Many of us are in the process of embarking home for Thanksgiving, whether it is across the country, across the state, or across town. On Thursday, most of us will tuck in for what promises to be a delicious and filling dinner, and reap the benefits of leftovers for hours and perhaps even days to come. However, there is a great amount of hard work that must go in to the process, and many family members contribute to making the day a success. This year, I have been tasked with tracking down the components for the perfect stuffing, items to make some sort of yam desert, and some excellent pairing wine. As a master procrastinator, I still have yet to procure any of the items I should be locating, and haven’t even thought about finding a recipe to concoct all of these wonderful dishes.
An interactive voice response system could certainly help me in my efforts. An IVR could be constructed that could inventory area grocers. I could call in, specify the products I was interested in purchasing, and get telephonic results back about where I could procure said items. In addition, I could hear about ongoing promotions, and even get special coupons via the IVR system. After all items were purchased, many people still have to grapple with finding a good recipe to whip up. An IVR could help with this pursuit as well. An IVR system could be accessed that could offer users recipes based on ingredients or what sort of food they wanted to make. The IVR could be put on speaker, read out directions, and pause whenever you needed a bit more time to process the information. This would be a hands free, eyes free way to get step-by-step recipe information. As I bundle up to embark on what is sure to be a frustrating trip around town, I am kicking myself for not being more prepared, and wishing that there was an IVR system in place that could help me in all my Thanksgiving pursuits. It is certainly something I would be giving thanks for!
