Call Center Hosting IVR & Self-Service Technology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'visual IVR'?
- An IVR menu displayed on a touchscreen kiosk in the office
- A smartphone screen-based menu that mirrors IVR options, allowing tap navigation instead of audio menus (Correct answer)
- A dashboard showing live IVR call stats for supervisors
- An animated avatar that guides callers through menus
Correct answer: A smartphone screen-based menu that mirrors IVR options, allowing tap navigation instead of audio menus
Visual IVR presents IVR menu choices on a smartphone screen, letting callers tap options instead of listening to and pressing menu choices.
Question 2: What does 'call deflection' mean in the context of IVR and self-service?
- Forwarding calls to a competitor
- Redirecting callers from expensive live-agent calls to self-service or digital channels (Correct answer)
- Blocking spam calls before they reach the queue
- Transferring calls away from overloaded queues
Correct answer: Redirecting callers from expensive live-agent calls to self-service or digital channels
Call deflection strategies steer callers toward self-service IVR, chatbots, or SMS to reduce live agent handle time and cost.
Question 3: What is VoiceXML (VXML) used for in hosted IVR development?
- Encrypting voice recordings for compliance storage
- Defining IVR call flow dialogs using an XML-based markup language (Correct answer)
- Compressing audio files for faster playback
- Creating visual dashboards from call data
Correct answer: Defining IVR call flow dialogs using an XML-based markup language
VoiceXML is an XML-based language used to create structured IVR call flows, prompts, and menu logic for telephony applications.
Question 4: What does NLU (Natural Language Understanding) add to an IVR beyond basic ASR?
- Faster audio transcription
- The ability to understand the meaning and intent behind spoken words, not just transcribe them (Correct answer)
- Multi-language translation in real time
- Voice biometric authentication
Correct answer: The ability to understand the meaning and intent behind spoken words, not just transcribe them
NLU interprets the semantic intent of a caller's utterance, allowing the IVR to understand requests like 'I want to change my address' rather than matching keywords.
Question 5: What is 'IVR containment rate'?
- The percentage of IVR sessions that are recorded for compliance
- The percentage of calls fully resolved by the IVR without transfer to a live agent (Correct answer)
- The number of IVR menu levels a caller navigated before hanging up
- The rate at which IVR prompts are updated
Correct answer: The percentage of calls fully resolved by the IVR without transfer to a live agent
IVR containment rate measures how many callers complete their needs in the IVR without requiring a live agent, indicating self-service effectiveness.
Question 6: Which regulation governs how call centers must handle automated phone solicitations and IVR outbound calls in the US?
- HIPAA
- TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) (Correct answer)
- SOX
- GDPR
Correct answer: TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act)
The TCPA regulates automated calls, robocalls, and IVR-based outbound calling, requiring prior express consent for certain types of calls.
Call Center Hosting IVR & Self-Service Technology 2
What is 'visual IVR'?