Empathize with the User of Your Interactive Voice Response System

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. 

A recent TMCnet article about interactive voice response for smartphones offers some interesting statistics about where and when users feel comfortable with voice response system solutions. Users felt comfortable using a voice response system:

…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.

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. 

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. 

A few other tips for empathizing with callers:

• 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.

• 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!

• 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. 

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. 

Marketing in a Down Economy: Your Call Center IVR System Can Help

I always advise companies to establish the ROI before starting call center IVR system development. 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.

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.

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)

Aside from targeting your hold music or narration, what else can you do to market your company with your call center IVR system? Consider:

1) Inserting your company slogan in the IVR system script. 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”.

2) Create a strong call center IVR persona. I touched on this briefly at the end of a previous IVR system blog 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.

3) Use your call center IVR system to target sales. See my previous IVR development blog 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.

4) Think outside the box with your call center IVR development. Sometimes just being different is enough to get your company noticed. A recent TMC article 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.

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.

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.