IVR Year in Review

Historians will remember 2009 for many different reasons although chief among them will likely be the worldwide economic downturn and its effects on business. The IVR industry suffered as much as any, but there were several bright spots throughout the year. Despite some people writing off IVR systems as a mature product on the decline, there were several innovative uses of the technology that will almost certainly sustain it for years to come. Some novel uses include business continuity management systems created and implemented for the H1N1 pandemic (1, 2, 3) and other unforseen catastrophes. There were also many novel implementations of IVR in health care management and delivery including virtual medical clinics, out-patient monitoring and followup/medication reminder services. In addition, academic researchers found potential benefits from the use of IVR by making it easier for test subjects to submit real-time data via mobile phones while outside of the laboratory environment.

Despite the advances and new uses of the technology and potential for future growth in more traditional applications, there are still many common mistakes being made during the design and implementation that need to be addressed in order for companies to fully capitalize on the power of IVR. Several individuals and companies in and outside of the industry have complied very good lists of common problems and other considerations that should be made before rolling out an IVR system (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). By creating lists of best practices and learning from internal mistakes and customer feedback, IVR has potential uses for many years to come. It appears that 2010 will continue to be a difficult time for many companies, but those that work to improve their products and exceed customer expectations should weather the storm and flourish when the economic recovery begins in earnest.

Over the course of the year, this blog has been a work in progress and we want to thank everyone for spending a few minutes reading our posts each week. Please feel free to discuss any of our past or future articles in the comments section. Together we can make this blog and others like it forums for progress and improvement in the IVR industry. All of us at Universal Digital Productions would like to wish everyone a safe, happy and prosperous new year. See you in 2010!

IVR and H1N1: Round Three

As fall begins in North America, there is a heightened level of anxiety about the flu spurred by fears of an H1N1 pandemic. Earlier this year, the outbreak that began in Mexico and quickly spread around the world was a bit over-hyped by incessant media reports about growing numbers of cases and deaths caused by the virus. The initial outbreak occurred near the end of the flu season in the northern hemisphere so it's effects were likely less than if the outbreak had occurred at the beginning of the season. Now that North America is entering a new flu season, more precautions than usual are taking place in businesses and schools to avoid being dramatically impacted by the H1N1 virus.

Earlier this year, many technologies were employed in various ways around the world to disseminate information about the spread of the flu and where individuals could seek medical treatment if infected. The health ministry of India deployed an informational IVR system to offer advice for those infected while some colleges in Canada implemented proactive IVR systems to periodically monitor student health. SoundBite has recently joined the fray with the introduction of an IVR system that will not only keep employees informed about the latest H1N1 news but will also make outbound notification calls when on-site flu shots are to be administered. This proactive approach is an effort to minimize the number of employees that are affected by the virus causing them to miss work. In this rapidly shrinking world, the issue of a global pandemic is more real than ever and preparedness is key to avoiding a health disaster. Of course, a preemptive strategy is only part of a business continuity plan and organizations must be prepared if they are unable to contain an outbreak among employees.

Business Continutiy and IVR

The future is always uncertain and major catastrophic events can occur at any time from natural disasters to pandemic outbreaks. In such cases, company offices may have to be closed for an extended period of time for the safety of the employees and the public as a whole. Thankfully, as long as telephone and Internet lines are functional, business can go on via telecommuting. But such an option is not available without a viable business continuity/disaster recovery plan. It is an integral part of companies both large and small.

Many tools can help achieve a plan, foremost of which is redundant off-site data storage locations where electronic business operations can be run if there is an issue with normal operations at headquarters. In addition to data management, communication with employees is crucial. Emergency notification and informational IVR systems should be created to maintain communication with employees who may be working from their homes. Read more about the other important considerations of business continuity/disaster recovery plans here.