Seven Ways to Turn Your IVR Customer Friendly
The technology of the Interactive Voice Response system, or IVR, facilitates unhindered communication between humans and automated machines. While addressing call support, it executes call routing by gathering all data and forwarding it to specialized parties.
This way, it functions as a reliable medium of contact for customers, via which all their grievances and queries are promptly addressed. Implementing an IVR system in small or large businesses is beneficial to enhance customer experience and value. Additional tools like IVR self-service, automated callbacks, and speech recognition further streamline and optimize the overall process.
According to Business Wire, the global IVR market is expected to grow at a CARG of 7.9%, reaching $ 6.7 billion by 2026. This technology is a raging phenomenon in the market, driven by various factors like the rising number of sales and customer care teams across enterprises.
Other elements like low operational costs, better network infrastructure, and flawless communication contribute to its popularity. You can consult a reputable IVR service provider for a customized multi-channel communication platform. A robust solution will help your company modify customer engagement while leveraging voice recognition and AI technologies.
IVR System: Ways to Make it User Friendly
Modern-day customers are savvy in terms of their relationship with technology. Hence, they expect more every day.
Callers like real-time and active responses to their queries when interacting with a business and contacting customer support. It’s achieved using the Interactive Voice System acquired from the renowned IVR service providers in the market.
All organizations should adopt measures to upgrade their IVR systems and make them more user-friendly. It will increase customer satisfaction and provide the utmost experience to the callers.
1. Using Short & Understandable Messages
It is necessary to include a small greeting message in the IVR system to address the caller warmly. It should be straightforward and spoken in easy, understandable language. You should ensure that the person recording the message speaks clearly and confidently without hesitating.
Most companies also prefer using the Text to Speech technology to convert scripts into audio versions for uploading to the IVR. A massive bit of successful customer retention lies in using a warm and friendly voice in the IVR systems.
Remembering the 7–38–55 rule, which indicates that 7% of communication happens verbally, 38% of its success depends on how the words are spoken, and 55% stems from facial and body language. Hence, in IVR systems, the right facial cues carry significant importance.
2. Enable Easy Navigation
IVR systems help customers find the correct answer. Keeping this in mind, you should provide them with easy options to navigate through the menu easily. Overestimating the menu options is foolish, and it is better to limit them.
Ensure that the customers are not stuck in the menu with a single prompt for a long time. Besides, the company should also provide ample options for the customers to choose from, like sub-menus within the main menu & more. This way, you avoid potential confusion and improve the customer’s perception of the business.
Another impactful way is to analyze consumer or client behavior to assess the most sought-after query. This way, you can prioritize keeping the option without postponing the callers. For example, if there are many sale inquiries, you can position that option first within the menu of your automated IVR machine.
3. All-time Availability
The Interactive Voice Response system should be accessible to all the customers and callers, 24*7. The mechanism is similar to a business website which allows consumers to make purchases at any hour.
So, even if someone calls customer support outside office hours, the company should be responsible enough to address their queries through the IVR system. IVR systems are designed to offer self-service and assistance around the clock. Customers who want simple information like the store location or working hours should obtain it through IVR.
However, when the call volumes are high and the response time takes longer, you can politely inform the caller about the delay. The agent can inform the caller that they are contacting outside regular business working hours and then give them the option to leave a voicemail with all necessary information.
Experts advise keeping the main IVR menu open for business all day long. The associated phone lines should be unrestricted within standard business hours. So, even if all employees go home, an automated assistant can immediately serve the callers and resolve their issues. If needed, the customer can be re-directed to the actual department. It will expedite resolutions and replies.
4. Personalize
Customers get frustrated when they are asked to repeat information while on a support call. So, find ways so that customers do not complain. Personalized customer service is not optional anymore. In an IVR system, you can introduce personalization through the following -
● incorporate tailored messages in the form of greetings
● address the caller by his name
● introduce the multi-lingual feature
● make personalized service offerings to the callers
For better implementation, you need customer data which typically resides within the company’s CRM. It will enable you to personalize the messages for every individual caller. Personalization is the single cure for gaining leads from higher engagement.
Today, Machine Learning and NLP technologies have triggered the evolution of IVR services. Most companies use speech analytics, cloud communication, and AI to amplify the experience for everyone. Features like concurrent call handling, call recording, bloc listing, call monitoring, and time-based call routing also helps streamline this communication platform.
5. Use Human Like Voice
Humans are interactive and expressive. Regarding customer service or call-based assistance, using a recognizable human voice for the IVR system is a good rule of habit. While recording automated voices, try to make them sound more human-like.
Callers connect to the business when they want an issue to be resolved. Interacting with a robotic voice can seem pretentious and eventually dissatisfy them. Most IVR service providers customize the system so companies can upload voice recordings of their own choice. It will eliminate potential frustration among the callers and let them navigate the menu smoothly.
6. Being Attentive
If you are a new business implementing the IVR system, know that customers are the number one priority. The IVR system should be designed in a manner to pay close attention to customer grievances. You can try predicting their queries to know what they might be calling about, perform detailed market research, surveys to gather feedback & more.
This way, you can focus more on the customer support extension and personalize the IVR system. So, giving attention to the caller’s concern is necessary when using an automated Interactive Voice Response machine.
7. Feedback
Constructive (positive and negative feedback) is needed to improve the company’s IVR system. Your customers want every calling experience to be easy and simple. You can achieve it by simplifying categories, simplifying menus, and putting in repetitive voice-overs.
To understand better, it is advisable to gather customer feedback to analyze their experience of the whole system. Some might complain about the heavily automated voice, while others find it challenging to find the right menu.
You can know about these problems only after taking their feedback. After updating the system, ask your caller to take a quick IVR survey. It can be through a follow-up mail, a google form, a phone call, or a message. Simultaneously, you can better understand the areas that need improvement and make the changes.
Final Words:
Get in touch with the experts at Knowlarity for high-end, customized IVR solutions. We are a recognized IVR service provider who excels in offering scalable Interactive Voice Response Systems tailored for small business enterprises.
Our IVR solution relies on case leverage call monitoring, analysis, call routing and recording, specialized IVR number creation, blocklisting, speech recognition technology, and more.
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