6 Best IVR Systems for 2022

In 2022, the IVR market will be a $30.6 billion industry with rising adoption rates and technological advancements. The technology is evolving rapidly and many companies are investing in it to stay ahead of competition. In this article we look at the 6 best-performing IVR systems for 2022 which range from company size to function.,

The “best ivr features” is a list of the 6 best IVR systems for 2022. These systems are used to make phone calls and have many features that will help businesses grow.

By taking voice instructions to assist route client calls, a good IVR system reduces the need for a live representative. Great IVRs will include capabilities such as CRM integration and will be provided as part of their company phone system’s standard package. We’ve compiled a list of the top six IVR systems to assist you free up your agents for jobs that can’t be automated.

These are the finest IVR systems for small enterprises, according to our research:

• CloudTalk: Best overall IVR system in terms of conventional functionality such as self-service and more specialized capabilities such as a call flow designer.
• Nectar Table is a solid option for companies who want contact center as a service (CCaaS) capabilities.
• Cloud Genesys is an excellent option for companies who want to improve their voice recognition.
• Plum Voice: For businesses with a small number of agents, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered voice assistants give a tailored experience similar to dealing with a human representative.
• Twilio Flex is a Twilio product that allows you to: For organizations with dedicated programmers, Twilio Flex is a Twilio product that allows you to is the best option since it allows you to completely customize your IVR experience using APIs.
• RingCentral is the ideal alternative for companies that may need to set up hundreds of IVR menus.

At a Glance: The Best IVR Systems

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CloudTalk is the best IVR system for small businesses in general.

CloudTalk

4.54 OUT OF 5 I I I I I I I I I I I Our ranking is based on our experts’ weighted assessment of hundreds of comparable items and services.

What We Enjoy

• Both touch-tone and voice recognition options are available.
• IVR is included in all plan levels.
• Using their Call Flow Designer, they can create sophisticated call flows.
• IVR call forwarding to phone

What Isn’t There

• Except with the Custom plan, there is no assurance of uptime.
• There’s no way to use text-to-speech to record menu selections.

Pricing for CloudTalk

• Starter ($20 per month for each user): Unlimited users, a free local phone number, a mobile app, and international phone lines in more than 140 countries
• Advanced analytics, open API, SMS messaging, and workflow automation are all essential ($25 per user, each month).
• Salesforce connectivity, speech-to-text, dedicated account manager, phone monitoring, call barging, and call whispering ($40 per user, per month)
• Custom (contact provider): Flat-rate unlimited outbound calls, enterprise-grade security, custom reporting, and uptime service level agreement (SLA).

*The aforementioned pricing is payable on a yearly basis. You may also select to be billed on a monthly basis.

CloudTalk has a powerful IVR system that can meet the demands of most businesses. This is due to a strong collection of general features, such as voice recognition and CRM connection, as well as a rich number of specialist capabilities, such as outbound IVR and a user-friendly call flow designer.

The call flow designer allows you to totally modify and simplify the client contact experience. It allows you to design numerous branches in your IVR system’s menus that directly answer client wants. While CloudTalk lacks RingCentral’s text-to-speech feature, you can easily record your messages and designate failover locations for clients who are misrouted.

Features Not Included

• Forward-to-phone (from IVR): This feature directs calls from the IVR to a representative’s phone, which is very beneficial for firms using mobile agents. Despite the shifting face of business, many organizations are embracing work from home, which helps clients be routed to the correct individual.
• Customers’ IVR surveys: It aids you in identifying stumbling blocks in your menu design. Daily, weekly, or monthly email reports with survey results in an Excel document will be sent to you.

Nectar Table is the best option for call centers.

Nectar Table

4.31 OUT OF 5 I I I I I I I I I I I Our ranking is based on our experts’ weighted assessment of hundreds of comparable items and services.

What We Enjoy

• Calls may be recorded indefinitely.
• All plan levels come with IVR.
• At the lowest tier, you get call barge, whisper, and monitoring.

What Isn’t There

• Only the top layer has a service level agreement (SLA) for uptime.
• At the foundation level, there are just three lines.
• Auto-dialers and predictive dialers are optional.

Nectar Table Pricing

• Basic Voice ($29 per user, per month): Inbound local minutes, one number per agent, international numbers, three queues, Calls may be recorded indefinitely., maximum of 10 agents
• Multi-Channel ($49 per month per user): SMS, email, and live chat channels, with a limit of 25 agents.
• Unlimited ($99 per month for each user): Bring your own carrier, conceal your caller ID, sign a service level agreement, and hire an infinite number of agents.

Like CloudTalk, Nectar Table is very contact center-friendly with features like call monitoring, call whisper, and call barge. These are critical for both agent training and customer satisfaction. A feature like call barge is also fairly rare for a provider—it allows you to literally take over an agent’s call to ensure the customer is receiving top-tier service.

Call centers also tend to have their own contracted carriers for phone service, and Nectar Table understands this by incorporating a Bring Your Own Carrier (BYOC) feature that allows you to use their IVR service with any provider.

Nectar Table also includes IVR features at every tier, and pricing is very reasonable. For only $29 per user, per month, you get a very competitive provider with strong integrations with solutions like Pipedrive, Salesforce, Zoho, and Zendesk. You also get strong call center features.

Features Not Included

• Input for speech and DTMF (dual-tone multi-frequency) signaling: Customers may either phone in using their touch-tone keypad or talk directly to the system to be routed.
• Designer of call flows: This feature is used to set up your IVR system. You may also create custom business hours for the IVR system and specify where and how calls are received.

The Cloud Genesys is the best option for voice recognition.

Cloud Genesys

Overall Score: 4.07 OUT OF 5 iOur score is based on our experts’ weighted analysis of hundreds of comparable items and services.

What We Enjoy

• To improve IVR, Genesys employs AI voicebots.
• IVR may be hosted on-premises or in the cloud.
• Marketing, sales, communications, and customer support are all covered by this comprehensive software package.

What Isn’t There

• In comparison to other suppliers, Genesys is rather costly.
• Outside of the last tier, SMS texting is not possible.
• KPIs in reports can’t be customized

Cloud Genesys Pricing*

• Cloud Genesys CX 1 ($75 per user, per month): Speech-enabled IVR, voicebots, voicemail, outbound campaigns, unified communications, interaction recording, platform APIs, customer insights
• Cloud Genesys CX 2 ($110 per user, per month): Chatbots, IVR and web callback, advanced outbound campaigns, screen recording
• Cloud Genesys (CX 3 $140 per user, per month): SMS messaging, maximized IVR minutes, workforce management, employee performance and engagement, co-browse and screen share

*Pricing is invoiced on a yearly basis.

With Cloud Genesys, the focus is on customer relationships and contact center management. Some of its most noteworthy features include artificial intelligence (AI)-voicebots, chatbots, and speech-enabled IVR designed to personalize each customer interaction. With such a keen focus on AI, Cloud Genesys has some similarities to other IVR system providers like Plum Voice. Genesys is also one of the few providers that deliver platform APIs at the base level tier.

Cloud Genesys is one of the few IVR providers that provide both on-premise and cloud-based IVR configurations for their customers. Having on-premise IVR is useful for companies with IT staff and their own server setups.

One of the standout features of Cloud Genesys IVR is its utilization of both Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) and Natural Language Understanding (NLU). These both use AI to help the system better understand the customer as they navigate through menus, and the incorporation of both technologies ensures fewer misrouting opportunities. Compare this to a provider like RingCentral, which only incorporates ASR, and you see why Genesys comes out as a leader for voice recognition as an IVR system.

Features Not Included

• The solution will enable your company to follow up with customers through their preferred channels, such as SMS or email, using omnichannel routing. This makes our supplier one of the few in this list that provide outbound IVR, which allows you to send proactive and customised messages to your consumers.
• Workforce engagement: The platform includes learning modules and KPI gamification elements to help managers measure, manage, and improve their workers’ performance.

Plum Voice is the best choice for AI assistance.

Plum Voice

3.76 OUT OF 5 I I I I I I I I I I I Our ranking is based on our experts’ weighted assessment of hundreds of comparable items and services.

What We Enjoy

• Its IVR systems provide a 100% uptime guarantee.
• Amazing analytics capabilities make it simple to improve your IVR system.
• IVR system that enables teams to collaborate to menu creation.

What Isn’t There

• There are no documented price figures.
• To create more complicated IVR capabilities, you’ll require a team with VoiceXML knowledge.

Pricing for Plum Voice

Plum Voice does not make its price information public.

Plum Voice is another AI-powered IVR system that use voicebots to redirect calls to the appropriate department. This platform, like many IVR systems, is built with self-service in mind, but the AI helps your consumers get assistance faster for a variety of situations. It also offers text-to-speech capabilities, enabling you to create IVR menus without having to record anything.

Unlike some of the other providers listed in this guide, like MVP of RingCentral and even Cloud Genesys, Plum Voice is designed with automation, not business communication, in mind.

Features Not Included:

• Plum Fuse (IVR builder): This is a visual IVR solution with a drag-and-drop interface that makes menu creation simple.
• Conversational assistants: These virtual speech agents will walk your callers through the procedure. It also contains analytics tools that enable you to extract insights from your customers’ calls, enabling you to discover bottlenecks in your IVR call flow and enhance the experience to decrease customer contact time.
• Inbound and outbound IVR: These features enable you to contact your clients in advance and help them with tasks such as bill payment without contacting a representative.

Twilio Flex is a Twilio product that allows you to is the best option for customization.

Twilio Flex is a Twilio product that allows you to

3.73 OUT OF 5 I I I I I I I I I I I Our ranking is based on our experts’ weighted assessment of hundreds of comparable items and services.

What We Enjoy

• The pay-as-you-go pricing model is ideal for small businesses.
• Twilio’s solutions include conversational AI and chatbots.
• Twilio provides excellent integrations with almost all CRMs and also works with other carriers.

What Isn’t There

• To deploy features, you’ll undoubtedly need a robust IT organization.
• The monthly fee for each listed user is $150.

Twilio Flex is a Twilio product that allows you to Pricing

• Active User Pricing: $1 per hour, per active user
• Named User Pricing: $150 per month, per active user

Artificial intelligence self-service choices, natural language understanding, drag-and-drop reporting, KPI monitoring, and the possibility to add VoIP phone capabilities are all included in all subscriptions.

While a few of the providers in this guide, like Cloud Genesys and Plum Voice, offer API adjustments for their IVR systems, Twilio Flex is a Twilio product that allows you to is built almost entirely using APIs. This means that Twilio Flex is a Twilio product that allows you to is extremely customizable if you have a dedicated development team in your IT organization. Your team crafts an IVR setup that incorporates all of the menus and self-service options that work best for your particular business.

Twilio is a plan-free service with pay-as-you-go pricing that changes according on your need. When you upgrade your Flex project, you’ll get 5,000 free active user hours by default, which you may increase to as needed.

Features Not Included

• Customizable user interface (UI): The developer has created numerous APIs that you may utilize to increase the functionality of your system. It is also one of the finest scalability providers on our list due to its inherent customizability. There’s no limit to the capabilities you can add on as your IT staff expands.
• Intelligent routing: The platform includes AI chatbots and voicebots to improve the client experience.

Best for IVR Menu Options is MVP of RingCentral.

MVP of RingCentral

3.71 OUT OF 5 I I I I I I I I I I I Our ranking is based on our experts’ weighted assessment of hundreds of comparable items and services.

What We Enjoy

• IVR menus may be created in a variety of ways.
• Voice recognition is excellent.
• 250 menus, replete with submenus, may be created using IVR software.
• Auto-attendant with many levels

What Isn’t There

• At the most basic level, IVR is not accessible.
• There are no features for outbound IVR.

MVP of RingCentral Pricing*

• Essentials ($19.99 per user, per month): 99.999 percent uptime, up to 20 users, unlimited calling in the United States and Canada, team chat, and document sharing
• Standard ($24.99 per user, per month): Unlimited users, 24-hour meetings, unlimited internet fax, business phone lines in 100 countries, and 24/7 support.
• Premium ($34.99 a month per user) includes automatic call recording, hotdesking, real-time analytics, 200-person meetings, and development tools.
• Device status reports and notifications, unlimited storage ($49.99 per user, per month)

*With an annual paying option, pricing is based on two to twenty users. You may also sign up for one of the company’s monthly programs.

As a unified communications provider, MVP of RingCentral has a multitude of features that help a business communicate more efficiently. It also has a four-tiered plan structure that’s perfect for businesses looking to scale. Combine phone system features with inexpensive international calling and a strong app experience on softphones and smartphones, and you’ll see how this is a provider that most businesses will value.

The editor in RingCentral enables you to create up to 250 IVR phone menus. This opens up the possibility of providing callers with a genuinely multidimensional experience that includes a variety of speech and numerical inputs. This includes top-level menus as well as submenus, which are all created using their Visual IVR editor.

Features Not Included

• XML compatibility: If you want to update any of the 250 possible IVR menus, you may use XML documents. This implies that mass updates are made rapidly, resulting in little downtime for your IVR menus.
• Customers may answer to IVR prompts by speaking using automated speech recognition (ASR).
• Direct inward dialing (DID): This allows users to add DID numbers to IVR menus so that consumers may dial their numbers straight into department IVRs.

Creating an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System

An interactive voice response (IVR) system is a call management system that assists you in connecting callers to the correct department. These systems play a prerecorded or artificial intelligence-assisted message that guides the client through a succession of selections. Inbound and outbound IVR systems are also accessible, with outbound IVR systems delivering text messages to your consumers.

Many procedures are also automated via IVR systems. Robust systems, for example, enable callers to check account balances, pay bills, and schedule calls without having to speak with an agent. In fact, it can employ artificial intelligence to learn about consumers’ wants and direct them to the appropriate location without the need to navigate menus. According to Forrester, this results in more tailored interaction, which leads to happier consumers and lower operational expenses.

The Advantages of Using an IVR System

One of the major benefits of a successful IVR system is that it eliminates the human aspect. What happens when a client from another area wants assistance outside of office hours? This is where an IVR system excels since it practically runs a company 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and when no receptionists are present, customers are routed to an agent in their local time zone or to voicemail.

Customer Convenience Boosted

In addition, IVRs are more user-friendly for customers. An IVR may lead a client through various tasks in less time than having an agent or receptionist check at account data and history. When paying bills, for example, an IVR will only require a few identifying pieces of data to assist with a transaction, and sophisticated IVR systems may even pull up account information based on only a few data points.

Enhanced Operational Effectiveness

According to West’s study, an IVR makes company phone systems far more efficient. In fact, Containment of IVR Calls allows you to control more than 50% of calls, allowing your employees to assist clients who need assistance. This implies that agents will not be bogged down in inefficient operations, and increased productivity translates to higher overall savings for your firm.

Boost Your Company’s Image

IVR systems improve the image of a company. According to Aberdeen, IVR systems are used by 62 percent of best-in-class firms. Simply told, having an IVR system will increase client confidence in your company by making it seem more national and trustworthy.

When it comes to setting up an IVR system, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Because too many options may quickly lead to consumer fatigue, a correct IVR call flow is crucial. This is why it’s critical to design IVR menus that are easy to use, so consumers can get to the department they need fast. Menus should be kept short so that clients can get to where they need to go fast.

Menus are updated on a regular basis.

Additionally, out-of-date menus are a significant issue for organizations. When a consumer phones in and discovers that the menus are out of current, it reflects poorly on the company. If you’re rebranding, for example, having outdated information about your goods and services can annoy customers who are researching these items or services.

Containment of IVR Calls

Containment of IVR Calls is essential for making your call routing more efficient, but sometimes, an IVR system can’t manage every customer’s needs. In this situation, you need to make it easy for a caller to reach an agent. This is typically done by pressing “0” on the keypad. While a good system will actively help prevent inefficiencies, there are still few things worse than a customer stuck in an IVR system that’s unable to help.

IVR Prompts That Are Easy To Understand

In an IVR system, prompts must also be extremely clear. Remember that the main purpose for using one of these systems is to manage client calls more effectively, and ambiguous prompts make it easy for consumers to be routed erroneously. Each menu should, on average, feature three to five items that clearly outline the departments for the consumer.

How We Assessed Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems

When researching interactive voice response (IVR) systems, we looked at a few key factors that we thought would improve the experience for a small company. Because IVR systems differ so much, criteria like cost are critical for something like this. For example, one supplier may provide a subscription package that includes additional VoIP business phone capabilities, while another may offer a pay-as-you-go model that just offers the IVR capability. We also considered simplicity of use so that you may pick an IVR that suits your needs.

CloudTalk delivered the most comprehensive experience of the IVR systems we tested. CloudTalk is a very common VoIP system oriented for contact centers as a service. It not only offers call monitoring and recording functions, but it also has a specialized business phone system.

To learn more about how we assessed these systems, click on the tabs below:

20% of the overall score

As previously stated, price differs greatly from one service to the next. We discovered that certain companies, such as RingCentral, had IVR services hidden behind higher tiers, but others offered it as a standard feature. Furthermore, certain companies, like as Twilio and Plum Voice, have a pay-as-you-go model that would appeal to firms with less constant IVR needs. When evaluating each provider’s performance, we put affordability first in every case.

40% of the overall score

An IVR system should include features like multilanguage support, CRM connection, voice recognition, and analytics. As a result, we investigated to see whether they were available in each system to show you which companies provide IVR systems as part of their basic plans and which only offer them as part of higher tiers.

20% of the overall score

Although not every organization need DID number support or artificial intelligence (AI) in their IVR system, these capabilities are quite useful for some. As a result, we looked at some of the more specialized capabilities that certain businesses would demand while looking for an IVR supplier. Text-to-speech during IVR setup, a call flow designer, and outbound IVR capabilities that lets you to contact clients directly through text are some other specialized features we examined.

20% of the overall score

We reviewed each IVR system provider based on simplicity of use, value for money, and overall value of their features, based on our years of expertise analyzing VoIP features and suppliers. In addition, we wanted to see how actual consumers reacted to each service to see if there were any claimed sore spots or strengths.

*Percentages based on total score

Conclusion

With the correct IVR system, your organization will be able to effectively handle incoming calls without having to use your employees unnecessarily. These systems have grown indispensable, but it’s even more important to set up your IVR to better handle client demands.

All of the providers we studied in this guide, including CloudTalk, which is the finest overall IVR system, and all of the providers we covered in this guide, provide sophisticated IVR capabilities that you can utilize to keep your customers happy.

The “best in-class ivr” is a type of IVR system that can be used to handle automated phone calls. The best IVR systems are able to provide high quality customer service, and also have the ability to track caller data.

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