IVR Solution: Do’s & Don’ts of Choosing The Right Service

Introducing IVR Solution

A business can use the IVR menu that helps to offer instant services and solutions to customers with any assistance. There are two types of IVR- the multi-level IVR and the Single level IVR. The multi-level IVR offers a hierarchical structure that helps in expanding the capabilities of the agents in resolving customers’ queries immediately. On the other hand, the single-level IVR can be used to answer the call with pre-recorded greetings or messages.

Dos of Choosing The Right Service

A business can look for different features offered by different IVR system providers. It is important to list down the needs of the business and choose the provider accordingly. Some of the general lists of features that every business can benefit from our-

1. A business can check for the language options that are offered by the IVR number A business can choose a range of languages that includes local, national, and international languages. It also depends on the target audience and service delivery. A business can use multiple language options to attract more clients and also for market expansion.
2. IVR systems supports customization that a business can use to offer the right self-service options. A business can configure the IVR to simple menus that offer hassle-free service delivery to the options. The IVR menu must reflect the needs and interests of the caller to provide instant assistance without any delays.
3. The IVR must enhance customer support through call-queuing, call recording, call masking, 3-way calling options, etc. The option to customize call queuing with messages or greetings in regional messages or songs can benefit customer retention.
4. It must offer options for easy integration with CRM, e-commerce, helpdesk tools, etc. Easy integration makes the solution more efficient and more benefits can be drawn with minimum investment.
5. IVR system with speech and Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signaling input that allows customers to select their options from a menu or speak directly to the system. This feature makes communication easier and enhances the engagement rate.
6. A business can look for options to customize call flow design for the menu system. It offers an organized presentation that offers professional services.
7. A business can also look for an IVR number with Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) and Text-to-Speech (TTS).
8. IVR providers that offer additional features with manual dialers, inbound call handling, IVR scripts that can be used by the agents, call queue management, call logging and recording, along with real-time chat that streamlines customer queries can also be an option for a business. It helps in improving business communication.

Don’ts of Choosing The Right Service

1. A business should not invest in an IVR system that does not support Al or chatbots.
2. IVR numbers that come with limited support and offer time-bound assistance. A business might need support at any point in time. If it does not receive the needed support in the specific time, it would fail to deliver seamless communication to the customer. Not being consistent in service delivery would result to reducing in customer satisfaction. It hinders the growth of a business.
3. A business needs to check if IVR providers were bugs in not an issue. Though the features offered by a provider may help a business the issue of occasional bugs might affect communication flow.
4. Choosing and investing in guaranteed uptime only with custom plans might not be profitable to a business.
5. A business should not buy an IVR system if it is unable to record options using text-to-speech.

IVR solution has many benefits as well as limitations. Any business needs to choose the right IVR provider to get the best solution. As each provider offers different features, a business needs to lay out its needs first. IVR helps a business to reach more customers and offer user-friendly service delivery.