---
title: "IVR phone script examples"
slug: "content-ivr-phone-script-examples"
updated: 2026-07-23T10:06:50Z
published: 2026-07-23T10:06:50Z
canonical: "help.8x8.com/content-ivr-phone-script-examples"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.8x8.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# IVR phone script examples

An **8x8 Contact Center** IVR script plays audio files to prompt a caller for information and uses the caller's responses to route the interaction to a specific phone queue.

The following procedure illustrates scripts in **8x8 Configuration Manager** that contain increasingly complex combinations of IVR script objects and control flow features:

- [Build a Simple Greeting and Routing Script](/documentation/docs/content-ivr-phone-script-examples#playing)
- [Create Menus of Options](/documentation/docs/content-ivr-phone-script-examples#creating)
- [Use Caller Information to Process Interactions](/documentation/docs/content-ivr-phone-script-examples#using)
- [Enable a Phone Channel and Associated IVR Script](/documentation/docs/content-ivr-phone-script-examples#enable)

## Before you begin

The procedure in this section assumes that you have used **8x8 Configuration Manager** to create:

- At least one phone queue; for details on creating phone queues, refer to [Create Inbound Phone Queues](/documentation/docs/content-create-inbound-phone-queues).
- At least one voicemail queue; for details on creating voicemail queues, refer to [Create Voicemail Queues](/documentation/docs/content-create-voicemail-queues).
- At least one contact center schedule; for details on creating schedules, refer to [Define Business Hours and Schedules](/documentation/docs/content-define-business-hours-and-schedules).

> [!NOTE]
> Best Practice:
> 
> Before editing a **8x8 Contact Center** IVR script, disable the IVR channel.

**To disable the phone channel:**

1. From the **Configuration Menu**, open **Channels**.
2. Go to the **Phone** tab.
3. Find the desired channel, and click ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/e3a59e39-abd3-4423-964c-0a4008dc5673/Images/Documentation/icon_edit_18x18.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-03T21%3A12%3A40Z&se=2026-11-03T22%3A12%3A40Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=aR2rUZTieJPKxi8u2km1QtQAZ66lcUQhKQEDa5luEQo%3D).
4. In the Properties tab, clear **This channel is enabled**.
5. Click **Save**.

**Build a Simple Greeting and Routing Script**

Perform the procedure in this section to build a simple IVR script that:

- Checks a schedule for the contact center's current hours of operation.
- Plays a greeting message to the caller.
- Routes the call to a queue if the contact center is open.
- Offers the caller the chance to leave a voicemail message if the contact center is closed.

**To select a schedule, play a greeting, and route a call to a queue:**

1. From the **Configuration Menu**, open **Scripts**.
2. Go to the **Phone** tab.
3. Find the desired script, and click ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/e3a59e39-abd3-4423-964c-0a4008dc5673/Images/Documentation/icon_edit_18x18.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-03T21%3A12%3A40Z&se=2026-11-03T22%3A12%3A40Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=aR2rUZTieJPKxi8u2km1QtQAZ66lcUQhKQEDa5luEQo%3D).
4. Open the **Script** tab.
5. Click an object to see **[add]**.
6. In the object add list, select **Schedule**.
7. In the object configuration area:
  1. For the **Label** text entry area, type <BusHours>.
  2. For the **Select Schedule** list, choose a previously defined schedule.
  3. Click **Save**. **8x8 Configuration Manager** inserts the Schedule object below the MainIVR label. ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/e3a59e39-abd3-4423-964c-0a4008dc5673/Images/Documentation/cfgmgrchannelsivrscriptex00.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-03T21%3A12%3A40Z&se=2026-11-03T22%3A12%3A40Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=aR2rUZTieJPKxi8u2km1QtQAZ66lcUQhKQEDa5luEQo%3D)
8. If a call arrives when the contact center is open, play a greeting message:
  1. In the **Schedule** object, select the **open** exit point.
  2. In the object Add list, choose **Play**.
  3. In the **Name** text entry area, type <PlayWait01>.
  4. In the **Played Message** list, choose **Wait for next agent**. The procedure refers to audio files from the **8x8 Contact Center** default set of audio files. Your IVR scripts may reference one or more default audio files, or reference the customized audio files you uploaded to **8x8 Configuration Manager**.
  5. Click **OK**. **8x8 Configuration Manager** inserts the Play object below the open exit point.
9. Choose the queue that the caller is routed to.
  1. Select the **Play** object under **schedule**.
  2. Click **add**.
  3. Select **Forward to Queue**.
  4. In the **Label** text entry area, type <PhoneQ01>.
  5. In the **Queue name** list, choose a phone queue.
  6. Click **OK**. **8x8 Configuration Manager** inserts the Forward to Queue object below the Play object.
10. If the call arrives when the contact center is closed, route the call to a voicemail queue.
  1. In the **Schedule** object, select the **closed** exit point, then in the object selection list, choose **Forward to Voice Mail Queue**.
  2. In the **Label** text entry area, type <Vmail01>.
  3. In the **Invite Message** list, choose **Voice mail invite**.
  4. In the **Queue name** list, choose a voicemail queue.
  5. Select **Access to voice mail is mandatory**.
  6. Click **OK**. **8x8 Configuration Manager** inserts the Forward to Voice Mail Queue object below the Close label. ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/e3a59e39-abd3-4423-964c-0a4008dc5673/Images/Documentation/cfgmgrchannelsivrscriptex01.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-03T21%3A12%3A40Z&se=2026-11-03T22%3A12%3A40Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=aR2rUZTieJPKxi8u2km1QtQAZ66lcUQhKQEDa5luEQo%3D)

**Create Menus of Options**

The procedure in this section illustrates how to implement menus of options, and builds on the IVR script example in [Build a Simple Greeting and Routing Script.](/documentation/docs/content-ivr-phone-script-examples#playing)

**To script a set of menu options:**

1. In the script you created in the procedure in [Build a Simple Greeting and Routing Script](/documentation/docs/content-ivr-phone-script-examples#playing), delete the current open hours script logic. In the script:
  1. Select the **Forward to queue** object <PhoneQ01>, then click **Remove**.
  2. Select the **Play** object <PlayWait01>, then click **Remove**.
2. When the contact center is open, play a menu of options.
  1. In the **schedules** object, select the **open** exit point.
  2. In the object add list, choose **Menu**.
  3. In the **Label** text entry area, type <OpenMenu01>.
  4. In the **Invite Message** list, choose **Optional queue Selection**. When a caller first connects to the contact center, the Menu object's Invite message audio file orients them to the set of menu choices. In most cases, this implies the need for an invite message that has been customized for your contact center.
  5. In the **Invalid message** list, choose **Invalid selection**. If a caller provides an invalid response to the invite message, the Invalid message audio file informs them that **8x8 Contact Center** cannot interpret their response.
  6. In the **Empty message** list, choose **Wait for next agent**. If a caller does not respond to the prompt within ten seconds, the Empty message audio file informs them to respond.
  7. Click **OK**. **8x8 Configuration Manager** inserts the Menu object below the Open label. ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/e3a59e39-abd3-4423-964c-0a4008dc5673/Images/Documentation/cfgmgrchannelsivrscriptex02.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-03T21%3A12%3A40Z&se=2026-11-03T22%3A12%3A40Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=aR2rUZTieJPKxi8u2km1QtQAZ66lcUQhKQEDa5luEQo%3D)
3. Configure the message played when the caller responds to the initial menu by pressing 1:
  1. In the **Menu** object, select the **1** exit point.
  2. In the object selection list, choose **Play**.
  3. In the **Label** text entry area, type <CallRecordWarn>.
  4. In the **Played message** list choose the **Call monitoring warning** audio file.
  5. Click **Save**. **8x8 Configuration Manager** inserts the Play object below exit point labeled 1.
4. Configure the queue the caller is routed to if they respond to the initial menu by pressing 1:
  1. In the **Menu** object and under the **1** exit point, select the **Play** object.
  2. In the object add list, choose **Forward to queue**.
  3. In the **Name** text entry area, type <PhoneQ02>.
  4. In the **Queue name** list, select a phone queue.
  5. Click **OK**. **8x8 Configuration Manager** inserts the Forward to Queue object below exit point labeled 1. ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/e3a59e39-abd3-4423-964c-0a4008dc5673/Images/Documentation/cfgmgrchannelsivrscriptex03.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-03T21%3A12%3A40Z&se=2026-11-03T22%3A12%3A40Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=aR2rUZTieJPKxi8u2km1QtQAZ66lcUQhKQEDa5luEQo%3D)
5. Continue to the next example, [Use Caller Information to Process Interactions](/documentation/docs/content-ivr-phone-script-examples#using), to build on this script.

**Use Caller Information to Process Interactions**

Use the procedure in this section to prompt a caller for information that is used to find a caller's record in the **Local CRM** database, then use information contained in that record to determine how to route the call. The following procedure builds on the IVR script example in [Create Menus of Options.](/documentation/docs/content-ivr-phone-script-examples#creating)

**To create an IVR script that prompts a caller, tests for the caller's Local CRM record, and routes the call:**

1. Prompt the caller for information, such as an account number. In the **Menu** script object, select the exit point labeled **2**, then in the object selection list, choose **Get Value**. **8x8 Contact Center** displays the parameters for the GetValue object in the object configuration area:

You can also use the GetANI script object to look in the **Local CRM** for existing customers.
  1. In the **Label** text entry area, type <GetAccountNumber>.
  2. In the **Invite Message** list, choose **Enter mandatory account number**.
  3. In the **Invalid message** list, choose **Invalid selection**.
  4. In the **Empty message** list, choose **Invalid selection**.
  5. In the **Data to collect** list, choose **Customers: Account Number**.
  6. Select **Entry is mandatory**.
  7. Click **OK**. **8x8 Configuration Manager** inserts the Get Value object below the exit point labeled 2. ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/e3a59e39-abd3-4423-964c-0a4008dc5673/Images/Documentation/cfgmgrchannelsivrscriptex04.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-03T21%3A12%3A40Z&se=2026-11-03T22%3A12%3A40Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=aR2rUZTieJPKxi8u2km1QtQAZ66lcUQhKQEDa5luEQo%3D)
2. Add a **Label** object to the portion of the script that processes customer accounts.
  1. In the **GetValue** object, select the **Contact found** exit point.
  2. In the object **add** list, choose **Label**.
  3. In the **Label** text entry area, type <AcctFound>.
  4. Click **OK**. Labeling the portion of the script that processes customer account interactions enables other script objects to use the Goto script object to transfer control jump to that portion of the IVR script.
3. Check the customer's status. Select the **Label** object, then in the object selection list choose **Picklist**. **8x8 Contact Center** displays the parameters for the Picklist object. In the object configuration area:

The **8x8 Configuration Manager** inserts the Picklist object below the found label.
  1. In the **Label** text entry area, type <ChkCustID>.
  2. In the **Data to test** list, choose **Record Type**.
  3. In the **Select operator** list, choose **Is equal to**.
  4. In the **Select values** list, choose **Customer**.
  5. Click **OK**.
  - The configuration of your **Local CRM** determines the types of data the Picklist script object can test for.
  - Use the Picklist script object's matched and unmatched labels to use the result of the Picklist's comparison operation to route the call.
  - The Label script object enables other objects to use a Goto script object to transfer control to the Picklist script sequence.
  - You can also use the GetANI function to use the caller's Automatic Number Identification (ANI) to look for existing **Local CRM** data.

**Enable a Phone Channel and Associated IVR Script**

Perform the following procedure to enable a phone channel and the channel's IVR script.

**To enable the Phone channel:**

1. From the **Configuration Menu**, open **Channels**.
2. Go to the **Phone** tab.
3. Find the desired channel, and click ![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/e3a59e39-abd3-4423-964c-0a4008dc5673/Images/Documentation/icon_edit_18x18.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-03T21%3A12%3A40Z&se=2026-11-03T22%3A12%3A40Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=aR2rUZTieJPKxi8u2km1QtQAZ66lcUQhKQEDa5luEQo%3D).
4. In the Properties tab, select **This channel is enabled**. For details, refer to [Configure Phone Channel Properties](/documentation/docs/content-configure-phone-channel-properties).
5. Click **Save**. **8x8 Contact Center** puts the IVR channel and associated script into service.

You can now make test phone calls to the phone channel to validate the operation of the IVR script.