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Define Ivr/history

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Communication is neither transmission of message nor message itself. It is the mutual exchange of understanding,
originating with the reciever. Communication needs to be effective in business. Communication is essence of
management. The basic functions of management (Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing and Controlling) cannot
be performed well without effective communication. Business communication involves constant flow of information.
Feedback is integral part of business communication. Organizations these days are verly large. It involves number of
people. There are various levels of hierarchy in an organization. Greater the number of levels, the more difficult is the
job of managing the organization. Communication here plays a very important role in process of directing and
controlling the people in the oragnization. Immediate feedback can be obtained and misunderstandings if any can be
avoided. There should be effective communication between superiors and subordinated in an organization, between
organization and society at large(for example between management and trade unions). It is essential for success and
growth of an organization. Communication gaps should not occur in any organization.

Business Communication is goal oriented. The rules, regulations and policies of a company have to be
communicated to people within and outside the organization. Business Communication is regulated by certain rules
and norms. In early times, business communication was limited to paper-work, telephone calls etc. But now with
advent of technology, we have cell phones, video conferencing, emails, satellite communication to support business
communication. Effective business communication helps in building goodwill of an organization.
Business Communication can be of two types:

1. Oral Communication - An oral communication can be formal or informal. Generally business

communication is a formal means of communication, like : meetings, interviews, group discussion, speeches
etc. An example of Informal business communication would be - Grapevine.
2. Written Communication - Written means of business communication includes - agenda, reports, manuals

Communication is a process of exchanging verbal and non verbal messages. It is a continuous process. Pre-
requisite of communication is a message. This message must be conveyed through some medium to the recipient. It
is essential that this message must be understood by the recipient in same terms as intended by the sender. He
must respond within a time frame. Thus, communication is a two way process and is incomplete without a feedback
from the recipient to the sender on how well the message is understood by him.

Communication Process

The main components of communication process are as follows:

1. Context - Communication is affected by the context in which it takes place. This context may be physical,
social, chronological or cultural. Every communication proceeds with context. The sender chooses the
message to communicate within a context.
2. Sender / Encoder - Sender / Encoder is a person who sends the message. A sender makes use of symbols
(words or graphic or visual aids) to convey the message and produce the required response. For instance -
a training manager conducting training for new batch of employees. Sender may be an individual or a group
or an organization. The views, background, approach, skills, competencies, and knowledge of the sender
have a great impact on the message. The verbal and non verbal symbols chosen are essential in
ascertaining interpretation of the message by the recipient in the same terms as intended by the sender.
 3. Message - Message is a key idea that the sender wants to communicate. It is a sign that elicits the
response of recipient. Communication process begins with deciding about the message to be conveyed. It
must be ensured that the main objective of the message is clear.
4. Medium - Medium is a means used to exchange / transmit the message. The sender must choose an
appropriate medium for transmitting the message else the message might not be conveyed to the desired
recipients. The choice of- appropriate medium of communication is essential for making the message
effective and correctly interpreted by the recipient. This choice of communication medium varies depending
upon the features of communication. For instance - Written medium is chosen when a message has to be
conveyed to a small group of people, while an oral medium is chosen when spontaneous feedback is
required from the recipient as misunderstandings are cleared then and there.
5. Recipient / Decoder - Recipient / Decoder is a person for whom the message is intended / aimed /
targeted. The degree to which the decoder understands the message is dependent upon various factors
such as knowledge of recipient, their responsiveness to the message, and the reliance of encoder on
decoder.
6. Feedback - Feedback is the main component of communication process as it permits the sender to analyze
the efficacy of the message. It helps the sender in confirming the correct interpretation of message by the
decoder. Feedback may be verbal (through words) or non-verbal (in form of smiles, sighs, etc.). It may take
written form also in form of memos, reports, etc.

Oral Communication - Meaning, Advantages and

Limitations

Oral communication implies communication through mouth. It includes individuals conversing with each other, be it
direct conversation or telephonic conversation. Speeches, presentations, discussions are all forms of oral
communication. Oral communication is generally recommended when the communication matter is of temporary kind
or where a direct interaction is required. Face to face communication (meetings, lectures, conferences, interviews,
etc.) is significant so as to build a rapport and trust.

Advantages of Oral Communication

 There is high level of understanding and transparency in oral communication as it is interpersonal.

 There is no element of rigidity in oral communication. There is flexibility for allowing changes in the
decisions previously taken.
 The feedback is spontaneous in case of oral communication. Thus, decisions can be made quickly
without any delay.
 Oral communication is not only time saving, but it also saves upon money and efforts.
 Oral communication is best in case of problem resolution. The conflicts, disputes and many
issues/differences can be put to an end by talking them over.
 Oral communication is an essential for teamwork and group energy.
 Oral communication promotes a receptive and encouraging morale among organizational
employees.
 Oral communication can be best used to transfer private and confidential information/matter.

Disadvantages/Limitations of Oral Communication

 Relying only on oral communication may not be sufficient as business communication is formal and very
organized.
 Oral communication is less authentic than written communication as they are informal and not as organized
as written communication.
 Oral communication is time-saving as far as daily interactions are concerned, but in case of meetings, long
speeches consume lot of time and are unproductive at times.
 Oral communications are not easy to maintain and thus they are unsteady.
 There may be misunderstandings as the information is not complete and may lack essentials.
 It requires attentiveness and great receptivity on part of the receivers/audience.
  Oral communication (such as speeches) is not frequently used as legal records except in investigation work

 Written Communication - Meaning, Advantages and

Disadvantages
 Written communication has great significance in today’s business world. It is an innovative activity of the
mind. Effective written communication is essential for preparing worthy promotional materials for business
development. Speech came before writing. But writing is more unique and formal than speech. Effective
writing involves careful choice of words, their organization in correct order in sentences formation as well as
cohesive composition of sentences. Also, writing is more valid and reliable than speech. But while speech is
spontaneous, writing causes delay and takes time as feedback is not immediate.
 Advantages of Written Communication
 Written communication helps in laying down apparent principles, policies and rules for running of an
organization.

 It is a permanent means of communication. Thus, it is useful where record maintenance is required.

 It assists in proper delegation of responsibilities. While in case of oral communication, it is impossible

to fix and delegate responsibilities on the grounds of speech as it can be taken back by the speaker or
he may refuse to acknowledge.

 Written communication is more precise and explicit.

 Effective written communication develops and enhances an organization’s image.

 It provides ready records and references.

 Legal defenses can depend upon written communication as it provides valid records.

 Disadvantages of Written Communication

 Written communication does not save upon the costs. It costs huge in terms of stationery and the manpower
employed in writing/typing and delivering letters.

 Also, if the receivers of the written message are separated by distance and if they need to clear their doubts,
the response is not spontaneous.

 Written communication is time-consuming as the feedback is not immediate. The encoding and sending of
message takes time.

 Effective written communication requires great skills and competencies in language and vocabulary use. Poor
writing skills and quality have a negative impact on organization’s reputation.

 Too much paper work and e-mails burden is involved.

Importance of Communication in an Organization

 Effective Communication is significant for managers in the organizations so as to perform the basic functions
of management, i.e., Planning, Organizing, Leading and Controlling. Communication helps managers to
perform their jobs and responsibilities. Communication serves as a foundation for planning. All the essential
information must be communicated to the managers who in-turn must communicate the plans so as to
implement them. Organizing also requires effective communication with others about their job task. Similarly
leaders as managers must communicate effectively with their subordinates so as to achieve the team goals.
Controlling is not possible without written and oral communication.

Managers devote a great part of their time in communication. They generally devote approximately 6 hours per
day in communicating. They spend great time on face to face or telephonic communication with their superiors,
subordinates, colleagues, customers or suppliers. Managers also use Written Communication in form of
letters, reports or memos wherever oral communication is not feasible.
Thus, we can say that “effective communication is a building block of successful organizations”. In other
words, communication acts as organizational blood.
The importance of communication in an organization can be summarized as follows:

1. Communication promotes motivation by informing and clarifying the employees about the task to be done,
the manner they are performing the task, and how to improve their performance if it is not up to the mark.
2. Communication is a source of information to the organizational members for decision-making process as it
helps identifying and assessing alternative course of actions.
3. Communication also plays a crucial role in altering individual’s attitudes, i.e., a well informed individual
will have better attitude than a less-informed individual. Organizational magazines, journals, meetings and
various other forms of oral and written communication help in moulding employee’s attitudes.
4. Communication also helps in socializing. In todays life the only presence of another individual fosters
communication. It is also said that one cannot survive without communication.
5. As discussed earlier, communication also assists in controlling process. It helps controlling organizational
member’s behaviour in various ways. There are various levels of hierarchy and certain principles and
guidelines that employees must follow in an organization. They must comply with organizational policies,
perform their job role efficiently and communicate any work problem and grievance to their superiors. Thus,
communication helps in controlling function of management.

An effective and efficient communication system requires managerial proficiency in delivering and receiving
messages. A manager must discover various barriers to communication, analyze the reasons for their occurrence
and take preventive steps to avoid those barriers. Thus, the primary responsibility of a manager is to develop and
maintain an effective communication system in the organization.

Seven C’s of Effective Communication

There are 7 C’s of effective communication which are applicable to both written as well as oral communication.
These are as follows:

1. Completeness - The communication must be complete. It should convey all facts required by the audience.
The sender of the message must take into consideration the receiver’s mind set and convey the message
accordingly. A complete communication has following features:
 Complete communication develops and enhances reputation of an organization.
 Moreover, they are cost saving as no crucial information is missing and no additional cost is
incurred in conveying extra message if the communication is complete.
 A complete communication always gives additional information wherever required. It leaves no
questions in the mind of receiver.
 Complete communication helps in better decision-making by the audience/ readers/ receivers of
message as they get all desired and crucial information.
 It persuades the audience.
2. Conciseness – Conciseness means wordiness, i.e, communicating what you want to convey in least
possible words without forgoing the other C’s of communication. Conciseness is a necessity for effective
communication. Concise communication has following features:
  It is both time-saving as well as cost-saving.
 It underlines and highlights the main message as it avoids using excessive and needless words.
 Concise communication provides short and essential message in limited words to the audience.
 Concise message is more appealing and comprehensible to the audience.
 Concise message is non-repetitive in nature.
3. Consideration - Consideration implies “stepping into the shoes of others”. Effective communication must
take the audience into consideration, i.e, the audience’s view points, background, mind-set, education level,
etc. Make an attempt to envisage your audience, their requirements, emotions as well as problems. Ensure
that the self-respect of the audience is maintained and their emotions are not at harm. Modify your words in
message to suit the audience’s needs while making your message complete. Features of considerate
communication are as follows:
 Emphasize on “you” approach.
 Empathize with the audience and exhibit interest in the audience. This will stimulate a positive
reaction from the audience.
 Show optimism towards your audience. Emphasize on “what is possible” rather than “what is
impossible”. Lay stress on positive words such as jovial, committed, thanks, warm, healthy, help,
etc.
4. Clarity - Clarity implies emphasizing on a specific message or goal at a time, rather than trying to achieve
too much at once. Clarity in communication has following features:
 It makes understanding easier.
 Complete clarity of thoughts and ideas enhances the meaning of message.
 Clear message makes use of exact, appropriate and concrete words.
5. Concreteness - Concrete communication implies being particular and clear rather than fuzzy and general.
Concreteness strengthens the confidence. Concrete message has following features:
 It is supported with specific facts and figures.
 It makes use of words that are clear and that build the reputation.
 Concrete messages are not misinterpreted.
6. Courtesy - Courtesy in message implies the message should show the sender’s expression as well as
should respect the receiver. The sender of the message should be sincerely polite, judicious, reflective and
enthusiastic. Courteous message has following features:
 Courtesy implies taking into consideration both viewpoints as well as feelings of the receiver of the
message.
 Courteous message is positive and focused at the audience.
 It makes use of terms showing respect for the receiver of message.
 It is not at all biased.
7. Correctness - Correctness in communication implies that there are no grammatical errors in
communication. Correct communication has following features:
 The message is exact, correct and well-timed.
 If the communication is correct, it boosts up the confidence level.
 Correct message has greater impact on the audience/ readers.
 It checks for the precision and accurateness of facts and figures used in the message.
 It makes use of appropriate and correct language in the message.

Awareness of these 7 C’s of communication makes you an effective communicator.

IVR Definition
Interactive Voice Response

Definition Of IVR (Interactive Voice Response)

Interactive voice response (IVR) systems and services are provided by
virtually all businesses and government organizations that have customers or
members that need to obtain information by phone. First, lets define IVR.

What Is IVR?
"Interactive voice response, or IVR, is a computerized phone
system that enables a person, typically a telephone caller, to make a
 selection from a voice menu. The selection is made using touchphone keypad entries or voice
responses. The phone system plays pre-recorded voice prompts and the person typically presses
a number on a telephone keypad to select the option associated with the voice prompt.

This interaction allows the individual to communicate with the phone system and thus the
computer system to either obtain information or to process a transaction."

Database Systems Corp. (DSC) is a leading IVR company that provides IVR solutions and applications.
These programs are designed by our experienced programming staff and can be developed quickly and
efficiently. Since 1978, DSC has been providing computer software solutions including phone
applications and call processing systems.

Contact DSC to learn more about what is IVR and our interactive voice response IVR solutions and
services.

IVR Components
Turnkey IVR solutions include IVR phone systems, IVR software as well as IVR services. The following
information is provided to assist you in learning more about IVRS and how Database Systems Corp. can
provide your organization with this call processing technology.

IVR Systems
DSC provides two different models of IVR systems, the WIZARD
analog IVR system and the PACER digital IVR system. These
phone systems are provided to clients who wish to maintain
their own systems. The PACER IVR phone system is deployed
throughout DSC's data centers and process all of our customers'
inbound IVR calls.

The WIZARD interactive voice response system supports anywhere from 4 to 48 analog
phone lines. The PACER IVR system supports 24 to 480 digital T1 phone lines. Additionally, the
PACER IVR systems can be networked to provide a far greater number of digital line support.

IVR Software
DSC provides its own interactive voice response software library.
Routines can be called from most modern computer programming
languages including Visual Basic, C and C++.

This IVR software uses pre-recorded phone prompts as menus to allow callers the option to
obtain information maintained in remote databases or web servers. Telephone keypad entries
(DTMF signals) are gathered from the caller to collect information and to provide navigation
through simple to complex IVR menu structures.

DSC custom IVR software provides information back to the caller in the form of either recorded
voice messages or data that is converted realtime using our text to speech translators. The IVR
can also route the caller to a representative local to the center or transfer the call to an outside
telephone number.

IVR Services
DSC maintains its own secure data center that provides phone
answering services for our customers. Using PACER IVR phone
systems and IVR software, DSC provides comprehensive and
affordable custom IVR solutions to virtually any size organization
including government departments and businesses and
corporations.

Our IVR hosting service processes incoming phone calls (usually 800 numbers or the equivalent)
by presenting callers with a phone menu of items from which to choose. The IVR can process
each caller's request automatically or the call can be routed to a representative of our clients.