Exploring the Advantages of a Hosted IVR System
December 20, 2011
By Juliana Kenny, TMCnet Managing Editor
Cloud computing and cloud-based technologies are exciting many industry leaders and observers these days, especially with all the developing options for those looking to embrace the cloud. The Interactive Voice Response market is no exception to this growing enthusiastic group, and the hosted IVR scene is one of the sectors with some serious expansion into the cloud.
Jay Coop, a writer for a provider of IVR services, recently expounded upon some of the ways that a hosted IVR system can benefit a single organization while improving communications technology as a whole. One of his more important points was that the level of support provided to businesses whose voice systems work on a hosted network are guaranteed 24/7 care. “All of it goes back to the reality that none of the equipment is stored at your center. Anytime you experience glitches or need a tech support team, help is only a quick call away. This certainly gets rid of most of the problems connected with making an attempt to learn complicated technology, or frantically trying to get your IVR up and operating by yourself,” Coop noted.
The folks over at Interact have some pretty innovative systems to offer up in this regard. Interact provides a hosted IVR solution along with a service creation environment for developing voice applications quickly and easily – another convenient feature of hosted voice solutions. Coop mentioned that development in a hosted IVR system, “can significantly reduce coding mainly because applications can be produced by the provider and applied remotely for you.”
Of course, cost is one of the biggest attractors to hosted IVR systems. Since expensive hardware is no longer needed in a cloud-based environment, businesses can automatically strike that expense from the records. Providers also have tiers of pricing structures, making it easier for small- to medium-sized businesses to take advantages of the cloud-based technology.
Coop noted several other benefits to the hosted IVR system including, “the degree of developer work essential, preliminary upfront expenses, guaranteed up-time, and available tech support team.” Interact’s various services address all of these benefits in cost effective ways, and have a history of aiding customers whether they be building their own applications or writing them using Interact’s VXML-based service creation environment.
Juliana Kenny graduated from the University of Connecticut with a double degree in English and French. After managing a small company for two years, she joined TMC (News - Alert) as a Web Editor for TMCnet. Juliana currently focuses on the call center and CRM industries, but she also writes about cloud telephony and network gear including softswitches.
Edited by Jamie Epstein