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.