Voice Tools
Visual IVR
Send interactive visual menus to the caller's phone during a voice call for a richer self-service experience.
Visual IVR
Visual IVR sends an interactive menu to the caller's smartphone screen during a voice call. Instead of navigating audio menus by pressing keys, callers tap options on their phone — making complex selections faster and easier.
How It Works
- During a call, the agent triggers Visual IVR.
- The caller receives an SMS with a link to a web-based menu.
- The caller taps the link and sees interactive options on their screen.
- Their selection is sent back to the AI agent in real time.
- The agent continues the conversation based on the selection.
Use Cases
- Product selection — Show a visual catalog of products during a support call
- Appointment scheduling — Display available time slots for the caller to pick
- Form filling — Collect structured data (address, email) via a web form
- Payment — Send a secure payment link during a billing call
- Document upload — Let callers upload photos or documents during the call
Configuration
Via the Dashboard
- Open your agent and scroll to Voice Settings.
- Enable Visual IVR.
- Configure your menus:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Menu items | The options shown on the caller's screen |
| Menu style | List, grid, or form layout |
| Branding | Your logo and brand colors |
| Timeout | How long the menu stays active |
Via the API
curl -X PATCH https://api.thinnest.ai/agents/agent_abc123 \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $THINNESTAI_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"voice_tools": {
"visual_ivr": {
"enabled": true,
"menus": [
{
"id": "main_menu",
"title": "How can we help?",
"items": [
{ "label": "Track my order", "value": "track_order" },
{ "label": "Return an item", "value": "return" },
{ "label": "Billing question", "value": "billing" },
{ "label": "Other", "value": "other" }
]
}
],
"branding": {
"logo_url": "https://your-site.com/logo.png",
"primary_color": "#4F46E5"
}
}
}
}'System Prompt Guidance
When the caller needs to make a selection from multiple options (more than 3),
send them a Visual IVR menu instead of reading all options aloud. Tell the
caller: "I'm sending a menu to your phone — please tap your selection."
Wait for their response before continuing.