WHAT IS IVR VOICEOVER?
A PLAIN-ENGLISH GUIDE
FOR BUSINESSES

If your business has a telephone system, you almost certainly have IVR recordings ... even if you've never heard the term. That automated voice that says "Press 1 for sales, press 2 for support"? That's IVR voiceover. The on-hold message that plays while a caller waits? Also IVR. The greeting that answers your main line out of hours? IVR again.

IVR stands for Interactive Voice Response. It's the umbrella term for all professionally recorded audio used inside telephone and call-routing systems. And while the technology behind it is complicated, the voiceover itself is simple: someone records a set of clear, professional spoken prompts, those recordings are uploaded to your phone system, and your callers hear them every time they call.

WHY DOES IVR QUALITY MATTER?

Most businesses spend considerable effort on their website, their branding, and their marketing materials. Far fewer pay the same attention to their telephone experience ... which is often the first real human contact a new customer has with a company.

Your phone system speaks on your behalf dozens, hundreds, or thousands of times a day. A robotic, stilted, or poorly recorded IVR voice sends a clear message to callers: this business hasn't thought carefully about the details. Conversely, a warm, confident, professionally delivered recording conveys competence, credibility and care ... before anyone has even spoken to a human member of your team.

WHAT TYPES OF IVR RECORDING DOES A BUSINESS NEED?

The scope of IVR voiceover varies enormously from business to business. A sole trader might need just three or four recordings. A larger organisation could require hundreds. Here are the most common types:

• Main auto-attendant greeting ... the first thing a caller hears, typically during and outside business hours
• On-hold messages ... audio played while a caller waits to be connected; often used to share useful information or promote services
• Menu prompts ... "For sales, press 1. For accounts, press 2."
• Call routing messages ... directing callers to the right department or person
• Voicemail greetings ... professionally recorded outgoing messages for individual extensions or general mailboxes
• Out-of-hours messages ... letting callers know your opening hours and how to get help in the meantime
• Queue announcements ... updating callers on their position in a queue or estimated wait time

Many businesses also commission new on-hold recordings on a seasonal or quarterly basis ... updating callers on current promotions, seasonal offers, or new services. This is straightforward to do once your voice artist and phone system administrator have a working relationship.

WHAT FORMAT ARE IVR RECORDINGS DELIVERED IN?

This is where IVR differs most obviously from other types of voiceover work. Broadcast audio ... radio ads, corporate videos, e-learning ... is usually delivered as a standard MP3 or WAV file. Telephone systems are more specific.

Most modern VoIP and cloud-based phone systems accept standard WAV files (typically 16-bit, 8kHz mono or 16kHz mono). Older telephony systems, particularly those running on traditional PSTN infrastructure, often require audio in ulaw or alaw format ... compressed audio codecs designed specifically for telephone-grade transmission.

A professional voiceover artist with IVR experience will understand these technical requirements and can deliver your recordings in whatever format your system requires. This is not something you should have to worry about ... your voice artist and your IT or telephony team handle it between them.

HOW IS AN IVR VOICEOVER SESSION DIFFERENT FROM OTHER WORK?

An IVR session is typically structured around a script list ... a numbered spreadsheet or document listing every individual prompt that needs to be recorded. Each line gets its own audio file. A session might involve 10 recordings for a small business or 200 for a large contact centre.

The tone required for IVR work is specific. It needs to be clear and authoritative without being cold, friendly without being overly casual, and consistent across all recordings in the set ... even if the session spans several hours. Callers will hear these prompts hundreds of times, so the delivery needs to hold up to repeated listening without ever feeling rushed or monotonous.

HOW MUCH DOES IVR VOICEOVER COST IN THE UK?

IVR voiceover in the UK is typically priced one of three ways: per finished minute of audio, per individual prompt recorded, or as a day or half-day session rate. For a small business needing 10–20 prompts, costs are generally modest ... a professional recording session for a straightforward IVR set is usually completed quickly and priced accordingly.

The best approach is always to contact your voiceover artist with your script list and ask for a quote. Any reputable professional will give you a transparent, no-obligation price based on the actual volume of work involved.

WHAT SHOULD YOU PREPARE BEFORE AN IVR SESSION?

Before you approach a voiceover artist for IVR work, it helps to have the following ready:

• A complete, proofread script list ... all prompts numbered and in a single document
• The audio format required by your phone system (ask your IT team or telephony provider)
• Any specific pronunciation guidance ... company names, product names, staff names
• The tone or style you want the recordings to convey

If you're unsure about any of the above, a good voiceover artist will help guide you through it. The process should be straightforward, and the result ... professionally voiced telephone recordings that represent your business well ... is something your callers will notice, even if they never quite know why.