Location-based Services and IVR Systems are a Match Made in Heaven
March 09, 2012
By Juliana Kenny, TMCnet Managing Editor
Location-based services and interactive voice response (IVR) systems go hand-in-hand and have been collaboration points for many developers over the years of progressive voice software. IVRs do not have to be simply leveraged for call handling, as organizations typically view them, but with the integration of location-based services, they can be used for much more.
Several years ago, technology came out that allowed wireless carriers to be able to use “cell tower triangulation” to figure out where a call is located exactly, and since then the technology has been leveraged by all sorts of organization, including the Federal Communications Commission, according to a white paper from Interact, Inc.
In the white paper, titled “Location Based Services with IVR Applications: Beyond ‘The Check-In’” Interact’s thought leaders cited the statistic that the IVR and location-based services partnership is only going to get bigger: “Two-thirds of all smartphone owners check in with a location based app at least once a week… As of June 2010, feature phone owners make up a full 79 percent of all mobile phone owners. That number is even higher in countries like China and India. These users will continue to make up a large portion of the market for years to come, and will also be a major target for location based apps. IVRs will be key to introducing enhanced features to these types of phones.”
Location-based services can be used anywhere in conjunction with IVR systems, and have come a long way since their initial developments. GPS capabilities now enable almost every phone manufactured since 2005 to employ location-enhanced services, noted the company, and map and location-based apps are now all over the place.
Location-based systems can be key for businesses looking to leverage them to drive revenue and applications. Interact’s customer IVR applications are able to integrate with location-based services to combine the power of modern voice software with the opportunity provided by location-based technology.
Edited by Tammy Wolf