A dedicated inbound voter helpline — menu-based routing, feedback collection, and multilingual support, with a toll-free option for voter-friendly access.
Read This First
It's easy to confuse IVR with Voice OBD since both use recorded voice. The direction of the call is what separates them, and it changes what each one is good for.
The voter dials a number on their own initiative and navigates a menu — "press 1 for candidate information, press 2 to volunteer, press 3 to leave feedback." It captures voters who are already interested enough to reach out.
The system dials the voter and plays a recorded message automatically, reaching people who haven't taken any action yet. See our dedicated Voice OBD for Election Campaigns page for the outbound side.
Election IVR is an inbound, menu-based voter helpline — a voter calls a dedicated number and presses keys to reach candidate information, volunteer sign-up, or a feedback line. It is the inbound counterpart to Voice OBD, which calls voters outbound instead of waiting for them to call in.
How It Works
The voter dials the campaign's helpline number — toll-free, so there's no cost on their side — at any time during business hours or 24/7, depending on setup.
A recorded menu offers clear options — "Press 1 for candidate information, press 2 to volunteer, press 3 to leave feedback" — in the voter's chosen language.
Based on the key pressed, the call is routed to a recorded message, a live team member, or a feedback recording line — no guesswork for the voter.
Use Cases
A single number voters can call for candidate information, event schedules, or booth details — a central point of contact that isn't a person's personal phone.
A dedicated menu option lets voters record a complaint or piece of feedback directly, without needing to speak to a live volunteer first.
A "press 2 to volunteer" option that either connects live or records the caller's number for a callback — an easy inbound entry point for supporters.
A 1800-series toll-free number removes any cost barrier for the voter, which matters most for a helpline meant to be called freely and often.
A language-selection option at the start of the call routes voters into a menu recorded in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, or another regional language.
Track call volume, menu-option selection, and average call duration to see which parts of the helpline voters actually use.
Common Questions
IVR is inbound — a voter calls a number and navigates a menu themselves (press 1 for X, press 2 for Y). Voice OBD is outbound — the system calls the voter and plays a message automatically. A campaign typically runs both: OBD to broadcast a message, and IVR as the helpline voters call in on when they want information or want to leave feedback.
Yes. A toll-free (1800-series) number is the more voter-friendly option for a helpline, since the call is free for the voter regardless of their network or plan, which increases the likelihood they actually call in.
Common menu options include routing to volunteer sign-up, hearing candidate information, leaving feedback or a grievance, or connecting to a live campaign representative — each mapped to a keypad option so the voter reaches the right outcome without speaking to anyone first.
Yes. IVR prompts can be recorded in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, and other regional languages, and a language-selection option can be placed at the start of the menu so the voter picks their preferred language first.
Every call is logged with the menu path the voter took and, where relevant, a recorded message left after the beep. This data is available in a real-time dashboard, so campaign teams can review feedback and grievance volume without listening to every call manually.
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