Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology allows companies to effectively manage high call volumes using automated self-service phone systems. IVR delivers substantial cost savings and efficiency gains for small business call centers.
This definitive guide will explain what IVR is, the benefits it offers small businesses, and provide an in-depth comparison of the top software solutions to help you determine which platform best meets your needs.
An Introduction to IVR Software
IVR software automatically answers and routes inbound calls based on caller responses to touchtone or speech-recognized prompts. This eliminates the need for a live call agent to handle every single call.
According to research firm IDC, the IVR market is growing at 13% annually, fueled by increasing demand for automation among call centers of all sizes [1].
So what does an IVR system actually do? Key functions include:
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Automatic call answering, greeting and menu prompts – "Press 1 for sales, 2 for support…"
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Self-service options – pay bill, check order status
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Connect calls to appropriate extensions or voicemail
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Call screening and routing based on prompts
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Voicemail and auto attendant capabilities
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Customer authentication using voice biometrics
For small businesses, IVR software reduces call volumes handled by live agents by 40-50% on average. This significantly lowers labor costs while still providing excellent customer service.
Advanced systems harness the latest artificial intelligence capabilities to further improve self-service containment rates. Virtual assistants can now understand natural language responses and quickly access the information callers need.
Benefits of IVR Software for Small Business
- Cost reduction – Less staff required, lower infrastructure costs
- Efficiency gains – Agents focus on complex, high-value calls
- Improved CX – Customers get quick answers without waiting for an agent
- Higher containment rates – Issues resolved without agent transfer
- Flexibility – Cloud systems are easy to manage, modify
- Actionable insights – Embedded analytics for constant optimization
With the advent of affordable cloud-based IVR solutions, even very small companies can benefit from sophisticated automation with minimal upfront investment.
Let‘s explore the top options and key considerations for choosing the right platform.
IVR Software Comparison
Here is a high-level overview comparing capabilities of the top 10 IVR software solutions best suited for small business:
| Software | Starting Price | Ease of Use | Features | Integrations | Ideal For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshdesk | $13/agent/mo | ***** | **** | *** | Very small teams – basic call mgmt |
| AirCall | $30/user/mo | **** | ***** | **** | Growing SMBs – advanced capabilities |
| JustCall | $25/user/mo | ***** | **** | ***** | SMBs prioritizing ease of use + customization |
| Five9 | Custom Quote | *** | ***** | ***** | Larger/enterprise businesses |
| NICE inContact | Custom Quote | **** | ***** | **** | Sophisticated CX, advanced analytics |
| Talkdesk | $20/agent/mo | **** | ***** | ***** | Mid-market call centers, CX focus |
| RingCentral | $30/user/mo | **** | **** | *** | All-in-one UCaaS + basic IVR |
| Ooma | $20/user/mo | ** | ** | * | Very small teams with tight budgets |
| Zendesk | $14/agent/mo | *** | **** | **** | Customer service teams already using Zendesk |
| Twilio Flex | Pay per use | ***** | ***** | ***** | Developers, fully customizable cloud communications |
(1=Basic, 5=Advanced capabilities)
Now let‘s explore the top recommended IVR software platforms in more detail.
1. Freshdesk IVR
[Freshdesk]Pricing
$13+ per agent per month
Ideal For
Super small teams wanting simplicity and low cost
Key Features
- Intuitive visual editor
- Multi-level IVR menus
- Voicemail boxes
- CRM integrations
- Call analytics dashboard
Summary
Over 150,000 small businesses worldwide trust [Freshdesk] for its combination of ease of use and feature breadth at extremely affordable pricing….
2. Aircall
Pricing
$30+ per user per month
Ideal For
Growing mid-size companies needing full-featured call center software
Key Features
- Omnichannel support – voice, SMS, chat
- Real-time custom analytics
- Integrations – Salesforce, Zendesk etc
- Call recording, smart routing
- No hardware required
Summary
[Aircall] makes it simple to set up a cloud call center in minutes with no hardware requirements. The system scales to support large teams and call volumes with enterprise-grade capabilities to meet the needs of rapidly expanding customer support and sales teams.
3. JustCall IVR
Pricing
$25+ per user per month
Ideal For
SMBs from 5 to 200 agents
Key Features
- Easy visual designer
- Unlimited auto attendants
- CRM, helpdesk platform integrations
- Real-time call monitoring
- Custom reports builder
Summary
[JustCall] strikes an optimal balance between ease of use and depth of advanced features for growing SMB customer support teams. The system auto-scales to support increasing call volumes without complexity or skyrocketing costs.
Comparing Costs: IVR vs Live Agents
Here is a cost comparison based on a small business receiving 5000 calls per month.
| Cost Factor | Basic IVR System | 4 Live Agents |
|---|---|---|
| Software/Licenses | $100/month | – |
| Agent Salaries | – | $9,000/month |
| Benefits (20% of salary) | – | $1,800/month |
| Infrastructure/Overhead | – | $2,000/month |
| Total Monthly Cost | $100 | $12,800 |
As you can see, implementing even a basic IVR can drastically reduce monthly costs for call centers, allowing small businesses to effectively manage higher inbound call volumes.
Advanced cloud systems provide even more savings given minimal infrastructure requirements and no long-term contracts…
Statistics: IVR Effectiveness
IVR software offers significant efficiency and containment rate improvements:
- Up to 50% containment – callers get answers without agent transfer
- 40% shorter call durations on average
- Improved first contact resolution (FCR) rates
Let‘s explore the top solutions available to small business owners today.
What Should SMBs Look For in an IVR?
Here are the key factors small companies should evaluate when selecting an interactive voice response system:
Easy Cloud Setup
- Intuitive online portal to build and manage
- No expensive hardware to install
Customizable Call Flows
- Flexible self-service menus, prompts and routing
- Option for contextual interactions powered by AI
Scalability
- Auto-scales to support increasing call volumes
- Pay only for what you need
Integrations
- CRM, helpdesk, other backend system connectivity
Analytics
- Dashboards with real-time visibility + historical reporting
Omnichannel Support
- Manage customer interactions across voice, email, chat, SMS + social
Mobile Optimization
- Native iOS and Android apps
- Call popping to agents
For optimal business outcomes, be sure to assess use cases and requirements across teams to identify must-have capabilities before evaluating IVR software.
Now let‘s explore the top all-around solutions available today that balance robust features with ease of use and affordability.
1. Freshdesk IVR
Trusted by over 150,000 small and mid-size businesses globally, Freshdesk offers an intuitive yet highly capable IVR software.
The visual drag-and-drop interface makes it fast and easy to get your cloud call center up and running without IT help. Key highlights include:
Key Features
- User-friendly visual editor
- Multi-level IVR menus
- Custom voicemail boxes
- CRM integrations
- Call analytics dashboard
- Smart call routing
- Custom on-hold messages
- Call recording
Ease of Use
Pricing
- Blossom – $13/agent per month
- Garden – $35/agent per month
- Estate – $95/agent per month
Ideal For
Freshdesk hits the sweet spot for micro and small businesses that want simplicity paired with robust core phone management capabilities.
- Teams with <10 agents
- Light call volumes
- Basic call routing needs
Summary
Freshdesk makes it fast and affordable for very small teams to get an IVR system up and running without complex setup or management.
While feature-rich enterprise systems cater to larger teams, Freshdesk appeals to budget-conscious businesses wanting core call handling functionality with little fuss.
[Get a Free Freshdesk Demo >>]2. Aircall
Purpose-built as a cloud call center solution, Aircall streamlines omnichannel customer communications for SMBs and rapidly scaling teams.
Key Features
- Omnichannel support – voice, SMS, chat
- Intuitive real-time custom analytics
- Tight integrations – Salesforce, Zendesk etc
- Smart auto-routing
- Voicemail transcription
Ease of Use
Pricing
- Essentials – $30 per user per month
- Professional – $50 per user per month
- Enterprise – Custom
Ideal For
Aircall suits fast-growing small business call centers needing a sophisticated yet easy to manage solution with enterprise-grade capabilities.
- Expanding teams 5-100 agents
- High call volumes
- Custom integration needs
- Geographically distributed teams
- Customer experience focus
Summary
Aircall streamlines cloud call center operations while providing SMBs enterprise-class features, seamless CRM integrations and stellar analytics capabilities to monitor key performance metrics across teams.
[Get Your Aircall Free Trial >>]3. JustCall
JustCall strikes an optimal balance between ease of use and depth of advanced features for growing SMB customer support teams.
Key Features
- Visual designer with drag and drop simplicity
- Unlimited auto attendants
- CRM, helpdesk platform integrations
- Real-time call monitoring
- Custom analytics reporting builder
- Voicemail transcription
- Smart routing rules engine
Ease of Use
Pricing
- Standard Plan – $25 per user per month
- Premium Plan – $50 per user per month
- Enterprise Plan – Custom
Ideal For
JustCall hits the sweet spot for SMBs from 5 to 200 agents needing full-featured call management that stays simple to use at scale.
- Growing teams
- Light-moderate call volumes
- Want single pane of glass
- Custom integration needs
Summary
JustCall makes it incredibly easy to create cloud call center workflows that put the customer first thanks to unlimited auto-attendants, CRM integrations, plus real-time call monitoring and analytics.
[See JustCall Review + Free Trial >>]Comparison: JustCall vs Aircall vs Freshdesk
Deciding between leading IVR software platforms? Here is a detailed side-by-side comparison of our top recommendations:
| JustCall | Aircall | Freshdesk | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $25/user/mo | $30/user/mo | $13/agent/mo |
| Ease of Use | ***** | **** | ***** |
| Scalability | ***** | **** | *** |
| Call Routing | ***** | **** | *** |
| Analytics + Reporting | **** | ***** | ** |
| CRM + Helpdesk Integrations | ***** | **** | *** |
| Call Recording | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Instant Callbacks | Yes | No | No |
| Voicemail Transcription | Yes | Yes | No |
| IVR Templates | Yes | No | Yes |
JustCall is simplest to get started while Aircall offers more sophisticated enterprise-grade analytics. Freshdesk is best for very small teams with basic requirements seeking maximum affordability.
Is IVR Software Right For Your Small Business?
Here are a few key questions to help you determine if implementing an interactive voice response system would be beneficial:
Do you handle high call volumes?
IVR software helps efficiently route and manage inbound calls. If overwhelming call traffic is straining resources, the ability to cost effectively scale while improving CX is invaluable.
Do customers frequently request the same basic info?
Setting up IVR self-service to handle these repetitive inquiries will significantly reduce repetitive tasks for agents.
Do you want to lower call center costs?
By containing more calls via self-service and intelligently routing calls, an IVR system dramatically cuts call center costs, with many companies seeing ROI in just a few months.
Could call routing and workflows be improved?
IVR provides more precision in routing calls to specialized teams or skilled agents based on caller responses or past interactions.
Would having better caller analytics help?
The built-in reporting and analytics of today‘s IVR software gives unprecedented visibility into who‘s calling, routing preferences, peak times and more to drive operational optimizations.
If your small business answered "yes" to one or more of the above questions, then IVR software can likely deliver tremendous benefits including lower costs, happier customers and more efficient call center operations.
Best Low Cost IVR: Ooma Office
For micro-size businesses wanting basic IVR capabilities without big monthly fees, Ooma Office is a solid pick.
Despite the affordable pricing, Ooma Office includes advanced features like:
- Custom auto-attendant
- Visual call flows
- Ring groups
- Voicemail to email
- Analytics
Pricing starts at just $19.95 per user per month with no contract.
While Ooma lacks the deeper feature set of JustCall and others, it‘s a cost-effective starting point for one-man shops testing the IVR waters.
Conclusion
Interactive voice response systems provide multifaceted benefits for today‘s small business call centers struggling with inefficient workflows and costly live agent staffing.
Cloud-based IVR software offers more affordable pricing than ever before along with easy scalability, built-in analytics, tighter integration with essential business systems and greater flexibility; transforming customer and agent experiences.
Industry leader JustCall hits the sweet spot across critical selection criteria for growing SMBs, but platforms like Aircall and Freshdesk also present compelling options we encourage you to explore further.
We hope this guide has helped better understand IVR capabilities and identified the best solution matching your business needs and budget.
The options featured provide risk-free trials – so we suggest signing up and experiencing first-hand if the functionality lives up to expectations for your unique requirements.
Here are direct links to get started with our top recommendations:
[Get Your JustCall Free Trial >>] [Start Free With Aircall >>] [Freshdesk 21-Day Free Trial >>]