled after some time consuming manual or automated checks about the credentials before asking an user for authentication.

3. Growth of Service Industry
Service industry has been growing anywhere in the world and more in India. It has increased in many call centers, tele-marketers which has increased requirement of outbound IVR systems. Many call centers use outbound IVR as predictive dialer, automated payment remainders, payment acknowledgment.

4. Innovation in IVR Systems
With advent of Hosted IVR solutions, the cost and implementation time of IVR systems has gone down and many smaller companies have started availing IVR services for various purpose. With falling telephone charge per minute, it has become more affordable by many smaller companies for whom outbound IVR was not affordable earlier.

I think, in days to come, outbound IVR will continue to grow.