Does anyone know how the IVR system exacly works?

I am an Engineering student and got a project on "Ticket reservation/booking system using IP telephony".This project requires the IVR system.But unfortunately i don't know exactly how it works.I've read the articles but didn't work.I've got a link from yahoo answer: http://www.download.com/Go4Customer-Answering-Fax-Call-Recording-IVR-Machine/3000-2064_4-10161591.html


n download it.But don't know how to work with it.Can anyone help me to do so?How the voice recording system works when user gives his information?If the system asks for user's phn no. and user gives it throgh phn buttons,how will it be stored on memory and how will i retrieve the informations?Is it known as "call back" system?If so,thn how it works?Plz help me.I really want to know.If anyone cann't,thn plz let me know from where i can get the support.Thnx.|||This is how it works. Hope this helps.





Short for interactive voice response, a telephony technology in which someone uses a touch-tone telephone to interact with a database to acquire information from or enter data into the database. IVR technology does not require human interaction over the telephone as the user's interaction with the database is predetermined by what the IVR system will allow the user access to. For example, banks and credit card companies use IVR systems so that their customers can receive up-to-date account information instantly and easily without having to speak directly to a person. IVR technology is also used to gather information, as in the case of telephone surveys in which the user is prompted to answer questions by pushing the numbers on a touch-tone telephone.