How to build an IVR menu: short, clear and with a way out

The short answer

A good IVR menu (interactive voice response) gets the caller's question to the right place quickly and never sends them in circles. The practical rules are simple: three or four options per level, the most requested option first, the purpose before the number in every option ("For order status, press 1"), a way to hear the menu again, and an exit to a person on every level.

A menu is not the company's org chart; it is a list of callers' questions. It should say "place a new order", not "commercial department". This article builds the menu's wording, structure and testing step by step.

Start from calls, not departments

Before writing the menu, write down the reason for 100 calls from the last week or two and group them. Usually three or four reasons make up most of the calls. The menu's first level should consist of exactly those reasons; the rest is handled by "other questions" or a route to a person.

The problem with a menu built on department names is that callers do not know which department their question belongs to. Does a return question go to "sales" or "support"? The caller guesses, guesses wrong, and the call gets transferred.

Number of options and depth

On the phone callers cannot see the options; they have to remember them. After five or six options they forget the first. So three or four options per level and at most two levels of depth are recommended. If a third level is needed, that shows the type of call is complex, not the menu — and in such cases a conversational agent or a person directly is a better fit.

Option wording: purpose first, then number

Not "Press 1 — sales" but "For a new order, press 1". The caller hears their purpose first, and only then needs the number. Otherwise they memorise the number, then hear the purpose, and if it does not match, forget the number.

• Plain language: "request status", "booking", "payment" — not internal terms
• One idea per option: avoid combinations like "payment or returns"
• Use the same verb form: "For ..., press 1", "For ..., press 2"
• A short pause between options — give the caller time to take it in

Order: most requested first

The most chosen option should come first — most callers decide without listening to the rest. Build the order from call statistics, not alphabetically or by department hierarchy, and review it every quarter: seasons and new products change the shares.

Repeat and the exit to a person

Every level should have two fixed options: hear the menu again (for example, star) and go to a person (for example, zero). Their keys should stay the same on every level. When the exit to a person is hidden, callers find it anyway — they press the nearest option and land in the wrong department, which takes up even more agent time.

No selection, or the wrong key

If the caller presses nothing, repeat the menu once, then pass the call to the general queue or a person. On a wrong key, say "that option is not available" and repeat the menu. After two failed attempts, do not keep testing the caller — they are either calling from an old phone or their question does not fit the menu.

A sample script

An illustrative example — the first level for a service company:

1. 1Greeting"Hello, [company name]. This call may be recorded." — one sentence, no advertising.
2. 2Option 1"To check the status of your request, press 1."
3. 3Option 2"For a new order or a price, press 2."
4. 4Option 3"For payment questions, press 3."
5. 5Fixed options"To speak to a member of staff, press 0; to hear the menu again, press star."

The whole text should be shorter than 25–30 seconds. If it is longer, cut the number of options, not the words.

Illustrative example: before and after

Not a real customer case. An internet provider's old menu: "For the commercial department press 1, technical department 2, accounts 3, legal department 4, marketing 5, other questions 6." An analysis of calls showed that most customers call about an internet outage, payment, or a tariff change.

The new menu: "If your internet is not working, press 1; for payments and balance, press 2; to change your tariff or for a new connection, press 3. To speak to a member of staff, press 0." Legal and marketing were removed from the menu — no customers were calling them. Options went from six to three, and the text from 40 seconds to 18.

When a menu is not enough

If "other" is one of the most chosen options, or callers often press "0", the menu does not reflect their questions. Adding options usually does not help — the menu just gets longer. A better route is to put a conversational agent instead of, or after, the menu and let callers state their question in their own words.

Testing the menu

• Can an outsider hearing the menu for the first time find the right option for three typical questions?
• Does each option really go where it promises — during and outside business hours?
• Does "0" work on every level, and what does it say after hours?
• What happens when nothing is pressed, and on a wrong key?
• How many seconds does the whole text take?

Which figures to watch

• The share of each option — does it match the order you expected?
• The share of "0" and "other" — it shows how well the menu covers callers' needs
• The share of callers hanging up in the menu — the menu is long or confusing
• The share of calls agents transfer to another department — options are being misunderstood

Limits

These rules are general industry practice; the exact number of options may differ for your customers and your service. In some sectors an authentication menu or a legal notice is mandatory, and its wording should be checked with a lawyer. A keypad menu works more reliably on old phones and poor lines — keep that in mind.

Menus and conversation in Vexvon

In Vexvon AI Call Center priority rules decide where a call goes: conditions such as business hours, dialled number and a VIP list are checked from top to bottom, and you can test a rule in the simulator before it goes live. After the rules, the AI agent greets the caller without a menu, listens to the question in their own words and passes the call to a live operator when needed. Your existing number stays — the agent works on top of your SIP or PBX line.

The difference between a menu and a conversational agent is in this comparison, and the order of menu-less routing in AI call routing.

First step

Write out the full text of your menu and read it aloud with a stopwatch. If it is longer than 30 seconds or has more than four options, look at your call statistics and cut it down. More articles are in the IVR & call routing section; to compare your menu with a conversational agent, get in touch.