What is IVR and its benefits

Interactive voice response (IVR) systems have one major drawback which is the fact that people do not like them. To fix this, businesses have to reconsider their priorities in designing and focus on the user experience.

A few months ago the major US mobile operator announced it was discontinuing its IVR platform. The reason for this was the high level of customer discontent. A few companies have made it this far, however, service executives are often willing to acknowledge that IVR systems affect negatively satisfaction with customers. Additionally, many systems don't achieve their primary goal of reducing costs for call centers.

Certain customers will go to any measures to avoid menus on phones or stay clear of them altogether. For instance, they may frequently press zero, or shout "agent," without waiting for the choices given to them. The technology's aversion to users has also led to a whole new business. Consumer websites are now publishing lists of phone numbers that are direct and suggestions for breaking into IVR systems, including "curse," "mumble," "choose the option to switch to Spanish," or "press the button and hold." 1

For the leaders of customer service, the lack of popularity of IVR is a source of confusion. On the one hand, their responsibility is to enhance the customer experience and improve satisfaction. However, they must meet high-demanding goals to lower expenses.

What are the reasons and how IVR can go wrong?

The majority of companies who develop their IVR systems begin from the wrong point and focus principally on the goal of reducing costs rather than customer satisfaction. This leads to five issues that are common.

One-size-fits-all thinking

The majority of IVR implementations are created to achieve one objective which is to reduce the number of calls. This means that the system is designed to stop the caller from reaching an agent. It makes no effort to differentiate between different types of calls or the reason why they were made, resulting in systems that are cumbersome and difficult for users to navigate. In addition, it means that the opportunity to create value are lost. For example, new clients, as well as premium customers, are treated the same way by the majority of IVR systems. Moreover, multiple entry points that span various phone number and businesses increases the complexity of initial customer interaction.

Confusion of the terms of navigation and terminologies

The menu structure and wording employed in IVR systems usually reflect the internal terminology of the company and procedures, not the language and requirements of customers.

Lack of integration with other channels.

IVR systems are typically designed apart from other services. This means that the system's design might fail to reflect the bigger picture of the customer's experience, and they may lack integration with other web or mobile-based services. IVR is generally regarded as less sophisticated than modern digital channels, but it's still the most employed customer service method at several companies.

The inability to update timely

The requirements of customers and business offerings are constantly changing however, companies are usually in a hurry to change or update or update their IVR systems. For instance, a change in the portfolio of products might not immediately be reflected in the IVR choices. In many instances, there is no coordination between the team responsible of managing the IVR software and those who are responsible for changes to strategy or products.

Insufficiently assessing satisfaction with the IVR system.

Many companies simply track the call-containment rate but don't measure the satisfaction of customers. When data on satisfaction is collected, it typically isn't broken up by customer type or the reason for the call.

In a world of digitalization automated call handling systems will remain the primary point of contact for numerous customer service interactions. Choose the best IVR Voice over service With the introduction of modern technologies, including artificial intelligence-powered Natural Language Processing Systems as well as prescriptive analytics IVR devices are being transformed from basic menu systems to intelligent "voice bots" equipped with the capability of dealing with difficult customer questions.