Design Your Perfect Payment IVR
Call Flow
Whether you need instant self-service payments with AutoPay IVR or a fully customized payment experience with Custom AutoPay, we'll guide you through designing the perfect call flow for your business needs.
Considerations for when you design a payment IVR
IVR Payment Flow Design Guide
Design secure, automated payment experiences for your customers
AutoPay IVR
Ready-to-use payment IVR for immediate deployment. Customers can self-serve to make business payments or charitable donations with configurable account/reference capture and flexible amount entry.
Custom AutoPay
Fully tailored payment IVR designed around your business processes. Custom wording, decision trees, database integration, API interactions, and advanced data capture.
Flow Documentation
Learn how to document your payment IVR requirements with decision trees, error handling, and integration specifications—everything needed to build your perfect solution.
Choose Your IVR Payment Solution
Paytia offers two powerful products for automated payment processing over the phone
AutoPay IVR
Immediately available payment IVR for self-service business payments and charitable donations
Key Features:
- Toggle account number capture on/off
- Toggle reference number capture on/off
- Customer-entered amount or pre-set fixed amount
- Perfect for charities and simple payment collection
- Deploy in minutes, no custom development
Best For:
Organizations needing quick deployment with standard payment collection workflows
Custom AutoPay
Paytia works with you to design a payment and call IVR flow tailored to your business
Capabilities:
- Custom wording and voice prompts
- Decision tree routing based on customer input
- Third-party database queries and updates
- API integration for real-time data exchange
- Advanced data capture and playback
- Card-on-file payment support
Best For:
Complex business workflows requiring custom logic, integrations, and branded experiences
How to Document Your IVR Payment Flow
A comprehensive guide for creating clear, actionable IVR flow documentation
1. Document the Call Flow
Write your call flow as though the customer is hearing spoken words. Keep it natural and conversational.
Example Call Flow:
"Welcome to ABC Company automated payment line."
"Please enter your 8-digit account number followed by the hash key."
[Customer enters account number using keypad]
"Thank you. Your account balance is £250.00. Press 1 to pay the full amount, or press 2 to pay a different amount."
[If customer presses 1...]
"You have chosen to pay £250.00. Please enter your 16-digit card number..."
💡 Best Practice:
Always specify what the customer hears and what action they need to take. Be explicit about button presses, number formats, and confirmation steps.
2. Specify Data Capture Format
Clearly define what information customers need to enter and in what format.
✓ Numeric (Recommended)
- • Account numbers (e.g., 8 digits)
- • Reference numbers (e.g., 10 digits)
- • Payment amounts (e.g., "25000" for £250.00)
- • Card numbers (16 digits)
- • Simple, reliable input method
⚠ Alpha-numeric (Complex)
- • Reference codes with letters
- • Requires multiple keypad presses
- • Higher error rate
- • Slower customer experience
- • Use only when essential
💡 Best Practice: Be Specific About What You Want
Always tell customers exactly where to look and what value you want. Generic prompts lead to confusion and errors.
❌ Poor:
"Please enter your account number."
→ 9 times out of 10, customers will enter their bank account number instead of their service account number!
✓ Better:
"Please enter your account number. This starts with 123 and can be found at the top of the invoice we sent you."
→ Clear, specific, and tells them exactly where to look!
3. Define Error Handling & Retry Logic
Plan for what happens when customers make mistakes or enter invalid information.
Invalid Entry
"Sorry, that entry was not recognized. Please try again." (Allow 3 attempts before offering agent transfer)
Account Not Found
"We couldn't find that account number in our system. Press 1 to try again or press 0 to speak with an agent."
Payment Declined
"Your payment could not be processed. Press 1 to try a different card or press 0 to speak with an agent."
⚠️ Important: Retry Limits
Consider how many retries you accept before the customer is deemed to need human assistance.
Common Retry Strategies:
- 3 attempts: Standard for most data entry (account numbers, amounts)
- 2 attempts: For sensitive data (card numbers, CVV)
- 1 attempt: For complex scenarios that likely need agent help
Best Practice: After maximum retries, always offer agent transfer rather than disconnecting. Example: "I'm sorry, we're having trouble processing your request. Let me transfer you to an agent who can help. Please hold."
4. Map Decision Tree Forks
Document all possible customer paths through your IVR with clear decision points.
START: Welcome Message
↓
DECISION 1: Enter Account Number
├─ Valid Account → Query Database for Balance
└─ Invalid Account → Retry (max 3x) → Transfer to Agent
↓
DECISION 2: Payment Amount
├─ Press 1: Pay Full Amount (£250.00)
│ └─ Proceed to Card Capture
├─ Press 2: Pay Partial Amount
│ └─ Enter Custom Amount → Validate → Card Capture
└─ Press 3: Speak to Agent
↓
DECISION 3: Payment Method
├─ Press 1: Use Card on File → Process Payment
└─ Press 2: Enter New Card → Card Capture → Process
↓
END: Confirmation & Receipt
5. Database & API Integration
Define how your IVR connects to external systems and what data is exchanged.
Connection & Authentication
- • Connection method: REST API / SOAP / Database Direct
- • Authentication: API Key / OAuth / Basic Auth
- • Endpoint URL: https://api.yourcompany.com/payment-lookup
- • Security requirements: TLS 1.2+, IP whitelist
Query (Request to Your System)
POST /account-balance
{
"account_number": "12345678",
"request_type": "balance_inquiry"
}
Response (What We Expect Back)
{
"status": "success",
"account_valid": true,
"balance": 250.00,
"currency": "GBP",
"payment_options": ["full", "partial"]
}
Scenarios Based on Response
- Scenario A:Response includes full amount → Play: "Your balance is £250.00. Press 1 to pay in full..."
- Scenario B:Response includes partial option → Offer choice: "Press 1 for full £250, Press 2 to enter partial amount..."
- Scenario C:Account locked/overdue → "Your account requires agent assistance. Please hold for the next available agent."
6. Card-on-File Payments
Enable faster repeat payments by securely storing card tokens for reuse.
Storage Question:
Do you want to store the card securely for future payments?
(Card details are tokenized and stored PCI-compliant; no actual card numbers are stored)
Reuse Question:
"We have a Visa ending in 4242 on file. Press 1 to use this card, or Press 2 to enter a new card."
Security Benefits:
- • Faster checkout for repeat customers
- • Reduced abandonment rates
- • PCI-compliant tokenization
- • CVV still required for security
7. Transaction Completion & Notification
Define how the payment result is communicated to the customer and your systems.
Customer Confirmation
"Your payment of £250.00 has been successfully processed. Your confirmation number is 7-4-9-2-3-1. A receipt will be sent to your email address. Thank you for your payment."
System Notification (Webhook/API)
POST to your webhook endpoint:
{
"transaction_id": "749231",
"account_number": "12345678",
"amount": 250.00,
"status": "approved",
"timestamp": "2025-10-17T10:30:00Z"
}
Alternative Notification Methods
- • Real-time SMS receipt
- • Email confirmation with PDF receipt
- • Update customer record in your CRM
- • Push notification to mobile app
- • Dashboard update for agents to view
Example: Complete Payment IVR Flow
A real-world example showing all components working together
Customer Dials Payment Line
"Welcome to ABC Utilities automated payment service. Please enter your 8-digit account number followed by the hash key."
Customer enters: 12345678#
Database Lookup
System queries database with account 12345678
Response: Balance £187.50, Status: Active, Card on file: Yes (Visa ****4242)
Play Balance & Offer Choices
"Thank you. Your current balance is £187.50. Press 1 to pay the full amount, Press 2 to pay a partial amount, or Press 3 to speak with an agent."
Customer presses: 1
Card Selection (Card on File Available)
"We have a Visa card ending in 4242 on file. Press 1 to use this card, or Press 2 to enter a different card."
Customer presses: 1
Security Verification
"Please enter the 3-digit security code from the back of your card."
Customer enters: 123
Process Payment
System processes payment of £187.50 using stored card token + CVV
Result: APPROVED
Confirmation & Completion
"Your payment of £187.50 has been successfully processed. Your confirmation number is 8-5-2-9-4-7. A receipt has been sent to your email. Your new balance is £0.00. Thank you for your payment. Goodbye."
System sends webhook to CRM with transaction details
Email receipt sent to customer
Ready to Design Your IVR Payment Flow?
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Frequently Asked Questions
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