IVR stands for Interactive Voice Response. It’s a technology that allows interaction between a caller and a computer system via voice or keypad inputs. IVR systems are commonly used in telephone systems for customer service and call center interactions, as well as in various other applications such as automated payment processing, surveys, and appointment reminders. When you call a customer service line and are prompted to “Press 1 for sales, Press 2 for support,” you’re interacting with an IVR service provider. These systems can understand spoken commands or touch-tone keypad selections and can provide pre-recorded or dynamically generated audio responses to guide callers through various options or processes.