Switchvox - IVR Admin Training
Table of Contents
Switchvox IVR
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is an automated menu system, also known as an auto-attendant, that allows you to greet and interact with your callers. An IVR may provide information to the caller, collect information from the caller, or send the caller to a specified extension.
This companion article is in two parts: This part describes the IVR actions and options (Switchvox 
IVR | Switchvox Admin Training ); the second part demonstrates how to create an IVR (
IVR | Switchvox Admin Training ).
To open the IVR Editor, go to the Switchvox Admin portal and select Tools-> PBX Features->IVR Editor.
This displays the IVR Editor page.
Click Create IVR Menu, enter a unique name and a description, then click Save IVR Menu.
This displays the IVR Menu Details, which displays the name and the description of the menu, followed by a list of actions and options.
To see an example of the different Actions and Options, click View for 'Example IVR (800)' from the IVR Menu to Modify drop-down menu.
There are many actions that can be added to an IVR menu. Most actions have a configuration page, in which you specify the details of the actions. To add an action to an IVR, click Modify Actions or Create Action.
The Modify Actions button displays existing actions and allows you to move the action to the appropriate step, modify the action, or delete the action. To add an action, click the Create IVR Action button on the Modify Actions page.
From the IVR Editor page, the Create Action button displays the Create IVR Action page, on which you can select an action from the Action Type drop-down menu. After making a selection, the Action Description displays a description of the selected action. Click Next to display the General Settings page for this action.
From here, select the appropriate options for your action. For example, if you chose 'Play Sound' as your Action Type, select the following:
The folder where this sound prompt is stored.
The language for this sound (this will use the system's default language).
The sound prompt you wish to play (below the drop-down menu, the sound description shows the description of the prompt).
Whether this sound should be interruptible (Yes allows callers to select an option during the prompt without having to listen to the entire message).
Note: when enabling This Sound is Interruptible, you must also enable all of the remaining actions, otherwise the calls will be forced to listen to a message or wait for another action that does not have This Sound is Interruptible enabled.
Note: All new actions are automatically added to the bottom of the IVR- use arrows to move actions to the proper step.
IVR Options An IVR Option allows a caller to interact with the Switchvox system via the phone's keypad. Switchvox listens to DTMF tones and performs a predetermined operation, such as being routed to a specific group, like sales or support.
To add an option to an IVR, click Modify Options or Create Option.
The Modify Options button displays current options and allows you to modify or delete an option. There is also a Create Menu Option on the Modify Options page, so options may be added from here.
From this page, you may also:
Enable Extension Dialing.
Configure what happens if a caller enters an invalid option.
Configure what happens if a caller does not enter an option in the specified time.
Set the number of re-tries.
From the IVR Editor page, the Create Option button displays the create IVR option page, on which you can select the following:
A number from the Option Number drop-down menu to which the caller will be routed when they enter the specified option number from New IVR Menu drop-down menu.
What you'd like the new IVR Menu Entry point to be.
When finished, click Save Option.
The best way to start planning for your IVR is to create a flowchart. The purpose of the flowchart is to illustrate your call flow in its simplest form. From the flowchart can see all the different parts you need to create for your IVR. Below is a sample flowchart of a typical IVR.
Here you can see the supplemental part you need to create prior to building your IVR. You need to create:
Time frames for open, closed, and holiday hours.
Sound prompts for your open and closed messaging.
Extensions for an after hours mailbox.
A receptionist, a sales queue, a support queue, and a dial-by-name directory.
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