7 Things You Should Not Do With Your IVR

The backbone of any business is “customers”. And customers are the typical drivers of revenue. So, feeding the customers with faster services forms a critical part of any business. And out of several important services, communication takes the lead. Improved communication services not only smoothen the business processes but also, enhances the return on investment by serving the customers in a better way.

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Further, the emergence of refined communication technologies is enabling businesses with better growth opportunities. IVR system is one such technology that is helping businesses to build better service channel. IVR service was primarily introduced to lower down the time spent on the phone and provide solutions to customers faster. But unfortunately, landed at creating longer hold times and complex menu leading to inabilities to reach representative as required.  So, here are few common mistakes encountered in the IVR channels integrated with businesses.

1. Creating Burdens by Building Lengthy Introductions

Callers get often confused because lot of menu options and often land-up getting frustrated. And also, giving callers too many unnecessary options leads to reaching the wrong department. So, these long pre-queue introductions annoy the customers leading to belittle image of your business.

2. Neglecting Caller’s Previous Interactions

Companies often fail to consider prior customer interactions with agents. Checking out previous caller experiences can help to serve customers with information exactly as per their requirement. And based-on these experiences, callers can be delivered messages before directing the calls to the suitable agent. This not only shortens the time span of query resolution but also, helps in streamlining the business processes overall.

3. Failing to Measure and Handle IVR System

Considering, IVRs as one of their team member and its alignment with the organizational objectives can aid in deriving better value out of your IVR system. And enhanced value can only be derived by measuring IVR system’s performance. Although, it is puzzling to measure the transfers resulting from inappropriate operations and effect IVR has on satisfaction scores.

4. Rerouting Callers Back to Source

Just imagine that how would you feel while exploring a place, you reach the same point from where you started your journey. Similar to this, never direct the customers back to the place from where they got your business contact such as a business website. Although it may work but such deflection messages must be crafted well and placed appropriately.

5. Not Considering Customers’ End-to-End Journey

Businesses often fail to consider the overall experience with your brand while building the IVR system. Right from greeting messages, in-queue messages to music on-hold, the synchronized functioning of all is important for delivering better customer experience. While designing IVR menu, consider each customer’s experience in sync with their email response, interactions with advisors and what’s happening on the website.

6. Placing the Critical Information at Last

IVRs are like the main menu of your business. So, keeping the most important and relevant information, at last, can cost businesses huge loss. Placing the most important and relevant information right at the start can serve the customer better as, it resolves the customers need instantly. Taking the other way round leads the customers to end-up at frustration.

7. Failing to Highlight Benefits Appropriately

Compare between these two options ‘Press 1 for automated payment gateway’ and ‘Press 1 for bill payment quickly and easily’. IVR must be designed keeping in mind the unique benefits your brand offers to the customers. Well-designed IVR can actually make customers or callers listen to your brand and let them do what is actually required.

Gist of All

Your company image relies heavily on each and every component integrated into your system. And IVR system is one such essential component of every business. So, for the smooth business operation, it becomes essentially important to ensure IVRs are managed well as to create happy customers every time they reach to you.