NCH IVM Telephone Answering Attendant is on-premises telephone management software for small to medium businesses. It combines voicemail, call attendant, interactive voice response, and automated outbound calling for uses including answering, call routing, telephone surveys, order taking, and outbound messages. Incoming callers can hear menus that route calls or redirect them during or after office hours. The product lists support for as many as 64 telephone lines at once. Caller tools include caller ID logging, keypad menus, remote telephone access, and call transfer when supported by the phone company or PBX. IVM saves incoming messages as WAV files; voicemail boxes can forward messages by email or provide internet-page or remote access. It connects through a professional telephony board, TAPI-compliant voice modem, VoIP SIP service, or a PBX such as Axon. NCH says it can detect its Axon IP PBX on the same server and provides free plugins for ODBC/SQL, internet access, fax-back services, and hardware control. NCH offers a free trial download. Listed plans range from 6995.00 USD per once for Basic Answering Machine to 89900.00 USD per once for Enterprise; Professional is also offered for 2999.00 USD per month.
Who it is for
IVM suits small to medium businesses that need voicemail, call routing, caller menus, surveys, order taking, or automated outbound messages. It may fit organizations connecting through a supported telephony board, voice modem, VoIP SIP service, or PBX.
What is good
- Routes incoming calls with menus and office-hours redirects.
- Supports up to 64 telephone lines simultaneously.
- Saves incoming voicemail as WAV files.
- Offers voicemail email forwarding and remote access.
- Includes free plugins for ODBC/SQL and other services.
- Available for Linux and Windows.
What to know first
- There is no free plan; purchase is paid.
- Call transfer depends on phone-company or PBX features.
- The Basic plan covers one line and one mailbox, without menus.
- A weblet administrator can access files or install programs.
Verdict
Choose IVM if your business needs on-premises telephone answering, voicemail, call routing, or outbound messaging, with plan options spanning basic answering to enterprise line capacity. Look elsewhere if you need a free plan, or if your phone setup cannot support the call-transfer features you require. Grant weblet administrator access only to someone trusted with PC administration.
Get started with NCH IVM Telephone Answering Attendant
- Download the free IVM trial from the NCH website to try it before purchase.
- Choose a listed plan, from Basic Answering Machine to Enterprise or Professional monthly.
- Install IVM on a supported setup; the product is listed for Linux and Windows, with Windows requirements specified as XP through 10 and 64-bit Windows support.
- Connect telephone lines through a professional telephony board, TAPI-compliant voice modem, VoIP SIP service, or PBX.
- Configure caller menus, voicemail boxes, and routing for your answering needs.
Limits to know first
The lowest listed plan, IVM Telephone Attendant Basic Answering Machine, costs 6995.00 USD per once and includes one line and one mailbox, with no menus or outbound autodial calls. Call transfer is subject to phone company or PBX features.
Questions about NCH IVM Telephone Answering Attendant
Is there a free plan or trial?
There is no free plan. NCH offers a free IVM download, and the trial version can be used before purchase.
What does the Basic Answering Machine plan cost?
It costs 6995.00 USD per once and includes one line and one mailbox, with no menus or outbound autodial calls.
What platforms does IVM support?
It is listed for Linux and Windows. The system requirements specify Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, or 10, including 64-bit Windows.
How can I connect IVM to telephone lines?
It can connect through a professional telephony board, TAPI-compliant voice modem, VoIP SIP service, or PBX such as Axon.
Does IVM integrate with Axon or other services?
NCH says IVM can auto-detect its Axon IP PBX on the same server. It offers free plugins for ODBC/SQL, internet access, fax-back services, and hardware control.
What support does NCH offer?
NCH lists email support and offers paid priority phone support for 12 months or email-only support for one month on the purchase page.
NCH IVM Telephone Answering Attendant plans and pricing
All plansCompared on interactive voice response software
- Free plan
- No
- Visual flow builder
- Yes
- Caller authentication
- Yes
- Self-service data lookup
- Yes
- Speech recognition
- Yes
- API access
- Yes
- Deployment
- on-premises
