Proven Ways To Properly Leverage IVR Tools In Any Business

IVR is another term used to describe automatic speech recognition. This is the type of technology that uses a person's voice or keypad inputs that allows them to quickly be directed to the appropriate team. This is a very efficient and fast way to serve many different customers at once. In the past, customers had to endure long wait times for a simple answer. Calls were held up because many had to explain the problem to the first customer service personnel and then eventually be transferred over to the right department. By properly using this technology, a company can immensely reduce company costs and serve clients in a fast and efficient manner.

Consider Current Processes

One of the things that helps many companies to become more efficient is learning how to properly develop work processes. Once a company has developed some work processes that improve the work flow, headaches will be reduced. Guidelines will be developed to properly handle any internal or external issues. Wasted time is reduced because everyone will know exactly what needs to be done.

Once work processes are clearly defined, it's important to align this with an organization's selected IVR system. For example, a company may have a work process that allows customer payments to directly post to an internal accounting system and allow customers to check the payment status online. If the company used a system that didn't post payment information in a timely manner, it could cause panic for the customer and increase calls for the customer service team. In this example, it would be wise to do a bit of research and find out potential partners that provide real-time posting. The most important thing to take away here is to analyse all processes before making any investment.

Break Projects Down

A company may have big goals they would like to achieve, but if a company were to try to do everything all at once, it may use up internal resources unnecessarily. The best thing to do is to try breaking projects down into iterations. Develop a list of projects that need to be accomplished within the organization. Prioritize the projects that will resolve the major issues faced within the company or challenges customers face. After the list has been created, individually solve each problem. An organisation that can do this will create momentum for the other upcoming projects. They will solve real issues, avoid unnecessary costs and resolve pressing problems at the same time.

Maximizing Self-Service

Voice automated systems are meant to help customers solve their problems quickly, but a poorly implemented system can cause a lot of frustrations. Some systems seem to have this endless loop of transferring clients to different departments without really being able to address simple issues. Information like order status, account balances and bill payments, don't usually require the assistance of a customer service representative. These services should be automated, but companies should still offer clients the option of speaking to a service representative that can properly direct their call to the right department, if needed.

Don't complicate things

Many companies often make the mistake of implementing systems and processes that are just too complicated. Internally, stakeholders may make snap decisions without fully understanding if the system can easily be understood or used by their clients. The company may invest a ton of internal resources to make life easier for internal staff, but if the system is too complicated for customers, they may abandon using it altogether.

IVR Tools will definitely improve the efficiency and service levels for any company. The only challenge that many companies face is learning how to properly implement this automatic speech recognition technology. The ivr uk Solutions Center can help any business looking to properly integrate this system into their current work processes and help to address the items covered above.

Kathryn Dawson writes articles for Vicorp, a leading company in the United Kingdom that focuses on automated call centre solutions and technology for telephone speech self-service and first call resolution. If you are looking to add new services and applications to improve the customer experience, Vicorp can help you migrate. They provide some of the best ivr uk and automatic speech recognition software on the market. Find out about ivr tools and more today.