Inbound IVR for Election-Related Enquiries
This is a privately operated service line, not an official election-authority helpline. Recording, storage and access arrangements should be disclosed before collection.
Read This First
IVR Is Inbound; OBD Is Outbound
Both use recorded voice. The direction of the call is the difference.
IVR — the Caller Dials In
A person dials the number and chooses from a keypad menu — for example, event information, volunteer sign-up or feedback.
OBD — Campaign Calls Out
The system calls a contact list and plays a recorded message. See our dedicated Voice OBD for Election Communication page.
A privately operated inbound number with a keypad menu, used by a campaign for enquiries, volunteer sign-up or feedback. It is not an official election-authority helpline. Provisioning follows the number provider's allocation and KYC — not the approval mechanism used for an SMS broadcast. Hosting the menu is not the same as approving what it says: any campaign content played in the menu may need MCMC pre-certification.
Hosting a Menu Is Not Approving Its Content
MetaReach hosts the line and the menu. The line owner is responsible for what the menu says. Candidate information or campaign messaging played in the menu is election campaign content and may require pre-certification by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) under Election Commission of India instructions. This is separate from number provisioning, which follows the provider's allocation and KYC.
See our Election Communication Compliance Guide for the inbound-IVR requirements, MCMC pre-certification and the silence period. General product details are on the IVR services page.
How It Works
How the Line Operates
Caller Dials In
The caller dials the campaign's number. With a toll-free number the caller is not charged for the call; with a standard virtual number normal call charges apply. The recorded menu can answer at any time, while live routing works only during the hours the campaign staffs the line.
Menu Plays
A recorded menu offers clear options — "Press 1 for candidate information, press 2 to volunteer, press 3 to leave feedback" — in the caller's chosen language. If calls are recorded, a recording notice plays first.
Routed Correctly
Based on the key pressed, the call goes to a recorded message, a staffed line (during staffed hours), or a feedback recording option. Outside staffed hours, callers hear when the line is staffed.
Use Cases
What Election Campaigns Use IVR For
Campaign Enquiry Line
One number people can call for event schedules or campaign contact details — a central point of contact operated by the campaign, not an official helpline.
Feedback & Grievance Collection
A menu option lets callers record feedback after a recording notice. The line owner decides who reviews it.
Volunteer Sign-Up Line
A "press 2 to volunteer" option that either connects live or records the caller's number for a callback, as described to the caller.
Toll-Free Access
A 1800-series toll-free number means the caller is not charged for the call; the line owner pays the call charges. A standard virtual number is the alternative.
Multilingual Menu
A language-selection option at the start of the call routes callers into a menu recorded in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, or another regional language.
Call Analytics
Track call volume, menu-option selection, and average call duration to see which menu options callers use.
Ownership and Data
Line Ownership, Recording and Records
Who Operates the Line
The campaign or organisation that contracts the number operates it. Callers should be told whose line it is at the start of the menu. It must not be presented as an official Election Commission or election-authority helpline.
Recording Notice
If calls or feedback messages are recorded, a notice plays before recording begins. Recording can be switched off for menu options that don't need it.
Access and Retention
Dashboard access is limited to the users the line owner adds. The retention period for call logs and recordings is agreed at setup and should be disclosed to callers. See the privacy policy.
Escalation
The line owner decides who reviews feedback and grievances and how they are escalated. MetaReach provides the logs; it does not respond to callers on the campaign's behalf.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
No. This is a privately operated service line contracted by a campaign or organisation. It is not an official Election Commission or election-authority helpline, and the menu should say whose line it is.
IVR is inbound: a caller dials the number and uses a keypad menu. Voice OBD is outbound: the system calls a contact list and plays a recorded message.
No. An inbound number is provisioned through the provider's allocation and KYC, not through SMS header and template registration. Separately, any campaign content played in the menu may need MCMC pre-certification — hosting the menu is not the same as approving its content.
Yes. With a 1800-series toll-free number the caller is not charged and the line owner pays the call charges. A standard virtual number is also available, where normal call charges apply to the caller.
Calls are logged with the menu path taken and, where enabled, a recorded message after a recording notice. Dashboard access is limited to users the line owner adds, and the retention period is agreed at setup and should be disclosed to callers.
