1. A method for providing advanced interactive voice response services within a telecommunications network, comprising the steps of: defining a reusable set of service-independent building blocks in a node of said telecommunications network; creating a customer application file using a customer-specified sequence of said service-independent building blocks in a server of said telecommunications network, wherein a set of customer specific data is defined for use as inputs into said set of service-independent building blocks; and retrieving said customer application file for execution by said node from said server over a communications network.