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!

A Voice Actor's Persepctive on IVR Mistakes

IVR technology has improved so much since its first commercial use, it would seem that most common mistakes could be avoided these days. However, as cloud-computing technology has made it possible for much smaller companies to implement IVR and voice recognition systems, common mistakes are creeping back in to the systems. The Techistan blog features a very thorough list of common IVR mistakes that should be avoided during design and implementation of a new system. The list is unique in that it was compiled by Allison Smith, a voice actor with several years of experience recording voice prompts for good and bad IVR systems.

Among the common mistakes, there are several key highlights including the idea of listing the most important menu options first. It seems obvious but Mrs. Smith includes a startling example of poor menu option placement. Another very important concept is pronunciation help in the recording process. Even the best voice actor may have trouble pronouncing unfamiliar/unusual names or trade lingo that might appear in IVR prompts. The actor will do her best to record the correct pronunciations but there is no guarantee without phonetic spellings or pronunciation samples. Perhaps the most basic and important tip is brevity. Most peoples' attention spans are relatively short especially when they are looking for a help or a crucial piece of information through a customer service line. Always put the the most important information first and keep it short and to the point. Most people never realize that they have grown accustomed to doing tasks a certain way but a fresh and different perspective on IVR systems can really help shake out the mistakes that creep in over time.

IVR Usage in 2009 and Beyond

In an effort to gauge the deployment of IVR in business, ContactBabel recently conducted a survey of call centers in the UK and found that an average of 64% of those surveyed use automated systems to initially greet callers. This is down a few percentage points from a peak of 67% in 2007 however it was a dramatic rise over a similar survey conducted in 2004. The many statistics of the survey show that IVR and speech recognition systems are deployed in greater percentages at large companies and those that conduct business in the telecommunications and utility sectors. Small companies and those in the retail and distributions sectors tend to be the least likely to employ automated operator systems. The author of the study extrapolates that although IVR usage is still widespread, it has peaked as a technological solution due in part to poor customer satisfaction scores and the rise of new customer communication tools.

Although it is true that SMS and web-based customer communication are seeing an increase in deployment and functionality for business, consumer access to these technologies is still much more limited than that of traditional touch-tone telephones. Estimates in December of last year approximate that only 54% of Americans are connected to the internet and 33% of those that are not connected have no desire to do change that. Although many Americans are doing away with traditional landlines, more than three-quarters have cell phones. As voice recognition technology improves, so does customer satisfaction for automated call center systems. There will come a time when wed-based support or some other methodology may dominate customer service, but as long as telephones are the most prevalent form of communication among consumers, there will be a place for IVR.

Customer Service Misteps

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.

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.

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.

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.