Get the Best From Your IVR

Stuart Dorman looks at 4 examples of effective IVR self-service in action.

While frustrating IVR menus, confusing options, and difficulty in connecting to live agents are all reasons why customers turn against traditional IVR systems, the reality is that reducing customer effort while still providing cost-effective service don’t need to be mutually exclusive.

Done right, intelligent self-service can provide customers with a more personalised service approach – ranging across both automated and agent-led interactions – from start to finish.

Here are 4 examples of effective IVR self-service in action:

1. Automate simple and repetitive tasks

Automated IVR systems can quickly identify and fulfil the customer’s need, freeing contact centre agents to handle more complicated problems by eliminating routine, manual processes.

Should the customer need to opt out and switch to live service, intelligent routing ensures that the caller is routed to the right individual – not just the first available agent.

This can be applied across numerous support processes, such as address changes, password resets, payment questions, surveys or address changes. Increasingly, mobile ‘Visual IVR’-style applications also offer another valuable self-service option.

2. Offer a call-back to reduce waiting times

Customers frequently cite waiting times as their most frustrating customer service issue.

Putting a self-service IVR to work and offering customers the option of being called back – either as soon as an agent’s available or at a pre-agreed time – not only improves customer satisfaction but also lets contact centres optimise their staffing levels, with a potentially significant impact on operational costs.

3. Optimise operational payment performance

IVR also works well in helping organisations automate payments and sales support over the phone.

Add to this the ability to seamlessly integrate with the contact centre when further help is needed – either via phone or webchat – and IVR-led automated payments becomes a very attractive option to drive increases in online transactions.

4. Steer customers to the most appropriate resource

Using IVR self-service at the front end of customer interactions can help steer customers to the most appropriate resource, whether through intelligent steering, automated identification and verification, or simply more appropriate matching of customer enquiries to skilled expertise.

Applying these techniques can unlock impressive time reductions from each interaction, providing organisations with a resource saving that they could then apply to other areas of customer engagement.

With thanks to Stuart Dorman at Sabio