What is IVR (Interactive Voice Response)?
IVR (Interactive Voice Response) is an automated phone system that guides callers through a menu – classically by key press ("Press 1"). It routes calls or gives predefined information without an employee picking up.
A classic IVR works with rigid menus and key options. That's cheap but inflexible: callers have to click through levels and quickly hit limits when their request doesn't fit the scheme.
Modern AI phone assistants are replacing the IVR: instead of key menus they understand freely spoken requests and respond naturally. That removes the on-hold frustration – callers simply describe their request, as in a conversation with a person.
Related terms
Voicebot
A voice-driven AI assistant that handles phone calls on its own.
Call forwarding (Rufumleitung)
Automatically forwards incoming calls to another number or service.
AI phone assistant
Answers calls on its own, understands the request and replies in natural language.