Route calls by department
A company with sales, support and accounts puts an IVR menu on its main number: 1 goes to the sales queue, 2 to the support queue, 3 to the accounts operator.
Phone system
A voice menu that routes calls with one key
The IVR answerer greets callers with a message and sends them to the right team based on the key they press: sales, support, accounts or a colleague’s extension.
Main menu
Thanks for calling Harbour Optics. For sales press 1, for support press 2, for accounts press 3.
1Sales queue
2Support menu
3Operator 104 · Accounts
0AI answerer
What it is for
An IVR answerer is the familiar “press 1 for…” voice menu. You write the messages in the portal, text-to-speech reads them in the voice you choose, and for each key from 0 to 9 you decide where the call goes.
A key can lead to an operator, a queue, another IVR menu for a submenu, an AI answerer, a transfer to an outside number or any other destination in the phone system. You can also decide what happens when the caller presses nothing.
With direct dial, callers who know an extension type it and reach that colleague straight away. With a time condition the menu answers only during opening hours and sends calls elsewhere when closed.
Use cases
Reach a colleague directly
Regular suppliers and customers know the extension of the person they need: with direct dial they type the 3 digits and that colleague’s phone rings without going through the menu.
A submenu for support
Key 2 leads to a second IVR menu that asks for the product type: each choice goes to a different queue of technicians.
Collect answers from a campaign
In a call campaign the message presents an offer: callers who press 1 are marked as a conversion in the reports and passed to an operator; those who press 2 are added to a list to be called back.
Callers who press nothing still get through
Many mobile callers never press a key: with the no key option the call still goes somewhere useful instead of ending.
How it works
Write the messages
In the General tab write the welcome, invalid choice and goodbye messages, pick the voice and reading speed, and listen to them before saving.
Assign the keys
In the Keys tab add a key for every choice, with its destination and, if you like, a message before the transfer.
Connect the menu
Choose the IVR answerer as the destination of a number, of a key in another menu, or of any module that passes the call on.
How a call goes
The caller hears the welcome and has a few seconds to press a key. After an invalid choice they hear the error message and try again; when the tries run out they hear the goodbye and the call ends.
What you can set
Settings
- Name
- The name you know the menu by when choosing it as a destination.
- Key wait
- How many seconds the system waits for a key after the message ends, from 1 to 60; pressing nothing counts as an invalid choice.
- Retries
- How many more tries the caller gets after an invalid choice, from 0 to 10; the welcome is not read again.
- Direct dial
- Dialling an operator’s 3-digit extension sends the call straight to them.
Messages
- Welcome message
- The text read on the first try, with the menu choices.
- Invalid choice message
- The text read when the caller presses a key with no destination or presses nothing.
- Goodbye message
- The text read on the last invalid try, before the call is closed.
- Voice
- The text-to-speech voice that reads all of the menu’s messages.
- Reading speed
- How fast messages are read, from 1.0x to 1.5x.
Keys
- Key
- A key from 0 to 9, or no key for when the caller presses nothing.
- Message before the transfer
- Text read right after the caller presses the key, before moving to the destination.
- Add the number to a list
- The caller’s number is added to the chosen list: if its campaign is active, it will be called.
- Mark as conversion
- For calls started by a campaign: the contact called shows as converted in the reports.
- Destination
- Where the call goes after the key’s options: operator, queue, another IVR, AI answerer, transfer, audio, callback, feedback and the other destinations of the phone system.
Hours
- Time condition
- The hours the menu is open; with None (always open) it always answers.
- Out-of-hours message
- The text read when a call arrives outside the hours.
- Out-of-hours destination
- Where the call goes outside the hours, after the message.
Menu list
- Test call
- Call the menu from your browser to try it: the call is not billed and stays out of the reports.
- Time conditions on several menus
- Applies the same time condition, with what happens when closed, to all selected menus.
Frequently asked questions
What is an IVR menu?
A voice menu: callers hear a message and use their phone keypad to choose where to go. In the portal you write the messages, text-to-speech reads them, and you pick a destination for every key.
Do I need to record the voice menu prompts?
No. IVR messages are written as text and read by text-to-speech in the voice and speed you choose. You can listen to them in the portal before saving.
What happens if the caller presses no key?
If you added the no key option, the call goes to its destination. Otherwise it counts as an invalid choice: the caller hears the error message and tries again, and when the retries are over hears the goodbye and the call ends.
Can I build an IVR menu with submenus?
Yes. A key’s destination can be another IVR answerer, with its own keys and destinations.
Can callers dial a colleague’s extension directly?
Yes, with direct dial: typing an operator’s 3-digit extension sends the call straight to them. The single-key menu choices keep working.
What is the difference between an IVR menu and an AI answerer?
The IVR menu works with keys and fixed choices. The AI answerer talks with the caller, understands the request and can complete tasks; you can use it as the destination of a menu key.
Related features
Try it on your own phone lines
Sign up free and try this feature with your numbers, or message us on WhatsApp and we’ll show it to you.