IVR is a powerful tool in cutting costs for many companies but the systems do not automatically offer improved customer service. Of course, customer service can be improved with a well designed IVR system, but there are always numerous considerations that must be taken in order to implement such a system. Besides the basic and more advanced tips for IVR design, there are several principles of customer service that are just as important as the technical aspects of the system.
CIO Insight has a concise list of the main things for a business to avoid in order to achieve better customer satisfaction. None of the tips specifically address IVR systems, but all are directly related and should be considered in the IVR development process. If an IVR system cannot help a customer solve a problem, it is very important that the live operator the customer is directed to is fully qualified to help and that there are no language or cultural barriers as a result of call center outsourcing. It is also extremely important to not only collect appropriate customer satisfaction data but also to analyze it properly to help improve the automated and live customer service system. The most important consideration is to never take existing customers for granted. New customers are always a goal, but retention and appreciation of existing customers should take priority. Employing and continually improving an IVR system can go a long way to achieving high levels of customer satisfaction.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Skills-Based IVR Routing
Everyone in the IVR industry is well aware of the ability for the technology to reduce costs in a call center by automating some functions while making others self-serviceable for customers. This frees up call center operators to handle more complicated tasks thus saving companies money and headcount in the call center. After implementing such a system, some companies go no further but oftentimes this results in a disconnect between the perception of satisfaction between company management and customers.
One method for updating an IVR system to improve customer satisfaction is the implementation of a skills-based routing procedure. Many companies already employ a simple version of this design which routes English or Spanish speaking customers to the appropriate IVR menus and, if necessary, live operators who speak their language. However, more advanced methodologies can be employed which perform specific customer and problem identification that can be used to route the call to the appropriate department and/or subject matter specialists. Customer satisfaction should be improved by such a design so long as the process involved to reach the appropriate operator is not overly long or complex. Another pitfall to avoid is to require the customer to repeat information to the operator that has already been collected by the IVR system. This results in customers feeling that their time up to that point in the call has been wasted. A skills-based IVR system will cost more to implement but it will also pay dividends in customer satisfaction and retention.
One method for updating an IVR system to improve customer satisfaction is the implementation of a skills-based routing procedure. Many companies already employ a simple version of this design which routes English or Spanish speaking customers to the appropriate IVR menus and, if necessary, live operators who speak their language. However, more advanced methodologies can be employed which perform specific customer and problem identification that can be used to route the call to the appropriate department and/or subject matter specialists. Customer satisfaction should be improved by such a design so long as the process involved to reach the appropriate operator is not overly long or complex. Another pitfall to avoid is to require the customer to repeat information to the operator that has already been collected by the IVR system. This results in customers feeling that their time up to that point in the call has been wasted. A skills-based IVR system will cost more to implement but it will also pay dividends in customer satisfaction and retention.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Voice-Based Identification
In our current world of rapid globalization, more business is being conducted over the telephone and internet than ever before with key players often never meeting face-to-face. This allows small businesses to have a larger reach and market than they might have been able to achieve only a few years ago. Unfortunately, there are those in the world looking to fraudulently capitalize on these types of transactions. Companies have to be ever vigilant in the fight against identity theft and payment fraud. Most financial institutions rely on customer-defined PIN numbers, passwords and security questions to verify identity and complete electronic or telephone transactions. Other businesses are just as vulnerable yet they rarely require any kind of verification to complete an order or transaction.
Voice Commerce has developed a platform to provide voice identification, verification and payment services for businesses. The VoiceTransact Trust Center uses voice signature information to identify and verify a customer's identity before allowing a transaction to be completed. Not only can this technology be utilized to reduce payment fraud and identity theft perpetrated on a business, it could also help reduce call center costs by eliminating the time taken by an operator to verify a customer's identity. An IVR system could be implemented to verify the identity of a caller as part of the process of routing the caller to the correct call center operator. This would would allow the call center operator to immediately begin work on the customer's issue rather than having to spend time verifying the caller's identity through security questions and PIN numbers. Voice-based identification technology may not put an end to identity theft and fraud, but it will surely reduce the number of cases and could improve business processes along the way.
Voice Commerce has developed a platform to provide voice identification, verification and payment services for businesses. The VoiceTransact Trust Center uses voice signature information to identify and verify a customer's identity before allowing a transaction to be completed. Not only can this technology be utilized to reduce payment fraud and identity theft perpetrated on a business, it could also help reduce call center costs by eliminating the time taken by an operator to verify a customer's identity. An IVR system could be implemented to verify the identity of a caller as part of the process of routing the caller to the correct call center operator. This would would allow the call center operator to immediately begin work on the customer's issue rather than having to spend time verifying the caller's identity through security questions and PIN numbers. Voice-based identification technology may not put an end to identity theft and fraud, but it will surely reduce the number of cases and could improve business processes along the way.
Monday, November 9, 2009
IVR Cheat Sheet
Anyone who employs an IVR system in their business knows that customers can feel frustrated and taken for granted when not immediately connected to a live operator to resolve an issue they've called about. In an effort to help businesses make a more user friendly IVR system, angel.com has created the IVR Cheat Sheet for Business. The cheat sheet lists ten key concepts that can help a business create a pleasing and useful interactive environment that will encourage customers to utilize it for self-service and still be satisfied with the results.
The cheat sheet simplifies and summarizes lists created by other IVR specialists and focuses the tips on simplicity and communication. Studies have suggested that users respond better to IVR menus that are not overly complex and achieve results in a short time. It is best to keep the numbers of choices limited otherwise the user will become overwhelmed. Communication with the customer is key. As they are waiting on hold or for data retrieval, information about approximate wait time is important so that customers do not feel that they have been left in limbo. Audience perspective is key when writing an article or delivering a speech so it should also apply to IVR systems. Taking users perspective into account will ultimately help improve overall customer satisfaction.
The cheat sheet simplifies and summarizes lists created by other IVR specialists and focuses the tips on simplicity and communication. Studies have suggested that users respond better to IVR menus that are not overly complex and achieve results in a short time. It is best to keep the numbers of choices limited otherwise the user will become overwhelmed. Communication with the customer is key. As they are waiting on hold or for data retrieval, information about approximate wait time is important so that customers do not feel that they have been left in limbo. Audience perspective is key when writing an article or delivering a speech so it should also apply to IVR systems. Taking users perspective into account will ultimately help improve overall customer satisfaction.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
IVR from Microsoft
As speech recognition software continues to improve, its IVR technology is growing. The days of pressing number keys to navigate menus is coming to an end and voice response systems are becoming more common among companies and more acceptable to consumers. Complicated customer service procedures can now be carried out more easily with the voice response systems than with touch-tone systems, so much so that Microsoft has entered the market.
After the acquisition of the Tellme Networks in 2007, the Speech at Microsoft group was formed to utilize and market the technology. In addition to speech recognition applications in the works for use on home and office PCs, Microsoft recently introduced an outbound IVR system. Besides the standard function of calling customers with important account alerts, the IVR is capable of allowing customers to act upon the alerts through further voice response menus. The system is optimized to work on all common customer communication platforms: telephone, text messaging, email, instant messaging and web browsers. The end result is a highly personalized customer self-service experience. As companies continue to cut costs, they will likely employ more systems like Microsoft's to communicate and do business with their customers.
After the acquisition of the Tellme Networks in 2007, the Speech at Microsoft group was formed to utilize and market the technology. In addition to speech recognition applications in the works for use on home and office PCs, Microsoft recently introduced an outbound IVR system. Besides the standard function of calling customers with important account alerts, the IVR is capable of allowing customers to act upon the alerts through further voice response menus. The system is optimized to work on all common customer communication platforms: telephone, text messaging, email, instant messaging and web browsers. The end result is a highly personalized customer self-service experience. As companies continue to cut costs, they will likely employ more systems like Microsoft's to communicate and do business with their customers.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Real Estate IVR
IVR has proven to have many resource saving applications over the years. Many businesses have learned that implementing IVR systems can allow them to handle and route more inbound calls than they could with only live operators thus maximizing their ability to assist more customers. One such industry that has had very positive results with IVR systems is real estate. A recent study by Baylor University indicates that after personal referrals, IVR systems are the best method for new lead generation in the real estate business.
AdTrakker technology uses an IVR system with a unique phone number assigned to each real estate property. When a prospective buyer calls about a particular property, they are presented with a recorded message about the property and then given the option to be connected to a live agent or leave a voicemail. The AdTrakker system also has the capability to capture a buyer's name, phone number and address. Knowing where a buyer called from allows agents to estimate the buyer's current property value and use that information to identify listings that would be in the price range of the buyer. This concept may seem simple but it illustrates how an IVR system can be used in an uncomplicated manner to achieve excellent results for a business.
AdTrakker technology uses an IVR system with a unique phone number assigned to each real estate property. When a prospective buyer calls about a particular property, they are presented with a recorded message about the property and then given the option to be connected to a live agent or leave a voicemail. The AdTrakker system also has the capability to capture a buyer's name, phone number and address. Knowing where a buyer called from allows agents to estimate the buyer's current property value and use that information to identify listings that would be in the price range of the buyer. This concept may seem simple but it illustrates how an IVR system can be used in an uncomplicated manner to achieve excellent results for a business.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
IVR Overdose
In light of the current economic situation, companies are learning how to do more with less in order to survive. This impacts customer service as much, if not more than other segments of a business. Even before economics pushed companies to cut costs, many businesses began utilizing IVR systems as a way to reduce overhead and ask their customers to handle common issues through a self-service solution. Although some research indicates that consumers have accepted telephone-based self-service, there is also resentment when companies put additional burdens on their IVR systems and force customers to resolve more complex issues with little help from live operators.
Research from 2007 indicates that 91 percent of American consumers already feel that companies expect customers to handle too much on their own with IVR systems. This has a directly negative impact on customer satisfaction and drives consumers away. However, the same research indicates that consumers are willing to utilize other technologies for self-service such as web-based or text message-based systems. It is important for businesses to consider the the complexity of the self-service solution before deciding to implement it on a specific platform.
The ability for a customer to see a list of options increases the ease of navigating a complex self-service menu. This can be achieved more easily in a web-based or visual IVR environment than in a standard IVR system. Similarly, the option to speak to a live operator should not be perceived by a company as a last resort for helping a customer. Some people want to use self-service, while others will always desire help from a human being. It is important to design IVR systems to take that fact into account as most callers are very frustrated when they finally reach the elusive operator. As the economy improves, certain cost control measures will likely remain in place as a means of improving profits. It is of the utmost importance for companies to maintain useful but not overwhelming IVR customer self-service systems.
Research from 2007 indicates that 91 percent of American consumers already feel that companies expect customers to handle too much on their own with IVR systems. This has a directly negative impact on customer satisfaction and drives consumers away. However, the same research indicates that consumers are willing to utilize other technologies for self-service such as web-based or text message-based systems. It is important for businesses to consider the the complexity of the self-service solution before deciding to implement it on a specific platform.
The ability for a customer to see a list of options increases the ease of navigating a complex self-service menu. This can be achieved more easily in a web-based or visual IVR environment than in a standard IVR system. Similarly, the option to speak to a live operator should not be perceived by a company as a last resort for helping a customer. Some people want to use self-service, while others will always desire help from a human being. It is important to design IVR systems to take that fact into account as most callers are very frustrated when they finally reach the elusive operator. As the economy improves, certain cost control measures will likely remain in place as a means of improving profits. It is of the utmost importance for companies to maintain useful but not overwhelming IVR customer self-service systems.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
