“Press 1 for Spanish, Press 2 for billing…” We’ve all heard something like this when we’ve called customer support. Interactive voice response, or IVR, technology is seemingly everywhere.
However, it’s one thing to have IVR customer support tools, but it’s another to use them effectively. So, how can you ensure your company is getting the most out of IVR customer support technology? Below, we go over what IVR customer support is, current challenges and how to use it effectively in your contact center.
What is IVR customer support?
IVR customer support is automated call routing technology intended to streamline both call center operations and the customer experience. It usually greets customers and presents them with a series of options to route them to the appropriate department or self-service resource.
For example, a pharmacy may use IVR to automate prescription refills, allowing customers to request their medication without waiting to speak with a staff member. Or, a customer might press an option to hear your hours of operation. The intended goal of IVR tools is to tackle growing call volume and call center wait times.
What are the current challenges for IVR support implementation?
In short, the biggest challenge for implementing IVR support is that customers don’t like it. Many companies admit that their IVR tool negatively impacts customer sentiment. In fact, according to the National Customer Rage survey, the number one source of customer frustration is the inability to speak to a human - usually because of lengthy prompts.
A CX tool that was supposed to improve customer service instead leads to customers jamming their fingers on option zero or screaming “Agent!” multiple times. So, does this mean your company should forgo IVR implementation? Surprisingly, no. IVR tools usually fail to achieve their intended goal because of how they’re used, not the technology itself.
For example, in a Vonage survey, over half of customers reported that the IVR prevented them from reaching a human. This, of course, creates friction in the customer experience, especially given that customers overwhelmingly prefer to speak with a human. Additionally, that same survey found that customers reported IVR prompts were far too long and wasted their time.
The bottom line? When used correctly, IVR and other automated support tools can streamline the customer experience. However, if you use them to prevent customers from connecting with a real person, your company could drive customers away.
What are the key benefits of IVR customer support?
IVR often gets a bad rap, which might make it seem like it’s not worth the effort of implementation. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. When used correctly, it can offer many potential benefits for your business.
Here are just a few ways your contact center can use IVR to its advantage:
- Improve average handle time (AHT)
- Provide personalized customer service
- Improve contact center agent engagement
We dive into each of these more below.
Improve your average handle time (AHT)
Average handle time (AHT) measures the length of the average phone call between your customer service agents and a customer. IVR customer service can boost your company’s AHT by ensuring your customers get to the right agent the first time. It’s one of many key contact center metrics that help you understand your contact center’s performance.
So, why is AHT so important? The faster your agents can answer your customers’ questions, the happier your customers will be. IVR support can play a critical role in improving AHT. For example, it can help reduce the number of transfers for customers, ensuring they get to the right department the first time. This can help reduce friction and potential customer frustration.
Additionally, because IVR tools can provide customer self-service, it can help reduce wait times and call volume. Shorter wait times can not only reduce business expenses but also reduce AHT. As a bonus, shorter waiting periods can also create a more streamlined support experience for the customer.
Provide personalized customer service
There are numerous benefits to providing personalized customer service. IVR customer service tools can help you deliver more tailored support experiences, whether through multilingual options or CRM integration.
Personalization is becoming a must-have for businesses looking to differentiate themselves from the competition. More than three-fourths of customers say they’re frustrated by the lack of personalized interactions with businesses. This means that if you’re one of the few businesses that provide tailored experiences, you’re likely to stand out from other service providers in your industry.
IVR customer service tools can enhance personalization by offering multilingual support options. For example, your IVR menu might prompt customers to press different options based on their preferred language, such as Spanish, French or Vietnamese.
If you have an IVR support tool that’s compatible with your CRM, you can provide your customers with a highly customized customer experience. For example, your IVR tools could suggest recommended self-service options or route customers to a specific department based on their previous interactions with your business.
Personalizing customer service can also help improve your company’s bottom line. Research by McKinsey shows that companies that offer personalized experiences can see up to a 40% increase in revenue. Ultimately, focusing on creating personalized experiences can be a win-win for both your company and your customers.
Improve contact center agent engagement
Employee engagement is critical to the customer experience and even to improving customer retention. IVR can improve agent engagement by handling repetitive tasks and frequently asked customer questions.
For example, an IVR customer support tool could tell a banking customer their current account balance. Or it could answer frequently asked questions, such as the nearest branch or store locations, or even provide your company’s hours of operation.
This can help improve employee engagement by alleviating case burdens on agents, allowing them to focus on tasks that require human expertise. So, how does improving employee engagement positively impact the customer experience? Research shows that engaged employees are three times more confident in resolving customers’ issues. That means your agents will provide customers with more effective customer service.
Additionally, engaged employees are 21% more productive than those who aren’t. Higher productivity enables agents to resolve more customer support tickets in less time, which can be a huge win for your business. Ultimately, IVR can help alleviate excess caseloads on agents, allowing them to focus on providing a better customer experience for tickets that require human support.
How can businesses effectively use IVR support?
Now that you know the benefits of using IVR customer support tools, how can you ensure your company uses it effectively? Below are a few tips for getting the most out of your IVR support tools.
Use it to enhance contact center agent performance instead of replacing them
While technology like IVR can do many things, it can’t replace human agents. Yet this is where many companies misstep, which can lead to potential customer rage and even higher churn rates.
The purpose of IVR technology isn’t to eliminate contact center agents. Nor is it to make it harder to reach a person at critical moments in the customer journey. Instead, it should be used to help agents do their jobs better.
For example, an IVR tool that integrates with your CRM can give agents the necessary context from previous customer interactions, helping them provide more effective customer service.
Use it as one part of a holistic support strategy
IVR tools are just one component of providing holistic customer support. IVR tools can help ensure consistency across channels, enabling your business to effectively leverage omnichannel customer service and create a more cohesive customer experience.
IVR tools shouldn’t be used to create a barrier to speaking with an agent or to replace agents entirely. Instead, it should be just one of many tools in your tech stack to help transition your contact center from a call hub to a revenue driver.
Make sure you have a strong knowledge base
Your IVR customer support is only as effective as the content that powers it. That’s why it’s so important to have a strong knowledge base.
Not only can integrating with a strong knowledge base help provide a more personalized customer experience, but it can also help eliminate potential friction points. For example, you don’t want the IVR tool to send customers to a dead-end menu option. Nor do you want it to send customers to a store that no longer exists, or to give them the wrong hours of operation.
By ensuring you have a strong knowledge base that dynamically updates, you can help eliminate a lot of potential frustration for your customers and create a more streamlined support experience.
There’s a better way to do IVR customer support
Traditional IVR tools cause significant customer frustration and anger. However, it doesn’t have to be a source of aggravation. Your company can get more out of IVR customer support by using it to reduce agent workloads and create a more tailored customer experience. By following some of the tips outlined here, you can use your IVR tools more effectively and eliminate potential headaches for customers.
Are you looking for more guidance for improving the customer experience? Learn how tools like self-serve support, AI-powered solutions and virtualized agent training, can help your team tackle even the most complex customer inquiries. Download our guide today.
