IVR App - Telephone Companies

Telephone Companies

• Cellular Telephony

  A computer telephony system can provide voice messaging for a carphone user. If the driver is busy on a call or does not wish to receive calls, incoming calls are forwarded to a cellular voice mailbox. The system plays a personalized greeting recorded by the subscriber and lets the caller record a message. The subscriber calls in at a convenient time to retrieve messages.

• Voice Dialing

  Another service available to cellular carphone users is voice dialing which allows a driver to place a call by speaking a command such as "Call Home." Voice recognition technology makes it possible to speak a list of numbers and to associate each number with a spoken name. Voice dialing makes car phones safer to use.

• Voice Mail Paging

  Paging and computer telephony systems can work together to provide subscribers with enhanced messaging services. After callers leave a message with the computer telephony system they listen to a recording asking them if they wish to page the recipient. If they do, a signal is sent to the subscriber who calls the system and retrieves the message.

• Directory Assistance

  Telephone companies save millions of dollars a year by automating their directory assistance procedures. Computer telephony systems are currently employed to reduce the time operators must spend on calls. In most cases, an operator answers a call for directory assistance and locates a listing by typing commands using a terminal connected to a database. Once the requested number is located, a voice response unit plays out the digits to the caller leaving the operator free to handle calls. Some systems will dial the number automatically for an additional fee.

• Reverse Yellow Pages

  People normally call information when they need to know the telephone number of a business. What if they have the telephone number and want to know the address associated with it? A computer telephony system can provide this information. Callers dial a special number and are greeted with a recording prompting them to enter the telephone number. The system searches a listing's database and plays a recording of the company name and the address associated with the telephone number.

• Payphone Message Forwarding

  When a payphone user calls a party and encounters a busy signal a computer telephony system can prompt the caller to leave a message that can be forwarded to the called party when the line is free.

• Customer Service

  Telephone companies receive numerous calls from their customers including new service orders, trouble reports, billing problems and requests for information. Computer telephony provides faster service for these callers by asking them for their telephone number and the nature of the problem. Much of the information a caller is looking for can be accessed by computer while an operator or agent is servicing another call. Once the repair information or billing record is sent to an agent, the call can be forwarded.

• Fax Mailbox

  Voice messaging systems can provide "fax mailboxes" that provide coverage when a fax machine is busy or out of service. Fax information is received by a computer telephony system and stored as a computer file for later retrieval. The system notifies the recipient of the fax by automatically placing a call and playing a prerecorded message or by turning on the message waiting light on the recipient's telephone.

• Voice Messaging

  Telephone companies currently offer voice messaging service to the residential market using centralized computer telephony systems situated at the local central office. Callers who subscribe are given a password and mailbox number and dial a special number to retrieve their messages. This kind of service is more convenient than an answering machine for some people.

• Custom Calling Services

  Custom calling services like Auto Call Back enable customers to enter a code to automatically redial the last person who called them. A computer telephony system, installed at the local telephone central office, registers the calling and called number for each call placed through the office. When a customer enters the Auto Call Back code, the central office switch queries the computer telephony system for the phone number of the last party who called the subscriber. A call is then placed automatically to that number.

• Line Conversions

  Customers with older analog telephone equipment may wish to take advantage of newer digital services such as T-1, E-1 or ISDN, without replacing their phone systems. A computer telephony system can convert incoming digital services to analog format. It can also provide additional services such as voice recognition or voice messaging.

• Alternate Operator Services

  Telephone companies are saving money by automating operator services using computer telephony systems. Callers now place collect calls without the intervention of an operator. They dial a special number and are prompted to speak their name and the telephone number of the party they wish to speak with. Before the call is connected, the called party hears the recorded voice and a recording asking them whether they wish to receive the collect call. They respond by speaking "yes" or "no."