tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52512255072632106932024-02-19T08:40:15.257-08:00Customized Voice Recognition Software DevelopmentUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-27983239105804054972010-01-19T09:02:00.000-08:002010-01-19T09:35:14.184-08:00Call Center IVR Technology: The Benefits of Segmenting and Analyzing Caller Profiles<div style="text-align: justify;">We’ve all screened our personal calls from time to time, but many companies overlook some of the benefits of using call center IVR to analyze a caller’s profile. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">Call center IVR technology</span> can be applied in different ways to address different callers. How can identifying your incoming calls improve your call center IVR? The information you gather about callers based on their phone numbers can be applied in various ways to improve customer service with your IVR technology:<br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">Caller location</span>: Have to put a caller on hold as they wait for an agent? The hold function provided by the call center IVR can be different for a caller in Chicago than a caller in Richmond—you might tell the caller in Chicago about a new store opening nearby, for instance. Your call center IVR may also benefit from changing personas according to location. A call from New York might respond more positively to an IVR with a New York accent, for instance. A caller from Oregon might not relate to a persona with a Southern accent, and so on. Consider customizing personas and sales pitches based on different locations for maximum impact with your call center IVR.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">2) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">Language</span>: If you have an incoming call from Mexico, it’s to your advantage to have your call center IVR respond in Spanish. Even if your call center IVR does not need to address most international calls, language preference is worth addressing. Callers from Quebec City will be much more responsive to a French call center IVR, while many callers from Southern California will appreciate a Spanish option.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">3) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">Caller profiling</span>: Many callers to a call center IVR will be repeat callers, and tracing repeat callers can yield many advantages for a call center IVR. A database of caller profiles and history is a great source of information for IVR technology, from customizing sales pitches to personalizing greetings. A <a href="http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/call-center-solutions/articles/71846-call-center-efficiency-through-improved-customer-categorization.htm"TITLE="Call Center IVR Technology">recent article on TMC Net</a> segments callers into different types and suggests that it may even be appropriate to segment callers based on their loyalty to the company. Callers with a history of being demanding or difficult, for instance, could be sent through to senior agents who would be better equipped to serve them. By keeping a record of repeat callers, a database of caller profiles can be used to service them accordingly with the call center IVR technology.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-81780785925704453212009-12-16T15:19:00.000-08:002009-12-17T07:49:14.992-08:00IVR System Development: Forecast for 2010<div style="text-align: justify;">2009 is drawing to a close. What will 2010 bring for IVR application development? Certainly IVR applications will continue to grow and evolve with time. I believe that many of the trends I’ve discussed in my IVR system blog will continue to progress, enhancing IVR usability and improving call center processes. <br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here are some of my specific predictions for IVR system development in 2010:<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Voice biometrics</span>: In a recent blog I addressed the move towards voice biometric security. Companies that rely on passwords and security questions will begin to be seen as less credible than those implementing voice biometric security in their IVR application. Especially for financial and healthcare institutions, voice biometrics will become the norm for IVR application security. According to Opus Research, the <a href="http://opusresearch.net/wordpress/pdfreports/vbio_mktptnl_leadup.pdf" title="IVR applications system biometric market">voice biometric market for IVR applications</a> is projected to reach $800 million in revenue by 2011. <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/10/getting-highest-security-for-your-voice.html" title="IVR system applications blog">Read my recent blog</a> on voice biometrics.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">2) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">IVR hosting</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">:</span> 2010 will see the continued move towards hosted solutions. Hosted solutions are available from many vendors for the most advanced speech technologies. Companies will take advantage of low costs for fast-track enhancements of their IVR systems with the latest technologies. On-premise solutions will always be used in some call centers, but their market share is likely to decrease in coming years. <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/11/hosted-ivr-system-trend-you-cannot.html" title="IVR development system applications blog">Read my past IVR blog</a> for more on hosted vs. on-premise IVR application development.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">3) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Multi-channel IVR integration:</span> IVR used to be a silo contact channel, much like other channels. In 2010, the shift towards integrating support channels for more efficient interaction and enhanced customer experience will increasingly extend to IVR as well. IVR will become a part of the integration of support channels, benefiting from and contributing to a central data repository of all customer interactions. <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/03/develop-better-call-center-ivr-system.html" title="IVR system development blog">Read my past blog</a> for more information on multi-channel synchronization.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">4) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Self-service IVR applications with voice recognition:</span> Touchtone menu options are increasingly perceived as tedious, and yet in past companies have not always implemented speech recognition. As the technology behind voice recognition for IVR systems has matured, more and more companies will capitalize on it and move towards user-friendly self-service IVR applications with speech recognition.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">5) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Increased budget for IVR system development:</span> The economic downturn made companies hesitant to invest in technology, even when updated IVR technology could reduce operational costs and enhance customer satisfaction. In 2009, budget constraints didn’t allow for the implementation of such new ideas. Now, as economic conditions are more conducive to long-term investments, companies across the board will be ready to invest more in their IVR application development.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Whatever the trends are, it’s important to always perform ROI analysis and ensure your IVR system will be efficient and enable you to reach your business goals. <a href="mailto:inquiries@crimsonet.com" title="Crimsonet IVR development applications">Contact Crimsonet</a> if you have any questions regarding the efficiency of your IVR system.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And of course, wishing you a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year!<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-4026753604150403932009-11-27T13:26:00.000-08:002009-12-02T12:09:57.783-08:00A Hosted IVR System: For Low-Cost and Fast Implementation<div style="text-align: justify;">Small and medium-size businesses may initially lack the resources to invest in an updated IVR system. The initial deployment and operational costs can be high, certainly, and that’s why I always emphasize the importance of ROI analysis—to ensure that the investment pays off. A good way to reduce costs and the headache of operational start-ups is to use hosted IVR applications. This practice of IVR hosting is increasingly growing in the IVR system industry.<br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What are the benefits of hosted IVR?<br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Reasonable Initial Investment</span> - IVR hosting is a good option to minimize initial deployment costs for business.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">2) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Quicker Implementation</span> - Hosted IVR has a quicker deployment time than traditional on-premise call center IVR.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">3) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Increased Scalability and Flexibility</span> - With hosted IVR, a company can accommodate changing call volume, with the ability to easily accommodate peak call volume periods while paying for only as much as is being used.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">4) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">No-Fuss Equipment</span> – First-class equipment is available and maintained by the hosting provider, including: servers, software licenses, power, communication lines and bandwidth.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As a business grows, the cost of IVR hosting grows with it. While an on-premise IVR system will have a high initial deployment cost and a fixed billing rate that should accommodate the peak call volume to be supported, the charges on a hosted IVR system are directly proportional to the call volume. Should the call volume render the cost of IVR hosting more expensive than an on-premise IVR system, the solution can be repatriated, or moved from the on-demand costing model to dedicated managed servers.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A recent SpeechTech article on <a href="http://www.speechtechmag.com/Articles/Column/The-Business-Case/Hosted-IVR-Might-Be-Right-for-You-57713.aspx" title="Crimsonet Call Center IVR hosting">IVR hosting</a> points to the surge in hosted call center IVR systems. Ultimately, whether a company invests in hosted IVR or an on-premise solution depends on their unique priorities and long-term goals. Before considering a hosted IVR system solution, companies must assess a multitude of factors, including:<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><blockquote style="text-align: justify;">Technology, platform, scalability, integration capability, contingency/backup capabilities, development environment and resources, reporting and analytics, functional capabilities, management tools, ongoing service and maintenance, optimization capabilities, customer references, vendor responsiveness, financial strength, and planned research and development investments by the vendors they are considering. </blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If flexibility and low deployment costs are important in developing your company’s IVR system, it may be worth checking into IVR hosting. There is no doubt that the trend in the call center IVR industry is increasingly moving towards IVR hosting. If you would like to know whether you should invest in hosted IVR system, <a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/contact-us.html" title="Contact Crimsonet for hosted IVR">contact Crimsonet</a>. <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-78866298763325238542009-10-26T15:31:00.000-07:002009-10-27T07:18:18.555-07:00Getting The Highest Security for your Voice Recognition System<div style="text-align: justify;">Many functions on a call center system will require some form of caller authentication, whether through the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/" title="Crimsonet call center IVR system">call center IVR system</a></span> or through an agent. The form this caller verification process takes says a lot about a company. It’s not enough for an agent or <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">voice recognition system </span>to pose a sequence of security questions anymore. Callers may feel uncomfortable if all it takes is their mother’s maiden name to access their accounts. In fact, the call center of my own cellular services provider asks two simple security questions to establish my identity, and they are quite easy for a potential fraudster to seek out—my birthday and mother’s maiden name! Each time I call this company’s call center IVR system, I must go through the same rigmarole answering these questions.<br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Aside from security questions, even a lengthy numeric password is not always secure. Passwords can be stolen, or callers may simply forget. Highly sensitive transactions—banking transfers, for instance—need to be executed in a way which makes the caller feel their personal information and accounts are safe, and which protects against fraudulent access.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The importance of call center security must not be under-estimated. Fraud is a prevalent concern. An August article on <a href="http://www.digitaltransactions.net/newsstory.cfm?newsid=2287" title="News- Call Center IVR">DigitalTransactions News</a> reports on the trend towards call center fraud. Through increasingly sophisticated means, such as online phishing, fraudsters are gaining access to personal information and using it to access highly confidential personal accounts via call center IVR systems and call center agents. The consequences can be devastating.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course, many call centers work very hard to gain customer trust and keep the incidence of fraud as low as possible, but it is clear that the problem is rarely resolved. So whatever your current authentication system for your call center, it is important to ask yourself how your company can take it to the next level.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So what might be the best route you can take? Voice biometric technology.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The benefits of voice biometric technology are clear. Rather than authenticating callers based on something they know or have (such as a password or security chip), voice biometric technology zeroes in on something they are—the sound of their voice being a uniquely individual characteristic which cannot be replicated. Having a dynamic clearance procedure, in which the caller must repeat a different phrase for each call to the voice recognition system, guards against the possibility of voice recording.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The process saves times and reduces errors, thus improving caller experience. Voice biometric technology dramatically reduces the false acceptance rate with an agent or voice recognition system, and similarly limits the false rejection rate. Quality voice biometrics will function regardless of the caller’s environment, mood, or intonation. Advanced speaker verification technology can even authenticate a caller as he or she is speaking freely with an agent. <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have noticed the technology is growing more and more prevalent in the call center systems of both high-security institutions and other product/service providers. My advice? No matter whether you are a bank, a service provider, or an insurance company, if you have a call center IVR system in place, it pays to invest in the most up-to-date and secure authentication technology.<br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For more tips on your authentication process or call center IVR system, and to see what other measures you can implement to improve your call center IVR system, feel free to <a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/contact-us.html" title="Contact Crimsonet Call Center IVR Consulting">contact me</a> and describe your specific situation.<br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-37902952260798672742009-09-23T08:05:00.000-07:002009-09-23T09:29:55.456-07:00Rate your Call Center IVR System: Take Crimsonet’s Self-Assessment ToolI’m always blogging about different tips for an <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">effective call center IVR system</span>. <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/05/personalizing-your-call-center-ivr.html" title="Personalized IVR Voice Recognition Systems">Personalization</a>, <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/04/call-center-ivr-surveys-what-are.html" title="Call Center IVR Surveys">caller surveys</a>, <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/03/develop-better-call-center-ivr-system.html" title="Call Center IVR Channels">multi-channel synchronization</a>—these are just some of the many characteristics of a winning call center IVR. A poor IVR system can frustrate callers to no end, but a well-designed IVR is a great boost for your company’s image and can decrease costs considerably.<br /><br />But with so many factors to consider, it can be difficult to know if your IVR system is meeting its full potential. I’ve had a few people ask me how to assess their call center IVR system, and I invariably go through the same points. While I can’t give any solid assessment without more in-depth information, I have developed a list of measures covering modern effective IVR functions to quickly assess the effectiveness of a call center IVR system.<br /><br />The result is <a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/IVR-self-assessment-tool.php" title="IVR Voice Recognition Self-Assessment"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Crimsonet’s Self-Assessment Tool for Call Center IVR Systems</span></a>. Take this ten question assessment to determine the effectiveness of your IVR system and learn areas where you can potentially improve your call center IVR. Assess your IVR system on personalization, script adaptability, security, agent access and more. By implementing some of the listed suggestions, you can decrease hold times and drop rates, and increase caller satisfaction and profitability.<br /><br />To learn how you can strengthen your call center IVR system, <a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/IVR-self-assessment-tool.php" title="Take IVR Voice Recognition Assessment"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">take the self-assessment now</span></a>!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-85410059999304327852009-08-26T08:41:00.000-07:002009-08-26T08:53:08.210-07:00Empathize with the User of Your Interactive Voice Response System<div style="text-align: justify;">It can be maddening to interact with a poorly designed interactive voice response system. Even when the script is perfect, there are times when callers may feel stuck and alienated. The trick is to put yourself in the caller’s shoes. How often do you use your own interactive voice response solution, after all? Probably never—but if you can empathize with your callers, you’re on your way to developing a much more user-friendly interactive voice response system. <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A recent TMCnet article about <a href="http://ivr.tmcnet.com/topics/ivr-voicexml/articles/60903-smartphone-users-rather-use-ivr-then-typing-touching.htm" title="Interactive Voice Response Systems for Smartphones">interactive voice response for smartphones</a> offers some interesting statistics about where and when users feel comfortable with voice response system solutions. Users felt comfortable using a voice response system:<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><blockquote style="text-align: justify;">…while shopping or running errands (88 percent), waiting at appointments (80 percent), walking between places (78 percent) or visiting friends (68 percent). Survey respondents also said they would feel comfortable using voice to perform tasks on their smartphones while walking (93 percent), exercising (92 percent), and shopping or running errands (87 percent), according to the study.</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the other hand, some users felt awkward using interactive voice technology with a smartphone when in a restaurant, with only 71 percent of respondents feeling comfortable. <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">These statistics show how important it is to empathize with callers and their surroundings. Sometimes callers will prefer touchtone to using an interactive voice response solution. Users need to know they have the option of switching back and forth. So when the time comes to dictate personal information, like an account number or address, have your interactive voice response system remind callers that they can use touchtone OR speech to communicate with the system. <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A few other tips for empathizing with callers:<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">• For self-service interactive voice response transactions, make it clear that an agent is available at any time, and give clear instructions on how to reach one. I have seen many companies discourage callers from zeroing out to save on agent costs, but many callers end up feeling alienated and frustrated if they are refused agent service.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">• If your interactive voice response solution plays music while callers are on hold, be very careful selecting what is played (I generally discourage the use of hold music, in part because it can be very difficult to select something which will appeal to everyone). Classic rock will not fit a life insurance company, and Beethoven may not work for a cellular services provider targeting a young demographic. Think about how irritating it would be to have to listen to a song you can’t stand!<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">• Avoid long-winded error messages. “I’m sorry, I’m having trouble understanding you, can you please repeat that?” may sound polite, and would be appropriate coming from an agent—but from an interactive voice response system repeating it over and over, it can be infuriating and time-consuming. The fact is, no matter how advanced the design and script of your interactive voice response system, sometimes it may not be able to understand callers—if they happen to walk by a deafening construction zone, for instance. So keep error messages short and forward callers to an agent if they fail to make themselves understood after multiple tries. <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are many other ways to develop a user-friendly interactive voice response solution. Try out your own voice response system to see where callers may get frustrated. By putting yourself in the caller’s shoes, you’ll be in a great position to boost the effectiveness of your interactive voice response system solution. <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-23933449123180202232009-07-06T14:03:00.000-07:002009-07-06T14:32:25.651-07:00Marketing in a Down Economy: Your Call Center IVR System Can Help<div style="text-align: justify;">I always advise companies to establish the ROI before starting <span style="font-weight: bold;">call center IVR system development</span>. Often the ROI on an IVR system goes beyond just the financial. One potential benefit of a call center IVR system is the opportunity to market your company’s image. Marketing can prove especially expensive during an economic slowdown, and considering your marketing plan while planning call center IVR system development is a great way to cement your company image.<br /><br />So use your call center IVR system to greatest advantage—create a voice user interface which reflects your company. The IVR system persona, the hold function, the tone and the content of the call—all offer a great opportunity to project a specific impression of your company.<br /><br />Take, for example, the call center IVR system of the company Apple. They target a hip, cutting-edge market. Waiting on hold with Apple, you are met with folk rock, the music of choice of much of the company’s demographic. Why is this valuable? It further contributes to the company’s image as creators of youthful, modern, and up-to-the-minute technology. (Of course, ideally you won’t have a hold time at all, and a well-developed IVR system will help minimize the time spent waiting)<br /><br />Aside from targeting your hold music or narration, what else can you do to market your company with your call center IVR system? Consider:<br /><br />1)<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Inserting your company slogan in the IVR system script</span>. It should be innocuous, of course—you don’t want to be invasive or irritating—but simply dropping a slogan at the beginning and end of the call center IVR call can emphasize your company’s strengths and keep them in the caller’s awareness. One strategy is to integrate the slogan in the company name—for example: “Welcome to Bank of America, the Bank of Opportunity”, or “Thank you for calling Allstate Insurance, where you know You’re in Good Hands”.<br /><br />2) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Create a strong call center IVR persona</span>. I touched on this briefly at the end of <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-experience-at-itexpo-east-2009.html" title="Call Center IVR System Blog">a previous IVR system blog</a> on the ITExpo East 2009 conference. Ask yourself, who does your company serve? Is your persona relatable for that audience? An insurance company which emphasizes security, for example, should have a persona which exudes calmness and confidence. A financial services company targeting students and first-time homeowners might gear towards a more youthful voice and demeanour.<br /><br />3) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Use your call center IVR system to target sales.</span> See my <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/03/boost-sales-with-customized-ivr-voice.html" title="IVR System Blog- Boost IVR Sales"><bold>previous IVR development blog</bold></a> for more on this topic. If a caller is waiting on hold for a particular service or product, you can enhance your caller’s knowledge about relevant issues or just inform them about complementary products/services. You’ll see sales rise almost instantaneously.<br /><br />4) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Think outside the box with your call center IVR development.</span> Sometimes just being different is enough to get your company noticed. A <a href="http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/ivr/articles/58657-who-said-ivrs-have-be-boring.htm" title="Call Center IVR Systems Not Boring"><bold>recent TMC article</bold></a> discusses the stigma that IVR systems are “boring”. Add a little zest to your IVR system script. When applicable, have your IVR system wish callers a happy birthday. Insert a holiday greeting. Or, if it fits with your company’s image, you can even consider injecting a little humour in your IVR script development.<br /><br />The bottom line? Make sure your IVR system is consistent with your company’s marketing image. Keep your IVR system relevant, keep it useful, and make sure it is beneficial for callers. You’ll soon see the impact on sales and ROI.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-80464062532589279812009-06-16T14:08:00.000-07:002009-06-16T14:30:21.577-07:00Maximize your Call Center IVR Technology with Expanded IVR Scripts<div style="text-align: justify;">I recently called a large financial organization and was surprised when their IVR system directed me to an agent. Their IVR technology could easily have resolved the call—but after being walked through multiple menus, I was sent through to the customer service department.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Call center IVR systems</span> that are optimally designed should minimize the need for agent assistance. Thus, call center IVR technology can free agent time considerably. Much of the ROI on IVR systems comes from the benefit of <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2008/09/achieve-call-center-success-with-ivr.html" title="Call center IVR self-service">self-service call center IVR</a>. But what happens when callers zero out to an agent because they experience difficulty with the call center IVR? More often than not, these incidents of zeroing out are easily avoidable with an expanded IVR system script. An expanded IVR script serves to anticipate and address caller needs in any situation.<br /><br />The more call center IVR technology can anticipate caller needs, the lower the need for agent involvement, and the greater the ROI on a call center IVR system.<br /><br />That’s why it’s critical to understand why callers may choose to speak with a live agent rather than interact with an IVR system. When a caller encounters an issue that cannot be resolved by the call center IVR, he or she will zero out. The solution is to customize call center IVR technology to address the unforeseen scenarios which may arise in interactions with an IVR system.<br /><br />A case in point—I recently met with a client who was looking to cut 35% of his call center costs by updating his call center IVR system. A quick analysis showed an expanded call center IVR script could easily accomplish this goal. Callers were frequently zeroing out to live agents for simple issues that the call center IVR could handle. For example, callers often phoned to verify the particulars of their insurance coverage and were sent through to agents for this simple task. Not only were agents overloaded with a high volume of calls, but callers were unsatisfied with lengthy hold time. This issue could easily be remedied with a change to self-service call center IVR.<br /><br />You may have had to zero out to an agent when interacting with IVR technology. If so, you know how incredibly frustrating it can be. In fact, there are many challenges that can be resolved with expanded call center IVR scripts. Callers may forget their account password and zero out to an agent to recover it. They may have lost their account number. They may not be able to complete a self-service call center IVR payment because their billing address is not up-to-date. In many cases, an agent will just go through a predefined sequence of questions that call center IVR technology could handle independently.<br /><br />All it takes is an expanded IVR system script and a high awareness of caller behaviour. By isolating moments when callers zero out, you can develop call center IVR technology which will never leave callers waiting for agent assistance, frustrated with the lengthy hold time.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-84671756840210400312009-05-13T11:09:00.000-07:002009-05-13T11:30:12.362-07:00Personalizing Your Call Center IVR System for Better Service<div style="text-align: justify;">A <a href="http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/ivr/articles/52727-ten-tips-improving-ivr-functionality.htm" title="Call Center IVR System Article">recent TMC article</a>, “Ten Tips for Improving IVR Functionality”, got me thinking about the elements of a caller-friendly IVR system. Two of the ten items touched on personalizing call center IVR for better service, and I think this is a very important and often underestimated part of quality IVR systems. As much as possible, <span style="font-weight: bold;">call center IVR systems</span> ought to be personalized to callers to be effective. This means not only customizing the functioning of the IVR system, but also giving the call center IVR system a human touch.<br /><br />The fact is that every caller is unique, and an IVR system needs to be able to handle different callers with different needs. A good call center IVR system will be programmed to handle as many different situations as possible. A personalized IVR system will impress callers and make the call center IVR seem more like a person. After all, the more individualized an IVR call, the more it will simulate human interaction.<br /><br />What are some ways to personalize your call center IVR system? As the TMC article points out, you can integrate the IVR system with your customer database (see my previous blog which touches on <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/04/call-center-ivr-surveys-what-are.html" title="Call Center IVR Survey Profiling">IVR customer profiling</a>). An IVR system can also customize error messages, avoiding those generic errors which can be so frustrating.<br /><br />Here are a few more ideas for personalizing your call center IVR system:<br /><br />1) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Have the IVR system address callers by name.</span> Any salesperson knows that addressing a prospect by name creates instant rapport. Whenever possible, have your call center IVR system do the same.<br /><br />2) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Have the IVR system prompt sales based on past purchase history. </span>I talked about this a little in a <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/03/boost-sales-with-customized-ivr-voice.html" title="Boost Call Center IVR Sales">past IVR blog</a>. Use the IVR system to analyze the caller’s buying habits from past call center IVR interactions. This kind of personalization can be a great way to boost sales.<br /><br />3) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Have the IVR system offer different satisfaction surveys based on the context of the call. </span>Callers will only answer surveys if they are approached at the right time. A prospect calling just to inquire wouldn’t be able to rate company performance the way a loyal customer could. Read a <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/04/call-center-ivr-surveys-develop-ivr.html" title="Surveys for Call Center IVR Systems">past call center IVR blog</a> on surveys for more tips on this subject.<br /><br />4) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tailor the IVR hold music/narration according to each caller.</span> Use the hold narration to promote different company offerings according to specific caller profiles and watch your sales rise.<br /><br />5) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Accommodate repeat callers by anticipating their needs. </span>Have your IVR system predict the caller’s needs based on call history. For example, depending on who is calling, as well as recent transactions, the IVR system may ask “Would you like to check your balance, Mr. Jones?” or “Would you like to pay your credit card bill, Ms. Smith?”.<br /><br />Personalizing your call center IVR means giving the IVR system a more human touch, as well as developing the apparent spontaneity and intelligence of the system to increase caller satisfaction. The more you succeed in making the caller feel important, the more effective your IVR system will be.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-7982416840961706622009-04-14T13:10:00.000-07:002009-04-16T09:02:43.532-07:00Call Center IVR Surveys: Develop an IVR Interface that Works<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Call center IVR surveys</span> are a great way of getting feedback and promoting your business. <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/04/call-center-ivr-surveys-what-are.html" title="Call Center IVR Survey Blog">My previous IVR blog</a> post handled some of the applications and benefits of voice recognition system surveys. Like any voice recognition system project, a call center IVR survey needs a good interface to be effective. Here are some tips for developing a great IVR system survey:<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Call center IVR surveys should never be the focus of the call.</span> Callers should have the option of responding to a survey at the end of the call, but ultimately the voice recognition system should focus on meeting caller needs. With good service, a caller will be more likely to respond to a call center IVR survey.<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Keep your voice recognition system survey brief.</span> If possible, avoid going over five questions. You want to keep the drop rate down—nobody wants to spend all day interacting with your voice recognition system.<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Have a consistent response pattern for your call center IVR survey.</span> It’s easy for callers get confused, so make things as straightforward as possible. Use yes/no questions, or implement a simple rating system, but don’t mix things up with your voice recognition survey. You don’t want to end up with inaccurate responses if your call center IVR survey is so complex that callers make a mistake.<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Allow callers to make open comments at the end of your call center IVR survey.</span> Some callers will have feedback that doesn’t fit in with your voice recognition system survey. Give them the opportunity to submit feedback at the end of the IVR call.<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Don’t leave the same call center IVR survey up for months on end.</span> Unless you’re rating agent performance, there’s rarely a case for leaving the same voice recognition system survey up. Repeat callers to your IVR system will quickly get irritated if they are constantly asked for feedback on the same issue.<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Offer an incentive for completing the call center IVR survey.</span> Not many callers want to give up their time answering questions for a voice recognition system. Make it worth their while—offer discounted shipping, or a chance to win a prize—any incentive will increase your IVR survey response rate.<br /><br />• <span style="font-weight: bold;">Have a simple command for the call center IVR to repeat survey questions.</span> Callers may not always understand and will need to hear the question again. Avoid mistaken responses by configuring your call center IVR survey to have an easy repetition command.<br /><br />With a good IVR survey interface, you’ll have more responses to work with and you’ll cast your company in a much better light. <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/04/call-center-ivr-surveys-what-are.html" title="Read Call Center IVR Survey Blog">Read my last IVR blog</a> to learn about some common applications of call center IVR surveys.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-83271581455398516402009-04-06T07:36:00.000-07:002009-04-16T09:06:01.266-07:00Call Center IVR Surveys: What are the Benefits for your Business?<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/" title="IVR Voice Recognition Systems Consulting"><span style="">Voice recognition systems</span></a> aren’t necessarily just used for customer service and sales. Call center IVR can also be used to implement surveys. There are many short and long-term benefits to implementing a voice recognition system survey. It’s just a matter of properly developing the interface and questions. So what are some of the uses and benefits of surveys for call center IVR systems?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Applications of Surveys for Voice Recognition Systems:</span><br /><br />1) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Business Intelligence</span>: Voice recognition system surveys offer a great opportunity to find out how customers feel about your company. Call center IVR systems can get valuable feedback from callers to improve business processes. Not only will you give clients the chance to voice their opinion, but with a good call center IVR survey, you’ll know what changes to make to keep them coming back.<br /><br />2) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rating Agent Performance</span>: Consider using your voice recognition system to rate agent performance. The feedback is great for training and quality assurance, and callers can use the call center IVR system to express their frustration or satisfaction with an agent. The effect of implementing a performance survey often quickly improves agent sales performance and increases customer satisfaction.<br /><br />3) <span style="font-weight: bold;">IVR Customer Profiling</span>: Voice recognition systems can boost sales results by creating pre-sale client profiles. Sales can then target potential clients according to particular caller characteristics. This can be very helpful in identifying both up-sell and cross-sell opportunities. For example, if a caller has recently purchased a flat-screen TV, the caller may also be interested in a promotion on DVDs. Use your voice recognition system survey to get a picture of different demographics and learn which callers prefer which products. Call center IVR surveys are a good way to create such profiles.<br /><br />4) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rating Voice Recognition System Performance</span>: A new call center IVR system can take some adjustment. Especially in the first phase of deployment, it is important to get feedback. Callers will appreciate the opportunity to weigh in on any usability issues with your new call center IVR system, and a voice recognition system survey gives them the chance to do so. While they’ll appreciate the chance to sound off, you’ll get immediate performance feedback from your call center IVR system.<br /><br />Call center IVR systems, when done right, can increase your business ROI over both the short and long-term. Learn how to increase your business returns—develop custom surveys for your voice recognition system.<br /><br />Watch for an upcoming post with tips on <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/04/call-center-ivr-surveys-develop-ivr.html"TITLE="Customize Your Call Center IVR Survey"><span style="font-weight: bold;">customizing your call center IVR survey</span></a>.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-27548125117712855962009-03-20T12:46:00.000-07:002009-06-16T14:29:11.720-07:00Develop a Better Call Center IVR System with Multi-Channel Synchronization<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Call center IVR systems</span> are often treated as isolated customer service channels. But with good synchronization with other channels, IVR systems can be strengthened and offer even better call center IVR service. This is something I mentioned briefly in a <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-experience-at-itexpo-east-2009.html" title="Call Center IVR system blog">recent blog about ITExpo</a>, with the point that multi-channel communication is one of the leading trends in the industry. Nowadays, it’s important not just to have these various channels available, but also to make sure call center IVR systems are synchronized with other channels, consolidating the accumulated client experience. Multi-channel synchronization between call center IVR systems and other channels achieves better efficiency, better service, and increased trust.<br /><br />What do I mean when I say multi-channel synchronization between call center IVR systems and other client channels? Implementation will depend on the call center, but there are many examples:<br /></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Make information from other channels available to the call center IVR system: Nothing is more irritating to a customer than having to repeat information. So, if they’ve just filled out a web-based order form and called your call center IVR to confirm the shipping date, all of the information they filled out should be available to the IVR system or agent. No need to ask for address or contact number again — the IVR system should already have this information stored. </li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Use other channels to confirm self-service IVR system orders: This is a simple way to build customer trust. When any kind of self-service order is placed with a call center IVR system or agent, send a confirmation email with all of the relevant information for easy reference. </li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Use SMS message confirmation for on-the-go IVR system callers: If your call center IVR system caters to mobile users, take advantage of it! A great opportunity to use targeted SMS messaging, for instance, is self-service directory assistance. After providing a business address and phone number, a text message is usually sent to recap the information for easy reference. </li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Promote different channels: Make sure customers are aware of the options above and beyond your call center IVR system. Encourage people to visit your live chat support or website while on hold; offer to subscribe them to SMS updates. The more tools at their disposal, the greater customer satisfaction—but first they need to know about them. </li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">Multi-channel IVR system synchronization can impress your clients and offer better service. Update your call center IVR system with stronger synchronization between channels and you’ll soon see results.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-49646737401803297772009-03-05T08:29:00.000-08:002009-06-16T14:28:57.277-07:00Boost Sales with Customized IVR Voice Recognition Software<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Customized voice recognition software and IVR systems</span> in call centers are usually associated with improved customer service. It’s true that when properly implemented, IVR systems and customized voice recognition software can significantly increase caller satisfaction. That’s why in past blogs I’ve focused a lot on how important it is to update your IVR system for <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2008/11/increase-caller-satisfaction-with-ivr_26.html" title="Quality customized voice recognition software">better customer service</a>.<br /><br />But the question is, can IVR and customized voice recognition software also boost sales? After all, it’s important to keep business goals in mind when implementing an IVR system. I recently read an <a href="http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/open-source-crm/articles/50900-survey-finds-sales-focus-lacking-contact-centers.htm" title="Increase sales with IVR voice recognition">article on TMCnet</a> which brought up the common divide between sales and customer service. The article points out that “organizations may be more successful if they ha[ve] a more direct link between service and the sales process”.<br /><br />And in fact, with proper tailoring, call centers can do a lot to boost sales with IVR and customized voice recognition software. Here are a few suggestions for customizing your IVR and call center system to increase sales:<br /><br /></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>When customers are on hold waiting for an agent, why not have the IVR system tell them about your latest product or promotion? Instead of listening to irrelevant hold music, callers will get valuable information that can lead to sales. Customized voice recognition software can even tailor the respective product according to the caller’s particular characteristics or history of calls. For example, if they’re calling from a particular location, why not have the IVR system tell them about a new branch opening nearby?</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>IVR systems can consolidate information much more quickly and efficiently than a live agent. Use customized voice recognition software to collect information to up-sell and cross-sell. Based on location, gender, and caller history, the IVR system can establish the best sales recommendations before passing callers on to agents. The result? More sales, and a greater return on investment.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>While it’s inadvisable to bombard clients with unsolicited sales calls, clients will be much more receptive to automated IVR reminders, whether for shipping dates, appointments, or account renewals. Soft sales prompts can be added to the end of IVR calls to increase sales. For example: “This is an automated message for Mr. Joe from ____. Your couches will be shipped at ____. For further inquiries or to learn more about our matching product of the month, please stay on the line.”</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">Customized voice recognition software and IVR systems are a valuable and often overlooked avenue for boosting sales. As the TMC article points out, “By more closely aligning the sales process with customer service and support, [a] company is more likely to enjoy a growing revenue base while the customer receives a consistent and enjoyable experience.” Particularly in the face of the current economic situation, it is crucial to identify issues that can increase the level of client loyalty or opportunities to cross-/up-sell the existing client. This may definitely change the result of <a href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2008/11/increase-caller-satisfaction-with-ivr_26.html" title=" ROI analysis-IVR customized voice recognition software">ROI analysis</a> on your planned IVR system.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-42854944477600346312009-02-10T11:57:00.000-08:002009-06-16T14:28:35.863-07:00My Experience at ITExpo East 2009: Improve IVR Software and Call Center Efficiency<div style="text-align: justify;">I recently attended as a panellist at the <a href="http://www.tmcnet.com/voip/conference/">ITExpo East 2009 Conference</a> and participated in the call center track of the conference. The focus was predominantly on increasing call center productivity and enhancing the customer experience. There were many ideas in this direction, including the use of voice recognition and IVR software. It was both informative and valuable to learn the various methods that call center executives and vendors had developed to handle common call center challenges.<br /><br />Here are a few trends impacting the call center arena that were discussed in the conference presentations:<br /><br /></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Call center customer service is no longer a one-channel practice. Companies should provide as many communication channels as possible to appeal to different customer segments at different times. For instance, youth often prefer SMS or IM communication; however, older people may prefer IVR software service.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Collecting, analyzing, and mining call histories can improve call center efficiency by allowing agents to use that data when serving clients. With advanced data search and retrieval, a call center can provide more efficient customer service. Agents can easily use the past experience of other call center agents.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>In the same vein, mining the call histories of a call center enables agents to provide excellent customer service. Agents can acknowledge prior client activity and act accordingly. For instance, “I see you’ve sent an inquiry email already... We’re working on that, and you can expect a response within 24 hours. What else I can help you with?” Taking this a step further, a call center agent could proactively call a client to update him on the progress of a recent inquiry.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>One of the more intricate methods of improving customer service in a call center involves real-time use of analytics data. For example, advanced call center analytics can correlate between clients and agents to establish better service. By categorizing agents and clients and matching them accordingly in real-time based on past experience, call centers can ensure that a client is routed to the best agent according to their characteristics. Similarly, calls can be rated on importance and prioritized accordingly.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />These points are just the tip of the iceberg. And of course, I was always thinking about how these ideas can be applied to voice recognition and IVR software for call centers. More than ever, IVR software needs to be more caller-friendly and fully integrated as a call center channel in order to be effective. It’s not just about cutting costs anymore, but also providing exceptional customer service.<br /><br />So how might some of these ideas apply to call center IVR and voice recognition software?<br /><br /></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>IVR software should only be used when it is the best channel for a transaction or service. Some callers may prefer voice recognition when they are in the car, and touch-tone when at home or in public (assuming they both fit that transaction); some clients may prefer the web for certain transactions, and IVR for others. The point is that clients should not be forced to use IVR and voice recognition software, but be given variety of options.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Ideally an IVR software system should contribute data to the central historical data like the other channels.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>IVR call flow should adapt according to the caller and historical data. For example, a caller who has demonstrated difficulties with an IVR transaction in past should be sent straight through to a call center agent. Or a caller may be greeted thus: “Hello, Mr. Smith; I see that you have had difficulties completing your bill payment on our website. Would you like to do it over the phone?”</li></ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Finally, for a given application, different IVR personas could be matched to different caller personalities to better connect with callers. Younger callers might have an upbeat, more quirky persona, while more mature callers might be greeted with a professional and matter-of-fact IVR software persona.</li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />There are endless ideas for customizing IVR and voice recognition software according to call center and client needs. Implementing these kinds of measures can save on agent costs, at the same time enhancing customer service, and thus improving call center efficiency as an integral part of a more efficient contact center.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-300689911024583802009-02-06T07:39:00.000-08:002009-02-06T07:46:12.261-08:00Why You Need Customized Speech Recognition Software in an Economic Downturn<div style="text-align: justify;">Investing in <a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/">speech recognition software consulting</a> during an economic downturn isn’t always a call center’s first priority. But, as a <a href="http://www.tmcnet.com/voip/1208/contact-centers-and-the-recession-emerge-as-a-leader.htm">recent article</a> on TMCnet points out, contact centers can benefit from IVR investments all the more during tough times. Among other tips for navigating the current downturn, the article cites IVR and customized speech recognition software:<br /><blockquote>If you haven’t done any business process or continuous improvement studies to reduce costs and improve efficiency in a while, now is the time. You might look into tuning up the IVR to increase usage — for most call centers, even a 1% gain in use represents substantial dollar savings. Sometimes even partial automation applications can provide a cost savings. </blockquote>In addition to the financial benefits of customized speech recognition software, there are other perks:<br /><blockquote>Speech is meeting the promise of increasing customer satisfaction, increasing IVR containment, and shortening calls. </blockquote>In other words, the article shows that customized speech recognition software is one of the few ways a company can both improve caller satisfaction and cut costs. But companies may be understandably hesitant to take on risk during a period of economic uncertainty. In order to be truly secure, a big IVR project requires a serious ROI analysis. Experienced speech recognition software consultants are able to perform in-depth ROI analysis for IVR and speech recognition projects,identifying trends in your IVR system that may not be visible to the inexperienced eye. A comprehensive ROI analysis will surface the issues that need to be addressed before you embark on any IVR project.<br /><br />But how does ROI analysis work for IVR and speech recognition software? ROI analysis is a complicated process requiring detailed knowledge of call center metrics and caller behavior. With multiple interacting variables, the matter of detangling the interaction between call volume, drop rate, and hold time is neither simple nor straightforward.<br /><br />Interested in performing ROI analysis on your next speech recognition software project? To learn more about how ROI analysis for IVR and speech recognition can make all the difference in an economic downturn, read the new <a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/voice-recognition-white-paper.html">Crimsonet white paper</a>.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-3945144160566383072009-01-09T07:47:00.000-08:002009-01-09T08:16:58.232-08:00Top 5 ways to Update your IVR System in 2009<div style="text-align: justify;">It’s a new year, and the capabilities of <span style="font-weight: bold;">voice recognition</span> are advancing for a better caller experience. To improve the way you service your clients/prospects, it’s important to stay abreast of technological trends and keep up with <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.crimsonet.com/">IVR software development</a>. So what can you do to make sure your IVR system is ready for 2009?<br /><ol><li>If you haven’t already, <span style="font-weight: bold;">get rid of your IVR’s tedious touchtone menus</span>. Have a customized voice recognition system that anticipates caller needs and recognizes their spoken instructions without the need for dialing. For example, callers may verbally ask to be sent to a specific department, get operation hours, or verify an order or claim. </li><br /><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Consider maintaining a customer database</span> and using call history for the current interaction with the customer. Imagine how impressed callers will be if your voice recognition system remembers their call from last week and anticipates what they need (e.g. “Would you like to confirm the draft order you placed last week, Mr. Smith?”). This practice will increase IVR call efficiency as well as generate trust in the voice recognition system.</li><br /><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Have your customized voice recognition software offer customer satisfaction surveys at the end of IVR calls</span>. Not only will your voice recognition system get feedback to help improve your business, but you will show clients that you are listening to their needs. But beware lengthy IVR surveys as callers are not likely to complete them.</li><br /><li>Stay away from dead, robotic IVR personalities and <span style="font-weight: bold;">create a customized voice recognition persona that reflects your business</span> and feels more personal. Consider, for example, whether you want a customized voice recognition system with a male or female voice, or an upbeat or business-like tone.</li><br /><li>Customized voice recognition software will ideally do away with hold times altogether, but sometimes call volume is just too high. <span style="font-weight: bold;">For customers waiting for an agent, get rid of the IVR’s irritating hold music</span>. This is a valuable opportunity where you have a caller’s undivided attention. So have a relevant <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://voice-recognition-softwaredevelopment.blogspot.com/2008/11/increase-caller-satisfaction-with-ivr_26.html">IVR script</a> available while customers are waiting to speak to an agent. Anticipating their questions, the IVR system may provide instructions, or inform them of company news.</li></ol>All of these customized voice recognition software elements can help you increase customer satisfaction while lowering contact center operation costs. The important thing is to realize that every business has different needs for their IVR system. It’s not a one-size-fits-all investment, and it takes a <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.crimsonet.com/why-crimsonet.html">customized voice recognition software expert</a> to know what can best benefit your company. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-20928847102650841622008-11-26T07:44:00.000-08:002008-11-26T08:01:50.046-08:00Increase Caller Satisfaction with IVR Scripts that Work<div style="text-align: justify;">A recent article with TMCnet, <a href="http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/phone-systems/articles/45976-business-phone-systems-important-enhancing-customer-experiences.htm">Business Phone Systems Important for Enhancing Customer Experience</a>, notes that “choosing the right business phone system is as important as having a pleasing and friendly voice while interacting with a customer”. One of the most important components of a good <a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/">voice recognition system</a> is an effective voice recognition script. Callers can easily inform agents of their needs, but it isn’t so easy with an automated IVR system. Either callers wait around while the system rolls through an endless parade of menu options, or else they’re stuck repeating phrases that the speech recognition software does not recognize.<br /><br />Dealing with a voice recognition system that doesn’t consider caller needs can dramatically decrease customer satisfaction. That is why the script for a voice recognition system is so crucial to the<a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/voice-recognition-success-factors.html"> success of the overall IVR system</a>. Optimizing the system functionality to consider the needs of callers can simulate the experience of talking to an agent and give the call an increased feel of spontaneity.<br /><br />The TMC article addresses the problems associated with poor phone systems:<br /><blockquote>Often, we hear people complaining about poor customer service and it’s usually due to long hold, being rerouted to the wrong official, or poor sound quality. These glitches hamper the image of the company and the customer may not call again.</blockquote>Thus, having a system that considers caller needs is crucial. Imagine how much faster and more pleasant it is for customers to call and ask a speech recognition system for store hours and have the necessary information in seconds. Rather than sitting there waiting for “Option 1… Option 2… Option 3…” and getting tied up in an endless list of menu items asking callers what they want, callers can go straight to the source of the issue, just as though talking to a live agent.<br /><br />To function optimally, the IVR system has to know what callers want, and it takes extensive research of call history and IVR call monitoring to find out the kind of reasons people call. There need to be effective prompts and a logical call progression. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that there are many options available for the design of voice recognition systems. As the TMC article states, “Functionalities and options available in each system are different and depending upon their needs, a company should decide in favor of a system that benefits them most.”<br /><br />At the end of the day, an IVR system can’t replace a live agent for complex calls. A human agent is needed to resolve in-depth issues and mediate conflicts. But with a well-designed IVR script, agents are freed from simple, repetitive calls. Problems with call routing disappear with automatic IVR call-directing, and custom-designed IVR scripts can even interact with customers on hold to troubleshoot and try to resolve the problem independently, as well as to collect information for agents. The result? TMC puts it best:<br /><blockquote>In all, customer loyalty, profitable ROI and an improved business image are the results of having a good phone system in place. </blockquote>Well-designed IVR scripting is one of the best means of enhancing caller experience and company image with a good voice recognition system.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-49978050167404170332008-11-12T13:38:00.000-08:002008-11-12T13:50:04.642-08:00How Mobile Self-Service has Upped IVR Revenue<div style="text-align: justify;">Recently, a company in India implemented a <a href="http://www.mid-day.com/news/2008/oct/111008-Streme-Niche-Softek-Ltd-developed-Retail-ATM.htm">retail IVR system</a> for passersby to call and order items they see in ads. The phone number appears in the ad, and users can identify the particular item they want and pay via credit card. CEO Deven Limayae explains: <blockquote>The logic is to use cell phones as an interaction medium with screen, where the user's cell phone number acts as the customer's identity, and the retailer can actually come across the potential buyers or customers. Also, the generated customer data helps the retailer to understand customer's behavior and psychology. </blockquote>Tailoring voice recognition systems to be used on mobile phones is particularly attractive for consumers, travelers, or anyone on the go. IVR applications in mobile systems tap into the spontaneity of consumer behavior, as opposed to the traditional IVR systems that are generally targeted towards landline calls.<br /><br />Whatever its use, nowadays IVR is largely about self-service. The ability to call from anywhere, at any time, is part of the advantage of a voice recognition system. For companies, one of the biggest benefits of self-service <a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/">IVR implementation</a> is financial gain. If callers can check flight times, make appointments, or purchase products on their own, callers will not have to queue at all and agent time will be significantly freed up. Steve Morrell, author of a <a href="http://ivr.tmcnet.com/topics/ivr-voicexml/articles/43322-contactbabel-uk-ivr-self-service-use-small-but.htm">report on self-service IVR</a> comments on the benefits of self-service: <blockquote>We believe that this is only the beginning of what telephone self-service can deliver. Of course, not all calls are suitable for self-service-- respondents estimate that an average of only 31 percent of inbound calls would suit it- and over-use of this channel can frustrate customers and severely damage a brand. However, for simple and repetitive tasks, such as account balances, meter readings and ticket bookings, self-service works for both customer and business, as there’s never a queue to wait in. This should also mean that if a customer needs to speak to a real person, then it’s more likely that there’ll be someone available to help them.</blockquote> In fact, self-service is cited as one of the reasons for the incredible <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/prnews/20081028/interactive-voice-response-ivr-market-hits-1-9-billion-in-2007.htm">growth in the voice recognition industry</a>: <blockquote>Growth in the IVR market is being driven by strong demand for self-service applications ...</blockquote>Recent estimates have placed worldwide IVR revenue at $1.867 billion at the end of 2007, and predictions place the continued growth at $2.4 billion by 2010.<br /><br />Still, self-service has plenty of room to improve, with only 31 percent of inbound calls being entirely self-service. If IVR systems are built to be more efficient, handling calls in a complete and independent manner, we should expect continued growth in the industry.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-68140615842980875032008-10-29T10:15:00.000-07:002008-10-29T10:47:33.100-07:00Voice Recognition Projects Bring More Than Just ROI<div style="text-align: justify;">In these belt-tightening times, any new <a href="http://www.crimsonet.com">voice recognition project</a> must pay its way in the short term with a satisfactory near-term return on investment. It should also improve the customer experience, since customers are often alienated by ineffective customer service centers. Since IVR projects can be introduced incrementally to complement human agents, it is usually not difficult to show that, in the short term, service is improved at a lower overall cost. On cost savings alone, the ROI is often acceptable.<br /><br />Even a basic IVR project can sometimes have an ROI to brag about. Just think about the system recently launched by <a href="http://epnn.com/content/view/18740/">Victrio</a> to fight credit card fraud. A report on the new system reads:<br /><blockquote>Victrio introduces a new credit risk management services that identifies fraudsters by their voice during credit card authorisation phone calls. The service works by comparing the callers' voice against a database of known criminals. Authorisation is denied if a match between a caller's voice and a fraudster's voice is found. The service is aimed at online merchants as well as banks and other credit card issuers.</blockquote><br />Compare that with how present systems handle the same problem. Try calling your bank branch by telephone. The agent will quite rightly ask you a series of questions to verify that you are who you say you are. Unfortunately, in most cases all the answers could easily have been provided by someone who had stolen your identity from fairly public records. So the agent and you are tied up for a little while in a meaningless exercise. Systems based on PINs and passwords are fine but are still not unbreakable. They may also frustrate customers who forget their passwords or even the answers to the security questions.<br /><br />On the other hand, voice data contains so much information that it can provide a very strong and clearly unbreakable identification system. At the same time, it speeds up the authorization process for much higher customer satisfaction at a lower system cost. The customer is very happy and the agent is only involved with operations that require a human agent.<br /><br />Let us assume that the authentication/authorization process with a live agent takes an average of 20 seconds, whereas IVR authentication takes approximately 5 seconds. The agent time that is saved can be channelled to assist in other tasks, meaning that wait time would be shortened. Thus, clients would wait less and have shorter calls – a good recipe for increased customer satisfaction. That having been said, this is a very simplistic way of doing ROI. This evaluation only means that we have shortened the call authorization time to ¼ of the initial length, but the question is, have the operational costs been cut accordingly?<br /><br />In order to really properly <a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/voice-recognition-consulting.html">perform ROI analysis</a> for your company, you will have to evaluate the overall costs of the IVR project and quantify the benefits in dollar savings. Doing so will show how the organization can cut costs and still improve its customer service. In addition, ROI analysis can evaluate how the company can reap the benefits of fraud detection, which translates into greater financial savings.<br /><br />Overall, ROI involves detailed planning in order to calculate the estimated savings in operational costs and to forecast whether or not a project is worthwhile. ROI analysis allows the organization to give a green light for a project, with concrete steps to ensure a win-win situation all around.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-33479000879348865522008-10-14T09:12:00.000-07:002008-10-14T09:16:40.647-07:00What do IVR Systems Have to Do with the Election?<div style="text-align: justify;">A polling company has recently instated automated IVR calling to predict the outcome of the election. The concerns raised by the recent changes showcase some of the prevalent suspicions regarding IVR technology. Read an article on the move to IVR polling <a href="http://www.carleton.ca/Capital_News/26092008/n1.shtml">here</a>.<br /><br />The article cites George Bishop, a professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, who highlights common concerns regarding IVR:<br /><blockquote>What if you don't understand the question? There's no opportunity for clarification. There's also no one there to probe you to answer the question if the person isn't sure.<br /></blockquote><br />Bishop’s statement reflects a skepticism regarding the <a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/voice-recognition-consulting.html#voice">usability of IVR systems</a>. He betrays the same preference for human agents that call centers often see in their callers. The same issues with respect to usability and system intelligence often return in discussion regarding voice recognition software systems. Still, the issue is not whether or not IVR is the best method for election polling. The issue surrounds how to build a voice recognition system that fits the bill. For example, there needs to be proper testing to ensure the IVR interface is tailored to the needs of its users. A good IVR system accounts for potential deviations from the script and is tailored to the expectations of callers. This can only be accomplished with usability testing. In addition to usability testing, system monitoring is often needed. Election polling is only implemented for a matter of days; but organizations that implement ongoing IVR systems require constant post-deployment monitoring to ensure that users are continually provided the best and most efficient service. The context of <a href="http://triangleinnovation.blogspot.com/2008/09/design-anti-patterns-context-free.html">how the IVR system is used</a> must be taken into consideration, with the expectations and mental model of users being considered. Of course companies want to <a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/voice-recognition-consulting.html">maximize the ROI of an IVR project</a>, and initial ROI analysis ensures that a voice recognition software project will yield the expected outcome.<br /><br />So how to respond to the concerns raised by Bishop? Again, it’s a matter of having a customized IVR system that has been properly designed, tested, piloted, and tuned. Whether the IVR uses speech recognition software or responds to touch-tone dialing, the system needs to be tailored to the needs of the respondent to ensure optimal functioning. Proper usability research and testing reduces any concern over understanding the question.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-7876021264942183302008-09-15T09:17:00.000-07:002008-09-15T12:51:49.618-07:00Achieve Call Center Success with IVR Self-Service<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.crm-daily.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61603">A recent IVR article</a> in CRM Daily highlights the rising incidence of self-service in contact centers. With so many channels of communication—from phone, to email, to text messaging, to chat—the methods of customer service are increasing. Still, call centers today make up the essence of customer service, and so <a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/voice-recognition-success-factors.html">quality IVR systems</a> are critical. Not only are they important to the client, but they are important to businesses, too. The article cites results from a recent Benchmarking report estimating that it is nearly five times less expensive to use IVR self-service than agent-assisted calls.<br /><br />Says Grant Sainsbury, practice director of Customer Interactive Solutions, Dimension Data Americas:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote>"Ten years ago, enterprises were focused on improving service and moving away<br />from face-to-face interactions toward a phone experience. Today, the reality is<br />that the choice of channel varies and is dependent on the type of transaction.<br />High-value customers may be more than happy to use automated self-service<br />channels to pay a bill or view their balance -- they don't need a live agent for<br />every interaction." </blockquote></div><br />Thus, moving away from live agents towards an IVR system doesn’t mean dissatisfied customers. With <a href="http://www.crimsonet.com/">effective voice recognition systems</a>, businesses can cut costs while keeping clients happy. Now, the growing influence of IVR technologies in the call centre industry means it is no longer just large-size businesses that benefit. Being able to cut costs and maintain customer satisfaction means it is time for small and medium-size businesses to get into better IVR—or risk being one-upped by the competition.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-90392237623103162862008-08-08T06:45:00.000-07:002008-10-29T10:27:29.926-07:00Good vs. Bad IVR<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Which is better – a poor human call agent or poor IVR?</span><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" id="box03" class="cr_box"> <p>At least a human agent always tries to work with you</p> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Low-quality IVR systems can be frustrating but that can also be true in dealing with a human agent. Sometimes human agents do not perform as well as they might. That may be due to poor training, lack of motivation or merely that you have hit them on the wrong day. Let us analyze some of those reasons to determine which is more likely to satisfy a caller.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The following table compares the caller experience between a poor agent and poor IVR for different aspects of the call:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"> <tbody><tr> <th scope="col" style="width: 20%;" valign="middle" align="center">Aspects of the call</th> <th scope="col" style="width: 40%;" valign="middle" align="center">Poor agent</th> <th scope="col" style="width: 40%;" valign="middle" align="center">Poor IVR<br /></th> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" align="center">unusual request</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">with difficulty</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">creates frustration if no clear choice is available</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" align="center">unusual accent</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">frustration due to many repetitions</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">frustration due to many repetitions; recognition might be impossible</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" align="center">delay in making contact</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">frustration</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">not a problem</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" align="center">speedy reaction</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">usually OK</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">can be slow with repetitive checking of responses</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" align="center">data capture</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">error prone</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">limited to simple numeric data only</td> </tr> </tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Thinking about these challenging situations, I think most of us would prefer to struggle with a poor agent than try to make the IVR system do our bidding.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Which is best - good IVR or a good human call agent?</span></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" id="box04" class="cr_box"> <p>High-quality IVR matches the responsiveness of a good human agent</p> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">IVR cannot replace human agents entirely. Some customer support questions may be ill defined and complex. Nor will any irate caller be happy to be fobbed off with a robot, however pleasant. In such cases the IVR agent will rapidly hand the caller on to a human agent.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Even a relatively good call agent may not give complete satisfaction to a caller. In some cases the caller may be at fault. Perhaps the call agent is under a time pressure or is slightly distracted by other problems they may have. Let us compare how a good IVR system may match up against a good call agent.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The following table compares the caller experience between a good IVR and a good agent for different aspects of the call:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><table style="text-align: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"> <tbody><tr> <th scope="col" style="width: 20%;" valign="middle" align="center">Aspects of the call</th> <th scope="col" style="width: 40%;" valign="middle" align="center">Good IVR</th> <th scope="col" style="width: 40%;" valign="middle" align="center">Good agent</th> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" align="center">unusual request</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">Good by handling or by transferring to a human agent</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">good</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" align="center">unusual accent</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">good</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">good</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" align="center">delay in making contact</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">not a problem</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">can be frustrating</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" align="center">speedy reaction</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">excellent</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">good</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="middle" align="center">data capture</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">excellent</td> <td valign="middle" align="center">may be error prone</td> </tr> </tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The IVR system is tireless, not subject to bad mood or memory loss, is repeatable, and has instant access to an incredible databank of information. Even the best call agent will have a problem matching up to that. In some cases, a caller may even prefer an IVR agent over a human agent for personal and sensitive subjects, as in the case of returning cheques, or getting results of some medical exams.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">In summary, for technical well-defined transactions, the IVR agent will often be the best choice. Part of the quality inherent in the overall IVR solution is to have the right options available (human as well as IVR agents) and utilize them in the best complementary way according to their strength.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The order of callers’ preferences</span></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" id="box05" class="cr_box"> <p>High-quality IVR is at the top and low-quality IVR is at the bottom.</p> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Since callers clearly prefer good call agents to poor call agents, we have thus established a clear order of preference here. That is:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Good IVR or good call agent* > poor call agent > poor IVR<br /></strong></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">* The right mix of good IVR and good call agents, considering each one’s strengths in context of the particular service requested, can guarantee best caller experience and highest caller satisfaction.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Confirming IVR performance</span></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;" id="box06" class="cr_box"> <p>IVR always includes ongoing monitoring of performance</p> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The other merit of a natural language IVR system is that performance data are continually being measured. Part of the ongoing performance improvement process within an IVR system comes from the continual monitoring of the interactions between the IVR agent and the caller. Based on this data, the IVR system can be improved so that possible weaknesses are corrected.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Conclusion</span></h2><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">This analysis shows why caller satisfaction can be greater with a good IVR system. Since the costs of running such a system are much better than using an equivalent wholly human agent system, the decision to implement an IVR system is usually not a difficult one to take.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-77145473845869236712008-07-24T10:36:00.000-07:002008-08-15T10:29:38.103-07:00IVR Can Give More Secure Calls<p style="text-align: justify;">IVR systems are often suggested for call centers to minimize costs. It seems to be assumed that such a system will inevitably deliver a poorer caller experience than talking to a human agent. In this age where <strong>identity theft</strong> is much more prevalent, this overlooks a major advantage that an IVR system can offer.</p><div> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">The standard questions that a human agent may ask, like home telephone number or postal code, are no barrier for the expert identity thief. For such an identity thief, a bit of “dumpster diving” can sometimes provide a rich harvest of personal information - information that could be used to fool any human agent. Unfortunately not everyone follows the <a href="http://www.bbbonline.org/idtheft/protect.asp" title="Protection against identity theft">detailed advice that is available</a> to avoid such deception.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">A <a href="http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070724005752&newsLang=en" title="US Contact Center Report re caller verification">report released by <strong>ContactBabel</strong> and <strong>VoiceVault</strong></a> on U.S. Contact Centers shows what it costs currently to protect against such identity theft. They estimate that in the USA, it will cost $11.7 Billion and more than 11,000 Years of Contact Center Agents’ time to check Callers’ Identities in 2007. Thankfully there is another way as the report suggests.</p> <div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote>The report highlights that biometric technology will be a key to successful identity verification. Voice verification systems, the only biometric technology that can be used over the phone, are now delivering levels of accuracy and security that have proven robust enough for use by banks and insurers. Voice verification can be combined with the answer to a memorable question in cases where a two-factor authentication process is required.The report shows that implementing a voice verification system in a contact center receiving 10 million inbound calls per year with existing identity verification procedures taking on average 20 seconds could save $6.5 million each year. For procedures such as Internet password resetting, the higher level of security achieved with voice verification enables businesses to offer real-time password resets or reminders reducing up to 70 percent of helpdesk calls.</blockquote></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Caller Authentication systems using voice verification are available from a number of companies including <a href="http://www.crm2day.com/news/crm/EplFEupkZpNVcVzpJL.php" title="Nuance Caller Authentication">Nuance</a> and <a href="http://www.findbiometrics.com/article/381" title="VoiceVault Caller Authentication">VoiceVault</a>. The higher security that is possible with an IVR gives yet one more reason for early adoption of this cost-effective technology.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-66508442220746564942008-06-28T13:38:00.000-07:002008-09-15T13:13:54.867-07:00Customer Service, The Perennial Joke<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxi7dyQwp10sDBxuw_4sWPEWHzQDI_bCmpLamNDR0yiGR6rIQyBu3P78aAixoBTFRkCxuhLGiCl-r0i1-RZZk6QAZ8SBWRwKI6UpgVoQJ4JkvggxA-Rc72_YLoIzo6wiCxFm3TAQdUIh_P/s1600-h/IVR+Cartoon.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240004036347605250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 413px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 323px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxi7dyQwp10sDBxuw_4sWPEWHzQDI_bCmpLamNDR0yiGR6rIQyBu3P78aAixoBTFRkCxuhLGiCl-r0i1-RZZk6QAZ8SBWRwKI6UpgVoQJ4JkvggxA-Rc72_YLoIzo6wiCxFm3TAQdUIh_P/s400/IVR+Cartoon.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Customer service, like bananas, almost inevitably gets people thinking of jokes. From the <a title="Idea Sandbox" href="http://www.idea-sandbox.com/blog/2007/06/artist_and_marketer_marketer_a.html"><strong>Idea Sandbox</strong></a>, I found the <a title="Customer Service Joke" href="http://tomfishburne.typepad.com/tomfishburne/2007/06/one_night_brand.html">blog of <strong>Tom Fishburne</strong></a> and he has a particularly appropriate cartoon. The sting is in the tail. <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"></div><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify">The cartoon resulted from Fishburne’s frustration at the customer service he received from .. you guessed it .. a telephone company.</p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"></div><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify">He mentions that in one company he worked for they had a banana telephone. That is not to be confused with the <a title="LG SV80 Banana Phone" href="http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/cellphones/ring-ring-ring-ring-lg-sv80-banana-phone-250038.php">LG SV80 Banana Phone</a>. This was a regular telephone in the shape of a banana. If that phone rang, they all knew it was a call from a customer. Anyone who was close was charged with answering it and giving whatever assistance was needed.</p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"></div><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify">That isn’t too practical for most companies. Good, economical customer service is now better delivered through modern <strong>IVR (interactive voice response)</strong> systems. As for bananas, perhaps they are better left for the monkeys.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251225507263210693.post-88186395445161324342008-05-03T14:04:00.000-07:002008-08-15T10:56:06.820-07:00We’re No Worse Than Anyone Else - the minimal approach<p style="text-align: justify;">“<a href="http://www.crm2day.com/editorial/50433.php" title="Self-Service: Talking Your Language"><strong>Self-Service: Talking Your Language</strong></a>” in CRM Today has some useful words of advice. The author, <strong>Richard Brown</strong>, notes that in some cases companies are still adopting IVR (interactive voice response) solutions which save the business money but have little or no thought for customer service. It doesn’t need to be that way.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;">Surprisingly he spends most of the time talking about ways of making IVR systems work better, where such systems help callers to navigate through a set of menu choices. For example he notes:</p> <div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote>The design thus needs careful thought, though some simple rules will help here, such as offering a sequence of no more than three sets of options, each containing a maximum of four choices.</blockquote></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Such systems are certainly better than many that are encountered at the moment. However this minimal approach will not put you ahead of the competition. The technology has advanced and interactive voice response (IVR) systems can indeed make you better than the competition. No greater cost is involved so this is very much a win/win situation.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0