How to Build an IVR System
Generate custom voice menus and route calls to the right person using the Twilio API.
Adding anInteractive Voice Response(IVR) system to your existing call center is simple with the web language you’realready using... or, alternatively with ourvisual IVR builder. Create a custom phone tree and route your callers intelligently to deliver a tailored experience.
STEP 1
Answer a phone call
To initiate the phone tree, configure one of yourTwilionumbers to send your web app an HTTP request when receiving a call.
STEP 2
Respond to twilio request
Your web app responds to Twilio’s HTTP request with a top-level menu written in TwiML. Twilio then plays the menu options and gathers input from the caller.
STEP 3
Receive caller’s input
Twilio reads the user’s input (DTMF tones) and sends an HTTP request to your server for instructions on how to respond. Because each input retrieves a separate set of instructions, you have far greater flexibility when designing, building, and updating your IVR system.
STEP 4
Process the caller’s selection
Depending on the caller’s selection, your web app instructs Twilio to play another menu, gather more information, or connect the call to another phone number.
STEP 5
Route the caller
When the caller selects to speak with an agent, the call is routed to your agent or front desk. Phonenumbers can be hardcoded or read from a database, and the endpoint can be a hard or soft phone.
Communicate reliably
Experience a 99.95% uptime SLA made possible with automated failover and zero maintenance windows.
Operate at scale
Extend the same app you write once to new markets with configurable features for localization and compliance.
Many channels
Use the same platform you know for voice, SMS, video, chat, two-factor authentication, and more.
No shenanigans
Get to market faster with pay-as-you-go pricing, free support, and the freedom to scale up or down without contracts.