Speech Self-Service Lessons

Although speech-based self-service IVRs are becoming more popular among most companies, popularity among customers is decreasing at an alarming rate. Recent survey data suggests that as many as 40% of customers avoid using speech self-service IVR systems and 42% prefer using web-based self-service utilities rather than telephone-based systems. Furthermore, only one-quarter of respondents reported that they would use a speech-based option again. As companies continue to implement speech-based systems as a cost savings measure, many considerations can and should be taken as a means of improving customer satisfaction and experience.

One third of customers complain that they often have to repeat information to a human operator after already providing the same to the IVR system earlier in the service call. More than 20% of customers complain that the systems do not understand or recognize spoken commands. Finally, 16% of customers are annoyed by systems that do not allow them to skip directly to menus that they want. Integrating the IVR and human operator databases could cut down on the need for customers to repeat information during a call. Since most customers feel that they must over-enunciate when dealing with speech recognition systems, the software could be improved to accommodate both conversational and more precise speech patterns. Finally, creating shortcuts and/or keywords for frequent callers would assuage some of the frustration associated with listening to long lists of multiple menu options. It is important to take these and other customer complaints into consideration when designing and implementing an IVR system, otherwise the money that is saved in the call center will not make up for unsatisfied or lost customers.

Intelligent IVR

Improvements in IVR systems often come in the form of better work flows and more accurate menus for customers, but the new intelligent IVR system from Convergys looks to put a new spin on progress. The inbound IVR system offers intelligent self-service meaning that the system not only routes a caller to the proper menu item, but also creates a profile of the items he or she chooses along the way in order to better assist in resolving the issue at that time and, if necessary, in the future. Furthermore, the system uses saved profile information to better identify a caller and therefore offer more personalized and customized assistance. The result of the improved system is a projected 20% reduction in call handling times while giving a 20% increase in call containment all translating into a cost savings for the business.

The intelligent system also offers improvements to outbound IVR through intelligent notification. The system can leverage customer information and common inquiries to proactively contact customers immediately when a problem arises rather than having to wait for the customer to initiate contact regarding a service issue. This strategy can result in cost savings through a 20% reduction in the number of inbound customer calls. Furthermore, the system can be used to better acquire new customers while using customer profiles to retain current customers or even win-back lost customers. All told, the intelligent IVR system promises improvement in the two most vital aspects of IVR evolution: cost savings and improved customer service.

The Science of On-Hold Music

Since IVR systems are utilized as a means of employing fewer operators in a call center, customers will inevitably spend some amount of time on-hold while waiting to speak to a service representative. In a world of increasingly available information, even the shortest wait can not only feel like an eternity, but it can actually frustrate and alienate the customer. Most IVR systems that put a customer on-hold employ neutral or pleasing music to ease the frustration of the wait time. Some companies add periodic messages to the on-hold music that can work to further ease or exacerbate the situation.

A series of studies has shed some light on how customers respond to on-hold music and messages. In one experiment, researchers found that messages announcing the customer's place in the queue lead to more positive on-hold experiences. Even without knowing how long the wait would be, customers responded positively if they knew how many or how few people were ahead of them in line. However, periodic recorded apologies about the wait time with no other valuable information resulted in more negative customer experiences. The messages only served to remind the customers that they were waiting on-hold. This study suggests that customers on-hold would rather be told that they are making progress towards an operator than get a recorded apology every thirty seconds.

Avalanche Calling

Standard IVR technologies coupled with minimally staffed call centers are usually capable of handling most day-to-day business of utility companies. However, large scale service interruptions can result in sudden spikes in call volumes by as much as 40 times typical levels. A traditional call center would be completely overwhelmed by such an event and customers eager for information would be left on-hold and frustrated. Avalanche Calling can be activated in these types of situations to help cover the increased load on the call center while still providing valuable information to customers.

Avalanche Calling uses cloud technology to virtually increase the IVR capability through off-site servers that are paid for on an as-used basis. This allows for more capacity when necessary without the need to actually invest in new hardware. In self-service mode, customers can enter a postal code to acquire information specific to outages in their service areas. Practical testing has indicated that 95% of customers will be satisfied with information provided by the Avalanche Calling IVR freeing customer service operators to address issues of the remaining 5% of callers. Such virtual outsourcing of IVR technologies could prove to save companies capital expenses while allowing for increased capacity and the ability to assist customers in times of increased need.

Visual IVR Effectiveness

Video IVR continues to show promise as customer research conducted by Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories shows that visual IVRs used on mobile phones can reduce automated transaction times by as much as 56%. This not only translates to call-center resource savings, but also into increased customer satisfaction. Although most customers want to speak to a live operator when they have problems with a service, many people might prefer a self-service approach that includes both audio and visual components. Ultimately, customers hope to complete their transactions quickly and easily and research data suggests that this is more achievable with a user friendly visual menu.

As people become more familiar with using web-based utilities to report and resolve service issues, IVR appears to be following suit and progressing away from the standard audio interface that has been the norm in the industry. As discussed earlier this week, some companies have already begun to employ the video systems in place of more traditional IVR. Although the new element of the IVR system requires more time for development and implementation, the end benefits certainly outweigh the cost. As the use of video capable smart phones grows, there is undoubtedly a market for companies to improve their customer self-service menus to accommodate this emerging technology. The end result is most certainly reduced costs for staffed call-centers together with increased overall customer satisfaction.

Video IVR

Business communication around the world is evolving constantly due in no small part to rapid developments in technology. Although IVR systems for customer support have evolved in that time as well, a key feature that is missing in most service applications is a visual interface. Almost no home telephones are equipped with video capabilities so there has been no practical method for integrating video into IVR systems for most users. However, as mobile devices become more ubiquitous and increasingly capable of many applications besides DTMF dialing, there are many emerging opportunities to integrate video into IVR systems for customer service.

With the development of more powerful mobile networks and video equipped wireless hand-held devices, there will likely be an increase in the development of video IVR systems over time. Video IVR adds a new dimension to self-service menus by allowing customers to see all available menus in addition to hearing the standard recited list of options. A system recently implemented by Egypt's Etisalat even allows customers to connect face-to-face with a service agent through a video chat. These types of video enabled service products could increase overall usability and customer satisfaction of IVR systems in general. Consequently, video IVR could prove to be a major segment of the IVR production business in the future.

IVR Lessons

E Source has completed and published rankings of the best IVR systems for utility companies in the United States and Canada and found some conflicting, but useful results that can be applied across the board for makers of IVR systems. The leading statistic is that utilities only offer 54% of what customers want leaving almost half unsatisfied. Previous research indicates that 70% of users were successful in completing self-service transactions on the first try but the same users reported that they were unsatisfied with the automated experience. These type of results confirm that there are still opportunities for improvements in IVR systems and that focusing on the customer experience could be the key to achieving better satisfaction ratings.

The overwhelming data suggests that customers still prefer to complete transactions with a live phone operator or a web based utility rather than an IVR system. The common thread among those utility companies with the highest rated systems is that they consistently focused on the customer experience. Those that scored poorly employ systems that are technically capable of guiding the user through the automated transactions, but still left the customers unsatisfied or frustrated in the process. There are certainly strong preconceptions about IVR systems among most users, however this study shows that there is a need to continually improve and develop IVR systems from the perspective of the user as opposed to simply design them to complete the task at hand.

IVR on Smartphones

A recent survey suggests that 75% of smartphone users would rather a device that allows them to speak most of their commands as opposed to pressing a series of buttons to complete the same task. The reasoning behind the result is that most smartphone users are more inclined to be multi-taskers and voice activated commands easily allow for a user to complete tasks without diverting much of their attention. This type of interface relies on IVR systems to achieve such hands free operations.

The survey also indicates a shift in cell phone etiquette. In the past, people were less inclined to use their phones in public places, but this survey reports that 71% of smartphone users said that they would be fine using their phones at a restaurant. Despite the mixed customer reaction to IVR systems in customer service, it appears that IVR continues to have a future in many applications. Capitalizing on the public desire for voice activated services shows that there is still a large market for IVR systems.