IVR is useful to customers for its speed, availability 24×7, versatility, and cost-effectiveness. While IVR systems are useful, many callers still prefer to speak with a live agent rather than interact with a self-service machine.
The modern customer is savvy. Their expectations are sky-high when there is no other option but to call an IVR. A high-effort interaction is likely to cause more than 66% of them to leave a company.
A bad experience may lead 82% of customers not to spend money with a business. You should give your callers the best possible experience if you’re using IVR because it offers such a significant cost-benefit. IVR systems need to be as pleasant as possible for your customers. This article will show you the ways to make your IVR more customer-friendly.
How Can You Make Your IVR More Customer-Friendly?
Customer service and call routing are handled by an IVR system. The most popular channel for customer service is telephone support, which is used by 50% of all customers across all age groups.
As IVR-based self-help services become more popular as customers become more self-reliant. So, the customer won’t have to speak to an agent, more questions can be answered over the phone. There are many ways to make your IVR more customer- friendly. Here are few to get there.
Design the Menu Items Based On Your Customers’ Preferences
Uncertainty about callers and the kind of information they want results in confusing and irrelevant menu options. To be effective, IVR systems must be designed to accommodate the customers’ needs and what they actually want to do via the phone.
Conduct research before creating an IVR system for your customers to identify for what purpose they’re contacting your current system and live agents. You should also consider the demographic profile of your customers so you can better meet their needs.
IVR menus should be simple. At the end of the day, your customers want a simple experience. Increasing simplicity by 20% increases customer loyalty by 96%. “Easy” experience can result in consumers purchasing brands 86% more often and recommending them 115% more often. It should be your goal to help the customers accomplish their goals in the shortest amount of time possible. Get rid of menus that aren’t necessary. Don’t integrate CRM redundantly. Put an end to all the bells and whistles that stand in the way of your callers’ goals. Here are a few basic menu tips:
- Menus with fewer choices: Since customers are unable to see the menu choices, a five-item menu is the ideal IVR If there were more choices, people would have trouble remembering them.
- Prioritize the Most Popular Options: Before beginning the menu, place the most frequently used items at the top of the list so that the caller doesn’t have to listen to everything on the list.
- Pause Appropriately: Especially when the IVR asks you to press a button, keep a pause between menu items.
Avoid Automating Everything
Nowadays, companies want to automate as many tasks as possible by integrating speech recognition and data management technologies with IVR systems. However, a cluttered IVR system is difficult to navigate, causing callers to contact live agents and squandering the whole purpose of designing an IVR.
Identify the tasks that you want your speech-enabled IVR system to handle and shortlist them based on your company’s needs.
Simplicity Is the Key
If interacting with an IVR, ensure that callers understand the information being presented and the questions being asked. You should design prompts that are easy for callers to understand and that don’t confuse them. The following tips will help you;
- Use the user’s language and in a friendly tone: Use the user’s language and a friendly tone when presenting voice prompts.
- Do not use jargon: Use user-friendly language and avoid using technical terms and unfamiliar acronyms that may be difficult for users to comprehend.
- Focus on Precision: Make menu items easier to remember by using short and concise phrases.
- Error explanation: Explain the type of input the caller should provide in more detail if there is an error.
IVR Messaging Can Be Personalized
In another sign of the implosion of machine learning and NLP, IVR systems have stepped into a new era. For example, you can program your IVR to recall customer history, greet them by name, and provide them with a personalized experience. In place of giving callers options, your IVR asks, “How may I assist you?””
Live Agents Should Always Be Available To Customers
Rather than navigating self-service options or speaking with an agent, incoming callers may prefer to speak with an agent. Customers are frustrated when they can’t find the right option to reach them. Let them choose an agent from the menu. A speech recognition program should transfer calls to an agent when it hears the words “Representative” or “Operator.”.
Plan for Surges in Calls
As long as you provide the basics correctly, your customers will like your service. IVR greetings that say “we are experiencing unusually high calls” are the most frustrating. An IVR solution based on SaaS could help swiftly scale resources during high usage hours.
Conclusion
IVR systems may not be your most urgent priority, so don’t spend too much time and money on them. You can gain a strategic competitive advantage from it that delights your callers. Ultimately, the long-term profits can far outweigh the costs. As a matter of fact, a powerful IVR system can become the basis for your multichannel success, with the merging technology at your disposal.
Office24by7 is the best IVR service provider offering customer-friendly systems. Take the first step to call us at 91 7097171717 or email us at [email protected] today