Guide · Phone Systems · IVR
Plan your menu structure, write the prompts, avoid the classic mistakes — with 8 ready-to-use IVR script templates.
IVR — Interactive Voice Response. Behind this term lies the phone menu system most of us encounter every day: "For sales and enquiries, press 1. For customer service, press 2." A good IVR works so smoothly you barely notice it. A bad IVR is a frustration machine.
And the consequences are real. Studies show that 83% of customers will avoid a company after a poor phone experience. A badly designed IVR is one of the most common sources of that frustration: too many options, no way to reach a real person, or prompts that are wrong or out of date.
And yet a good IVR concept isn't rocket science — it mainly requires clarity, structure, and the right priorities. This guide walks you through building a professional IVR system step by step: from planning through writing the prompts to the final recording.
Before you write a single word, internalise these rules:
Working memory can hold only 4–5 items at once. More than 5 IVR options overload the caller — they forget the earlier choices while listening to the later ones and have to replay the prompt. That frustrates people. The ideal is 3–4 options. For more departments, use a second menu level rather than cramming everything into one menu.
In most businesses, 20% of call reasons account for 80% of all calls. The most frequent call reasons belong at the top of the menu — not the bottom. Analyse your inbound calls: why do most people actually ring? That option goes first.
No matter how good your IVR is, some callers won't be able (or willing) to fit their situation into a menu. Always provide a route to a real person — typically as the last option ("...or press 0 to speak to a member of our team") or by staying on the line without pressing anything.
Maximum 2–3 levels. "For technical support press 3 — for hardware issues press 1 — for software press 2 — for operating systems press 1..." Nobody tolerates endless nesting. Keep it flat and route callers quickly to a real person or a concrete solution.
All templates are ready to use. Replace the [placeholders] with your own content.
Key principle: Always state the option description before the number — "For sales, press 1" works better than "Press 1 for sales," because the caller listens first and then presses the key.
"Welcome to [Company Name]. For sales and new enquiries, press 1. For customer service and support, press 2. For accounts and billing, press 3. To speak to a member of our team, press 0 or hold the line."
"Welcome to [Company Name]. If you'd like a quote or have a product enquiry, press 1. For questions about an existing order, press 2. For technical support, press 3. For HR and careers, press 4. For all other matters, or to speak directly with a member of our team, press 0."
"You've reached the Sales and Enquiries team. For information about [Product A], press 1. For [Product B], press 2. To book a no-obligation initial consultation, press 3. To return to the main menu, press the hash key."
"Welcome to [Company Name]. You're calling outside our business hours. Our office is open [Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm]. To leave a message, press 1 — we'll call you back on the next business day. You can also reach us by email at [info@example.com]. Thank you for calling. Goodbye."
"One moment please — I'm connecting you with a member of our team. Thank you for holding."
"All of our lines are currently busy. If you'd like us to call you back, press 1 and leave your name and number after the tone. We'll return your call within [X hours / one business day]. To continue holding, please remain on the line."
"Connecting you now to [Sales / Service / Accounts]. Please hold for just a moment."
"Sorry, that option is not available. Please try again: [repeat options]. Or press 0 to speak to a member of our team."
An IVR system is only as good as its planning. Before you write a single line, you need to define the structure.
Ask yourself: why do customers call you? If you have call data, analyse it. If not, track inbound enquiries for two weeks and categorise them. Typical categories: Sales/Enquiries, Existing Customers/Support, Billing/Accounts, HR/Careers, General.
Which category has the highest call volume? That goes first. Which categories can be combined? What's so infrequent it doesn't need its own menu item?
Sketch the structure before you write any prompts. A simple example:
Inbound call
└── Greeting / Main Menu
├── [1] Sales & Enquiries
│ ├── [1] Product A → Transfer to Sales A
│ ├── [2] Product B → Transfer to Sales B
│ └── [0] Back to main menu
├── [2] Service & Support
│ ├── [1] Technical Support → Transfer to IT
│ ├── [2] Complaints → Transfer to Service
│ └── [0] Back to main menu
├── [3] Billing & Accounts → Direct transfer
└── [0] Receptionist / General → Direct transfer
Only now do you write the prompts — a separate script for each node in the tree. Number them to match the structure (e.g. "MainMenu.wav", "Sales_SubMenu.wav", "Transfer_IT.wav"). This makes future updates much easier.
Call your own system — ideally with someone who doesn't know it. Where do they hesitate? Where do they press the wrong key? Where are they unsure which option to choose? Finding and fixing these weak points is the final, most important step.
For IVR systems, consistency is everything. All prompts must come from the same voice, sound the same, and carry the same emotional quality — whether it's the main menu, a sub-menu, or an error prompt.
Anyone who records different prompts at different times will battle with varying room acoustics, different microphone distances, and fluctuating tone. Callers notice immediately, and it undermines the professional impression.
At stimme24.com, all IVR prompts for a project are recorded in a single session — so every component sounds consistent and cohesive. Whether it's 3 prompts or 30.
Quick answers to the most common questions about IVR systems.
Project enquiry · Pricing · Or just give us a call.