IVR Reminders

The idea of employing IVR systems for purposes other than answering and routing telephone calls is not new. Over the past several years IVR has been used in outbound information dissemination as well as for reminders from businesses, like doctors offices, about upcoming appointments. IVR Technology Group has taken this concept a step further to create iConfirm, an automated appointment reminder service. Nowadays, most people rely on appointment books or calendars on their computers or smart phones to manage their increasingly busy schedules. iConfirm builds on this model and integrates it with old fashioned telephone reminder services.

iConfirm is an online service that allows the user to input the times and dates of appointments and then receive an automated telephone reminder from an IVR system. Since the messages are delivered by a virtual operator, they are always done so pleasantly, consistently and in a timely fashion. Also, since the system is automated, human error will not result in delayed or missed appointment reminder phone calls. Although the idea in and of itself is not new or entirely original, it could be a very useful and convenient service in our increasingly busy lives. This is only one in a long line of uses for IVR above and beyond its original intent.

IVR in Recession

Don't be fooled by the title of this post...it should not imply that IVR systems will see a decline in use as a result of the global recession experienced over the past year. In fact, trends indicate that if anything, IVR usage is on the rise because of the need for companies to continue to cut costs. Historically, IVR systems have been implemented by companies as a way to handle normal or increased call volumes with a smaller call center staff. However, saving money is only one of the driving forces in the boost in IVR system utilization. Recent technological advances in speech recognition and innovative applications for IVR systems in general have done as much to spur growth in the industry as companies' bottom lines.

DMG Research recently reported an expected average compounded growth rate of approximately 13% for hosted inbound IVR solutions over the next four years while outbound IVR solutions growth could reach nearly 19%. This is not to say that the market will not see any contractions. The same study indicates that sales of on-site IVR systems will likely see a decrease as hardware and start-up costs outweigh the convenience for maintaining on-premises systems. On the forefront of increased IVR deployment are self-service solutions for all types of companies, both public and private. As users continue to accept IVR as a normal way of doing business, self-service will become more common at companies large and small. The IVR system market is not recession-proof but it certainly seems to be well poised to weather the financial storm and grow in the process.

Political IVR

Outbound IVR systems have long been used as a means of calling potential voters to conduct polling, tele-campaigning or to remind voters of election dates and locations. In recent years, the internet and technology have become more ingrained in organizing grassroots efforts in support of a cause or a candidate. Prompted by these developments, Guide by Cell recently announced a new division called Win by Cell that utilizes the pervasiveness of cell phones in modern life as a means to mobilize political activists and supporters. Win by Cell specifically targets cell phones as a means to raise money, distribute information and integrate with online communities and social media networks to increase overall awareness of a campaign.

In addition to simply receiving SMS/MMS messages about a campaign and upcoming events, an integrated IVR menu allows users to hear audio messages from candidates and campaign spokespersons. The IVR system also allows users to call-in to pledge donations. This is specifically useful in campaign rally situations where supporters want to make a pledge on the spot but would normally be limited to doing so with a campaign worker. As with all advancements in IVR technology and their uses, Win by Cell is another in a long line of services designed to encourage automation and self-service while increasing customer participation.

IVR Intervention

Besides its typical use in customer service interactions, IVR systems have recently been deployed for more experimental purposes. Last year, two National Institute of Health studies were utilizing the technology as a way of conducting real-time in situ phone interviews with research subjects who were battling substance abuse. A new paper appears to demonstrate a similar application for primary care preventive service providers. The paper published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine describes a pilot study using an IVR system in alcohol screening and brief intervention for patients who were heavy drinkers.

After an office screening by a physician, the subjects interacted with a mixture of human-operated and IVR systems outside of the office as a means to dissuade them from drinking to excess. Interactions only lasted from three to seven minutes, but helped reduce alcohol use by an average of 25% among subjects two weeks after the initial office visit. Approximately 40% of subjects who utilized the IVR system reported that it helped motivate them to change their drinking behavior. Furthermore, subjects who experienced both human-operated and IVR systems indicated that they were more at ease with the automated intervention technology. This study only represents a small sample and was conducted to test feasibility of larger scale studies in the future but the results do indicate that an IVR system could be very useful in helping heavy drinkers change their behavior.