Comparative analysis and review of interactive voice response systems

Abstract

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems uses computer generated voice unit to provide response to an input from a telephone caller. With IVR systems, mobile phone users can access information by simply dialing a telephone number to create connectivity and communication with a server or internet. The use of IVR systems is applied in areas such as e-health, banking and finance, government, telecommunication, education, amongst others. Meanwhile, there is dearth of comparative studies of existing IVR systems, hence, the need to carry out a comparative analysis of these systems in terms of their features, strength, technology/platform, limitations and methods of implementation. This study provides a review and analysis of IVR systems based on these defined criteria. In carrying out this study, 40 articles were selected and only 38 that directly relates to IVR based systems were considered for analysis. The 38 papers are the ones that satisfied the inclusion criteria used to select systems for the study. These systems have been classified into five categories based on their domain of application and a comprehensive analysis and review has been carried out to guide IVR systems developers. The summary of findings show that VoiceXML vocal interface, Voxeo speech engine and MySQL database are the most widely used tools for implementing speech and touch-tone applications. The outcome of this survey will give future direction to potential