IVR menus
Give every caller a clear next step.
Create menu-driven call flows that help callers reach the right destination quickly — a short menu, obvious options, and a defined path behind every one of them.
Diagram: a caller reaches a main menu, presses an option, and each option routes to a team, with no-input calls sent to reception.
What it solves
A menu is only useful if every option ends somewhere.
Callers forgive a menu. They do not forgive a menu that loops, offers an option nobody answers, or buries the one thing they called about. A well-built IVR is short, spoken plainly, and routed all the way through.
- Keep menus short enough to remember while listening.
- Give every option a real destination behind it.
- Handle no input and invalid input deliberately.
- Use different menus inside and outside working hours.
How it works
Three things happen to every call.
The caller hears the menu
A recorded prompt presents the options you have defined.
They choose an option
The keypress selects the branch configured for that option.
The branch routes the call
The call continues to the destination, team or sub-menu behind that choice.
Capabilities
What you can build with it.
Availability of individual capabilities depends on your setup and destinations. We confirm what applies before anything is configured.
- Custom menus
- Build the option list around how your customers actually describe what they need.
- Department routing
- Send each option to the team, destination or rule set that should handle it.
- Schedules
- Present a different menu, or a different message, outside working hours.
- Fallback routes
- Decide what happens on no input, invalid input or an unanswered branch.
- Recorded prompts
- Use your own recordings so the menu sounds like your business.
- Nested options
- Add a second level only where it genuinely shortens the caller journey.
Example menu tree
A route you could read out loud.
A three-option menu, each branch resolved to a destination, plus explicit no-input handling.
Route definition
Illustrative- Greeting
- Your own recorded prompt
- Press 1
- Sales · ring group
- Press 2
- Support · queue, then voicemail
- Press 3
- Accounts · single extension
- No input
- Reception, not a repeated loop
An illustrative example. Your route is written with you before anything is configured.
Use cases
Where it earns its place.
One number, several teams
A single published number serves sales, support and accounts without a receptionist in the middle.
Out-of-hours messaging
Callers hear accurate information instead of ringing out into nothing.
Reducing transfers
Callers reach the right team first, so fewer calls need to be moved twice.
Coverage & compatibility
Will it work where you need it?
Destinations, number types and endpoint compatibility vary. Send us the specifics and we'll confirm what is available rather than publish a list that may not hold for your case.
FAQ
Common questions
Anything specific to your destinations, numbers or endpoints is confirmed directly rather than answered generically.
How many options should a menu have?
Short menus perform better. Three or four clear options are usually easier for a caller to act on than a long list, but the structure is built around your teams.
Can we use our own recordings?
Yes. Recorded prompts can be supplied so the menu matches your brand and language requirements.
What happens if a caller presses nothing?
No-input handling is part of the design. The call is sent to whichever destination you nominate rather than ending unresolved.
Next step
Ready to set up ivr?
Tell us how your calls work today and where they need to go. We'll map the route with you before anything is configured.