Telephony technology known as Interactive Voice Response (IVR) enables callers to communicate with a company using voice commands and menus. In an IVR system, the caller can ask questions about products or services, request information from different departments within the company, or even place orders directly from their mobile devices. The IVR can be used in many ways. It can help businesses save money by reducing the number of calls they receive or improve customer satisfaction by making it easier for people to find what they want when they need it most (such as on holidays). However, there are certain things you should do before implementing an IVR system. So that customers have a positive experience when interacting with your brand:
Leverage the IVR for customer self-service.
- Leverage the IVR for customer self-service.
- Use it to provide information and answer questions about products or services. Such as verifying an order has been received, checking on the status of a delivery, and so on. This is especially useful when you want to engage customers in a conversation. Rather than just sending them off with some automated message or script. You can also use this channel to deliver automated messages that are relevant at that moment in time. For example, if someone orders something from your store but doesn’t want their credit card number publicly available online (like I would!). Then you might send them an email asking them. If they want it kept private instead of pressing enter twice as I did!
Allow for the natural language used by customers.
It’s important to allow for the natural language used by customers. When a customer is frustrated or angry. They will often use more colloquial language in their interactions with an agent. Likewise, when a customer is happy and excited about using your product or service. You should expect them to speak in more formal terms. Such as “Thank you! Great! How do I start?”
It also makes sense when customers are mad at the company (or its employees). They may choose not only stronger words but also harsher tones of voice. The goal here is simple. Make sure that whatever tone of voice you use reflects how well your agents understand their needs. And speak so as not to offend anyone who might be listening on the other end of the line leading up to IVR interaction where someone needs help finding something out about their account status or order status etc.
Offer options to control the call flow.
You can see from the aforementioned example that the customer has a variety of options. The first is “skip this question” which allows them to skip a question and move on with their call. The second option is “repeat previous questions,” which will repeat all of the previous questions asked by your agent. Finally, there’s an option for customers who want multiple choices: They can choose between two or more options from one of these three categories (skip/repeat/multiple choice) by pressing 1 through 5 on their keypad. Or if they’d prefer not knowing what those numbers mean just yet then just press 0 if it isn’t already present in front of them!
This isn’t limited only to IVR experiences. Any time you need someone’s attention quickly while they’re using your product or service (e-commerce checkout pages being one example). Providing users with multiple ways of interacting with whatever task is underway will lead them down paths where they’re able to spend less time. Considering whether something should be done differently than what it currently is before making decisions themselves. Rather than relying solely upon automated scripts programmed into software designed specifically for use at busy times like these ones.”
Make certain that all pertinent data is amassed naturally.
In order for your callers to feel comfortable and confident. It’s crucial that you make sure all pertinent data is gathered in a natural manner.
- Use clear and simple language. Your script should be easy for the customer to understand. Because they’ll need to answer questions quickly and accurately.
- Use a conversational tone instead of formal language (e.g., “please state your name”). This makes it easier for callers to respond naturally when they’re asked about their preferences or demographics. So that you can collect useful information quickly and easily!
You may also want to have some standard questions at the beginning of each interaction. So everyone knows what’s coming next. Before they get started with their conversation or interaction with your company/brand!
Recognize the customer journey and apply it to preference settings.
The steps a customer takes to interact with your business are modeled as part of the customer journey. It can include any number of interactions in their life. Like visiting your website or talking to an agent on the phone. Understanding how customers move through these different stages of the process helps you understand what preferences they may have. Which will allow you to set up an IVR system accordingly.
For example, A person who has just signed up for an account at your company may want to hear about pricing options. And other information related to their new account first before they call in for help with anything else. They might also be looking for advice on whether certain products are right for them based on their budget or needs. This would be good information for someone calling into customer service/sales support groups.
If this sounds familiar, then congratulations! You’ve just learned one of the most important lessons about building effective IVRs: They should always cater specifically to each individual user’s needs (or “user persona”).
Personalize the IVR experience to ease issues and create loyalty and trust in the brand.
Building customer trust and loyalty are easy with personalized IVR. The more you can personalize the IVR experience, the better. Customers like feeling that they’re being listened to. So personalized IVRs can help them feel like they’re getting what they need.
Personalized IVRs have a variety of applications.
- You could customize the greeting based on previous interactions with customers (e.g., if there were any problems ordering online). Or if it’s their first time calling into your company’s phone system in general (e.g., “Good morning/afternoon/evening! How may I direct your call today?”).
- You could also use different tones of voice depending on where someone is calling from (e.g. if an employee is calling from home versus one of our offices).
When implemented well, IVR can help businesses save money, reduce call load, and improve the customer satisfaction
IVR can help your business save money, reduce call load, and improve customer satisfaction.
- Reduce call volume: By using an IVR instead of living agents, you can reduce the number of calls that your employees have to take. This is because customers are more likely to hang up on automated systems than those who are speaking with a human being. In addition, there is no need for any transfer costs associated with transferring calls between departments or processes within your organization. Customers simply click “next” after hearing their options through an automated voice response system (VRS).
- Improve customer service: With VRS technology in place at all points along the sales cycle. From pre-sales activities through post-sale follow-up. You will be able to provide superior customer service by reducing wait times while maintaining high levels of accountability throughout each interaction with each individual caller.
- Improve productivity: If your company already uses IVR software internally then this type of technology can also help increase productivity by allowing employees time off during peak hours. So they don’t have as many distractions from other tasks at hand like answering emails/phone calls etc…
Conclusion
We hope this article has given you a good understanding of IVR and the benefits it can bring to your business. As we’ve seen throughout our exploration, an effective IVR system can save businesses money by reducing call volume. Improving customer satisfaction, and reducing time spent on customer service issues. And if all that isn’t enough to convince you to implement an IVR experience in your organization. Consider this: an estimated 80% of customers would be more likely to recommend their brand if they had experience with an automated system.
