What is IVR?

A typical IVR call runs like this:

1. The call reaches your phone system and plays a recorded greeting.
2. The caller hears a menu and presses a key or says a short phrase.
3. The system matches that input to a rule you configured: a department, an extension, a voicemail box or a recorded message such as your hours.
4. Deeper menus repeat the process until the call reaches a destination.
5. If nobody is free at the destination, the caller waits on hold or leaves a voicemail.

Some IVR systems also look up account data, such as an order status, when they are connected to a database. Speech-enabled IVR accepts spoken words, but only the options its menu expects.

IVR routes; an AI receptionist resolves. With IVR the caller does the sorting, and there still has to be a person at the end to book the job. An AI receptionist uses conversational AI to understand the request in the caller’s own words, asks your intake questions, and books the appointment on the same call. IVR still makes sense for large organizations with many departments and callers who already know which one they want. For a small business with one front desk, a menu mostly adds steps before the caller reaches the same voicemail.

Basic auto-attendant menus are often included in business phone and VoIP plans, while contact-center IVR is priced by its vendor per seat or per minute. The larger cost is what happens after the menu: if nobody picks up, the call is still missed. AI receptionists are usually billed as a monthly rate with included minutes. See how much an AI receptionist costs and Keres AI pricing.

Keres AI does not put callers in a menu. Remi answers in two rings, 24/7, asks the caller what they need, asks your intake questions, and books into Google Calendar, HubSpot or ServiceTitan. Calls that need a person are escalated by your rules, and calls Remi couldn’t take get a text back within 60 seconds. You can also keep an existing menu and forward one option, or your after-hours calls, to Remi. Remi answers in English today.