Self Service is the one of the greatest tool for customer service yet a lot many customers hate speaking to an IVR! A majority of them wouldn’t want to get in touch with you at all if they know they will be greeted by the IVR. In fact, many of them think that it provides no value at all. The reasons could be many – the system takes too long to respond, calls get disconnected and above all customers are unable to find the right option.
Despite these snags, the IVR has the potential to become the best channel of delivering excellent customer experience. Organizations just need to develop a system that is user friendly, intuitive and quick. They need to improvise their infrastructure to serve the customer better. Here are some of the chief components of a customer friendly IVR that organizations must know and implement.
Know your Customers
Most of the times customers get bogged down by an IVR system due to its complicated and irrelevant menu options. An efficient IVR system must be intuitively designed to understand the customer needs. The customers’ demographics, geographical profile and account history will enable you to know them and their requirements.
The key is to have lesser menu options and the ones that are available must be arranged by priority to make things easier for the customer.
24/7 Connectivity
While your agents might not be available 24/7, your contact center should be. Just as your company’s website is accessible any time of the day, you should be ready and available to serve your customers through an efficient IVR system. Customers having simple queries can easily connect with the IVR and seek answers. For instance, a customer seeking information regarding a new store location can do so from IVR. In case, a query entails human assistance, the customer can always leave a recorded message or send an email addressed to the desired department.
#3 Visual IVR
Visual IVR is an ideal way to appeal to the new age customers using smartphones. It is quite customer friendly and works simply while keeping costs low. This option enables customers to check out the options through their smartphone via mobile app rather than listen to them over call. Visual IVR is more efficient and quick, easy to use, generates better revenue and therefore more customer centric.
#4 Customer Feedback
The road to designing a great IVR system goes through their honest feedback. Always remember to take your customer’s opinion. A quick survey at the end of the call or a couple of toll free texts can help you in improvising greatly. Getting answers to your questions and implementing customer suggestions can go a long way in creating a great IVR system that a customer actually looks forward to make use of.
#5 Periodical Testing
It doesn’t matter how well designed and efficient your IVR system is, you need to keep testing it for improvements and keep it optimized. You can ask some of your staff to call the customer service number and test out the IVR for basic usage, any issues or challenges. Check if the calls are not being answered or misrouted. This essential feedback would help you assess what your customers actually face when they call and help in revamping your IVR.
Final Thoughts
You may not think that your IVR system needs attention on priority; however, having an IVR that delights and surprises your customers can become a strategic and competitive advantage for your business. The profits that it could generate outweigh the investment in the long run. A powerful IVR system can lay the foundation of your brand’s success.
Keeping all such features in mind along with add on features of new era presenting IVR Edge from Teckinfo which has the capability of handling as many as 3840 simultaneous calls on a single set up. This number is scalable using multiple server set ups. IVR Edge, can be configured as multi level ,self service & visual IVR solution through a user friendly interface.
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