Short answer: a press-1 script needs four lines: who you are, the offer, "press 1 to talk to us" (said twice), and a thank-you. On Edesy, English and Hindi speak with built-in text to speech; Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi speak with the Google voice provider; Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Odia and any other language use a recording. Run one campaign per language list. The key lines in ten languages are below.
The four-line structure
| Line | Purpose | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Who | Your brand, and why you're calling this person | 1 sentence |
| 2. Offer | One offer, with the one number that matters (price, date, discount) | 1–2 sentences |
| 3. Action | "To talk to our team, press 1." Then repeat it | 2 short sentences |
| 4. Close | Goodbye on the timeout path | 1 sentence |
Aim for the first "press 1" within 15 seconds of the call being answered.
Full scripts: English, Hindi and Hinglish
English
Hello {{var.contact_name}}, this is [Brand]. [Our Diwali offer: 20 percent off on all plans], until [Sunday]. To talk to our team now, press 1. Again, press 1 to talk to our team. (timeout) Thank you for your time. Goodbye.
Hindi (Devanagari, for text to speech)
नमस्ते {{var.contact_name}}, [ब्रांड] की ओर से। [दिवाली ऑफर: सभी प्लान पर 20 प्रतिशत की छूट], [रविवार] तक। हमारी टीम से अभी बात करने के लिए 1 दबाइए। दोबारा, बात करने के लिए 1 दबाइए। (timeout) आपके समय के लिए धन्यवाद।
Hinglish (how most callers actually speak)
Namaste {{var.contact_name}}, [Brand] se baat kar rahe hain. [Diwali offer: sabhi plans par 20 percent off], [Sunday] tak. Team se abhi baat karne ke liye 1 dabaiye. Dobara, baat karne ke liye 1 dabaiye. (timeout) Dhanyavaad.
Hinglish usually sounds more natural for urban audiences than formal Hindi: "offer", "plan", "booking" and "site visit" are words people use. For text to speech, write it in Devanagari with the English words transliterated (ऑफर, प्लान).
Key lines in ten Indian languages
| Language | "For more details, press 1." | "To talk to our team, press 1." | "Thank you." | How to run it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hindi | अधिक जानकारी के लिए 1 दबाइए। | हमारी टीम से बात करने के लिए 1 दबाइए। | धन्यवाद। | Text to speech |
| Bengali | আরও জানতে 1 টিপুন। | আমাদের টিমের সাথে কথা বলতে 1 টিপুন। | ধন্যবাদ। | Text to speech (Google voice) |
| Marathi | अधिक माहितीसाठी 1 दाबा. | आमच्या टीमशी बोलण्यासाठी 1 दाबा. | धन्यवाद. | Text to speech (Google voice) |
| Tamil | மேலும் விவரங்களுக்கு 1-ஐ அழுத்தவும். | எங்கள் குழுவுடன் பேச 1-ஐ அழுத்தவும். | நன்றி. | Text to speech (Google voice) |
| Telugu | మరిన్ని వివరాల కోసం 1 నొక్కండి. | మా బృందంతో మాట్లాడటానికి 1 నొక్కండి. | ధన్యవాదాలు. | Text to speech (Google voice) |
| Gujarati | વધુ માહિતી માટે 1 દબાવો. | અમારી ટીમ સાથે વાત કરવા માટે 1 દબાવો. | આભાર. | Recording |
| Kannada | ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಮಾಹಿತಿಗಾಗಿ 1 ಒತ್ತಿರಿ. | ನಮ್ಮ ತಂಡದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಮಾತನಾಡಲು 1 ಒತ್ತಿರಿ. | ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು. | Recording |
| Malayalam | കൂടുതൽ വിവരങ്ങൾക്ക് 1 അമർത്തുക. | ഞങ്ങളുടെ ടീമുമായി സംസാരിക്കാൻ 1 അമർത്തുക. | നന്ദി. | Recording |
| Punjabi | ਹੋਰ ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ ਲਈ 1 ਦਬਾਓ। | ਸਾਡੀ ਟੀਮ ਨਾਲ ਗੱਲ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ 1 ਦਬਾਓ। | ਧੰਨਵਾਦ। | Recording |
| Odia | ଅଧିକ ସୂଚନା ପାଇଁ 1 ଦବାନ୍ତୁ। | ଆମ ଟିମ୍ ସହ କଥା ହେବା ପାଇଁ 1 ଦବାନ୍ତୁ। | ଧନ୍ୟବାଦ। | Recording |
These are common, polite phrasings. Dialects and tone vary by region, so have a native speaker from your target area read your final script aloud before you publish it.
Setting up each language in IVR Studio
| Language | Config node | Message node | Menu prompt |
|---|---|---|---|
| English, Hindi | Voice & speech language: English (India) or Hindi | Say | Typed in the Menu prompt |
| Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi | Language set to it, Voice provider: Google | Say | Typed in the Menu prompt |
| Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Odia, others | Not needed | Play Audio with the recording, ending in the "press 1" line | Leave empty; the Menu just waits for the key |
Press the speaker icon on any text prompt to hear it before you publish. If a voice doesn't sound right for your audience, record that prompt instead. Recording tips are in IVR in any Indian language with recorded prompts.
Two things stay in English whatever you choose: the "Sorry, that's not a valid option." message after a wrong key, and the goodbye after a menu gets no input. Connect every Menu's timeout path to your own goodbye in the caller's language.
One campaign per language
- Build and publish the flow in your main language.
- In IVR Studio's Flows list, Duplicate it for each language, then change the Config language and the prompts (or swap in recordings).
- Split your list by language, for example by city or by the language of the form the lead filled.
- Create one campaign per list with the type Interactive (run an IVR flow).
You get a separate Keys Pressed column and export per language, so you can see which language responds best. Details: flows in every language and run a flow as a campaign.
Writing tips that apply in every language
- Spell numbers as they are spoken: "pachaas hazaar" / "fifty thousand", not "50,000".
- Avoid abbreviations text to speech may misread: write "square feet", not "sq ft".
- Repeat the key, and say the key before the reason in short scripts: "1 dabaiye, sales team se baat karne ke liye" is easier to catch at the end of a call.
- Use the caller's name (
{{var.contact_name}}) only with text to speech, and only if your list's names are clean. - Keep the whole message under 30 seconds. People decide in the first ten.
FAQ
Which Indian languages can an Edesy IVR campaign speak with text to speech?
English and Hindi with the built-in voices, and Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi with the Google voice provider. Other languages use recorded prompts.
Should I write the Hindi script in Devanagari or Roman letters?
Devanagari for text to speech. Roman Hinglish is fine for drafts and for a voice artist.
Can one campaign call people in different languages?
Yes, with a language menu, but one campaign per language list is simpler and gives you a press rate per language.
Do callers need to speak for the IVR to understand them?
No. They press keys, which work the same in every language.
Who should check a regional-language script?
A native speaker from the region you are calling.
Build your flow in any language: ivr.edesy.in, Rs 20 free credit, no card. More: press 1 voice broadcast with call transfer, multi-language IVR in India, IVR campaigns.