Maximize your Call Center IVR Technology with Expanded IVR Scripts

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.

Call center IVR systems 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 self-service call center IVR. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Personalizing Your Call Center IVR System for Better Service

A recent TMC article, “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, call center IVR systems 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.

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.

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 IVR customer profiling). An IVR system can also customize error messages, avoiding those generic errors which can be so frustrating.

Here are a few more ideas for personalizing your call center IVR system:

1) Have the IVR system address callers by name. Any salesperson knows that addressing a prospect by name creates instant rapport. Whenever possible, have your call center IVR system do the same.

2) Have the IVR system prompt sales based on past purchase history. I talked about this a little in a past IVR blog. 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.

3) Have the IVR system offer different satisfaction surveys based on the context of the call. 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 past call center IVR blog on surveys for more tips on this subject.

4) Tailor the IVR hold music/narration according to each caller. Use the hold narration to promote different company offerings according to specific caller profiles and watch your sales rise.

5) Accommodate repeat callers by anticipating their needs. 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?”.

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.

Call Center IVR Surveys: Develop an IVR Interface that Works

Call center IVR surveys are a great way of getting feedback and promoting your business. My previous IVR blog 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:

• Call center IVR surveys should never be the focus of the call. 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.

• Keep your voice recognition system survey brief. 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.

• Have a consistent response pattern for your call center IVR survey. 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.

• Allow callers to make open comments at the end of your call center IVR survey. 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.

• Don’t leave the same call center IVR survey up for months on end. 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.

• Offer an incentive for completing the call center IVR survey. 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.

• Have a simple command for the call center IVR to repeat survey questions. 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.

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. Read my last IVR blog to learn about some common applications of call center IVR surveys.

Call Center IVR Surveys: What are the Benefits for your Business?

Voice recognition systems 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?

Applications of Surveys for Voice Recognition Systems:

1) Business Intelligence: 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.

2) Rating Agent Performance: 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.

3) IVR Customer Profiling: 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.

4) Rating Voice Recognition System Performance: 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.

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.

Watch for an upcoming post with tips on customizing your call center IVR survey.

Develop a Better Call Center IVR System with Multi-Channel Synchronization

Call center IVR systems 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 recent blog about ITExpo, 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.

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:

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

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.

Boost Sales with Customized IVR Voice Recognition Software

Customized voice recognition software and IVR systems 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 better customer service.

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 article on TMCnet 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”.

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:

• 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?

• 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.

• 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.”

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 ROI analysis on your planned IVR system.

My Experience at ITExpo East 2009: Improve IVR Software and Call Center Efficiency

I recently attended as a panellist at the ITExpo East 2009 Conference 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.

Here are a few trends impacting the call center arena that were discussed in the conference presentations:

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

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.

So how might some of these ideas apply to call center IVR and voice recognition software?

• 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.

• Ideally an IVR software system should contribute data to the central historical data like the other channels.

• 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?”

• 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.

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.