Seems it’s all about messaging now and yet we somehow still have the ridiculous automated call systems which the industry calls interactive voice response. Every single person I know hates having to call a customer support number only to hear a robotic voice that requires a series of frustrated enunciations to get what you wanted. I understand that it’s a huge win in terms of cost savings since you’re replacing people with software but moving over to SMS and asynchronous messaging would make it a better experience at an even lower cost.

The voice systems would no longer need to maintain a synchronous phone call connection and would be able to respond to messages asynchronously. In addition, translating and acting on text is much easier than having to do voice transcription and would lead to more powerful functionality rather than the usual yes/no questions. The end-to-end speed would also be improved since reading is quicker than listening. This can lead to better information density and provide more expansive options than what you’d be limited to with an automated voice system. Being asynchronous also allows people to take their time and find whatever they need without being pressured by the time constraint.

I’m honestly shocked that this hasn’t taken over the world yet. I did a Google search and it seems there are a few companies in the space but it’s surprising that companies aren’t scrambling to move their IVR systems to SMS.