Visual interactive voice response

1. A method of providing information, comprising:

determining, by a processor of an interactive voice response system, based upon receipt at the interactive voice response system of an initial communication initiated by a remote requesting party and addressed to a numbered communications address, visual data to provide to the remote requesting party as part of an integrated interactive script; and

providing the visual data to the remote requesting party as part of the integrated interactive script,

wherein depending upon a preference of the remote requesting party, individual elements of the interactive script are sent to the remote requesting party iteratively based upon interaction between the remote requesting party and the interactive voice response system, or multiple individual elements of the interactive script are sent together to the remote requesting party, and individually presented to the remote requesting party based upon interaction between the remote requesting party and the interactive voice response system.

2. The method of providing information of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving device identification information of a communications device of the remote requesting party and using the device identification information to determine that the communications device has a capability of displaying visual data.

3. The method of providing information of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, at a media server, notification from an interactive voice response unit of the interactive voice response system of receipt of a call and identification of the visual data to be sent to the remote requesting party.

4. The method of providing information of claim 1 ,

wherein the visual data is provided to the remote requesting party by forwarding the visual data from a media server in response to receipt of a call at an interactive voice response unit of the interactive voice response system.

5. The method of providing information of claim 1 ,

wherein the visual data is sent to the remote requesting party from a media server of the interactive voice response system.

6. The method of providing information of claim 1 ,

wherein the initial communication is a call received at an interactive voice response unit of the interactive voice response system, and

wherein the visual data is sent to the remote requesting party from a media server of the interactive voice response system.

7. The method of providing information of claim 1 ,

wherein the visual data comprises text data.

8. The method of providing information of claim 1 ,

wherein the visual data comprises image data.

9. The method of providing information of claim 1 ,

wherein the visual data comprises video data.

10. The method of providing information of claim 9 ,

wherein the video data is at a selectable embedded link to an internet address.

11. The method of providing information of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing to the remote requesting party audio information corresponding to the visual data simultaneously to the providing the visual data to the remote requesting party.

12. The method of providing information of claim 1 ,

wherein the visual data comprises an interactive script.

13. The method of providing information of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving input from the remote requesting party responsive to a selection by the remote requesting party of one of a plurality of choices in the visual data.

14. The method of providing information of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining from address information of a communications device of the remote requesting party whether the communications device has a capability of displaying visual data.

15. The method of providing information of claim 1 , wherein the interactive voice response system determines that a communications device of the remote requesting party has a capability of displaying visual data.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with an executable computer program for providing information and that, when executed by a processor of an interactive voice response system, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining, based upon receipt at the interactive voice response system of an initial communication initiated by a remote requesting party and addressed to a numbered communications address, visual data to provide to the remote requesting party as part of an integrated interactive script; and

providing the visual data to the remote requesting party during the initial communication as part of the integrated interactive script,

wherein depending upon a preference of the remote requesting party, individual elements of the interactive script are sent to the remote requesting party iteratively based upon interaction between the remote requesting party and the interactive voice response system, or multiple individual elements of the interactive script are sent together to the remote requesting party, and individually presented to the remote requesting party based upon interaction between the remote requesting party and the interactive voice response system.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 ,

wherein the visual data is sent to the remote requesting party from a media server of the interactive voice response system.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , further comprising:

receiving device identification information of a communications device of the remote requesting party and using the device identification information to determine that the communications device has a capability of displaying visual data.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the interactive voice response system determines that the communications device has a capability of displaying visual data.

20. A media server in an interactive voice response system for providing information, comprising:

a processor;

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising determining, based upon receipt at the interactive voice response system of an initial communication initiated by a remote requesting party and addressed to a numbered communications address, visual data to provide to the remote requesting party as part of an integrated interactive script; and

a transmitter that provides the visual data to the remote requesting party as part of the integrated interactive script,

wherein depending upon a preference of the remote requesting party, individual elements of the interactive script are sent to the remote requesting party iteratively based upon interaction between the remote requesting party and the interactive voice response system, or multiple individual elements of the interactive script are sent together to the remote requesting party, and individually presented to the remote requesting party based upon interaction between the remote requesting party and the interactive voice response system.