Definitions
- IVR
- Interactive voice response: a phone menu that routes callers by the keys they press or the fixed options they say.
- Voice agent
- Software that holds a spoken conversation with the caller, answers from material, and takes actions in your systems.
Routing
An IVR routes on a fixed menu. A caller who does not fit an option presses zero or hangs up. A CallWhiz AI agent routes by what the caller actually says, so “I need to move my appointment to next week” goes to the right place without a menu.
Resolution
An IVR ends at a transfer. A CallWhiz AI agent can finish the task on the call: it answers from your documents, books against a real calendar, looks up an order or a balance, and updates your CRM while the caller is still on the line.
Handover
Both can transfer a call. The difference is what arrives with it. A CallWhiz AI agent briefs the person receiving the call on what the caller wanted before they speak, so the caller does not start again.
What stays the same
Your phone system and your numbers. CallWhiz AI connects over SIP to the telephony you already have, so an IVR replacement is a routing change on a line, not a migration.
Related questions
Will it replace my phone system?
No. It connects to your existing telephony over SIP. You keep your numbers, your carrier and your setup.
How does handover to a person work?
A caller can reach a person at any point on a CallWhiz AI call by asking for one, pressing a key, or simply sounding like they want one. The person receiving the transfer is briefed on what the caller wanted before they speak, transfers can go to a desk, a mobile or a queue, and calls that end in a handover are marked as such.