1. A method for providing advanced interactive voice response services for handling telephone calls within a telecommunications network through a next generation service node comprising the steps of: (1) interfacing a plurality of intelligent peripherals to a telephonic switch network; (2) assigning each of said plurality of intelligent peripherals to one of a plurality of redundant application servers; (3) receiving a call from said telephonic switch network on one of said plurality of intelligent peripherals; (4) retrieving customer application files from a shared disk array; and (5) executing said customer application files on one of said plurality of redundant application servers to perform interactive voice response services on said call on one of said plurality of intelligent peripherals.