How IVR works on Indian calls
A customer rings a bank's helpline and hears a language choice first: "Hindi ke liye 1 dabaiye, for English press 2." Each key press sends a tone (DTMF) that moves the caller down a tree of options until they reach some information, a recorded message or a queue for a person. Some IVRs also accept short spoken answers such as "balance" or "yes".
Where IVR falls short
A menu only works when the caller's need fits one of its branches. "Mera card block ho gaya aur EMI bhi kat gayi" is two problems at once, and neither sits neatly behind a single key. Callers press 0 again and again to reach someone, or give up. Long menus also hide what the business can actually do for them.
Replacing the menu with a conversation
An AI voice agent swaps the menu for a question: "Bataiye, main aapki kya madad kar sakti hoon?" The caller explains in whatever words come naturally, and the agent replies, collects details or passes the call to the right person. Keypad input still has a place, for example when a caller would rather key in an order number than read it out.
How Kallix handles it
Route an Indian number to a Kallix agent and it answers 24×7, understands open requests, reads keypad (DTMF) input and makes a warm transfer to your team on rules you set. On outbound calls, Kallix agents also detect when they've reached an IVR menu instead of a person.