So you have made call to some one and you get to hear some other voice (pleasant, sweet and female! Or a stony, emotionless, monologue by your ‘someone’, “I am not here, please leave your message after the beep. Thank you. BEEP”) asking you to leave a message! Surprised to hear such a pleasant voice? (Are you stumped and look for piece of paper and a pen and then go crazy how the hell you are going to leave your message after the BEEP?) What were you expecting your lovers trademark Hello? Well that was a kind of IVRS – Interactive Voice Response System.

The example above is commonly known as Answering Machine, Auto Answering Machine, Voice Mail, Voice Mail Box, Telephone Voice Recorder, Auto Attendant and many more names. I will keep adding them, is not that why this IVR BLOG is for?
Now, if you ever made to calls to all those toll free numbers that starts with 1800(India) or 800 (for USA) and all?(Well I will definitely add these prefix for toll free numbers for other countries too and by now you know why ). What you hear ? A very pleasant voice, “Welcome to …” Well, if you were calling in fit of rage that your X stuff broke down for no reason and you want it rectified ASAP, the pleasant voice pacifies you! At least it does to me always. (If it does to you too, share me by leaving a comment). Then you are prompted to press some key on the phone, or you are asked to say your reason of the call. It also gives a list of options and how to choose the options. Or you might get to hear a background music while the “Lady” at the other end is talking! Hell, do you realize you are not talking to a lady, but to a machine ? Never thought like that ? Well indeed you talk to a Machine, and you are actually interacting with a very, intelligent machine with a very pleasant voice, who never gets angry, upset, only feel sorry when she does not understand you ( your voice or your key, happens often though) and she says that she could not understand and let you try again and again. Wish you had such a woman as your girl friend or wife?

Now you have realized that intelligent lady is called IVRS – Interactive Voice Response System! How crude! Such a lovely machine and such a technical sounding name!

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system is widely used now a days. Call centers, Medial trials, complaint management and booking, travel industries. all use interactive voice response system. It automates many business processes and provides useful information over telephone.