Common Mistakes to Avoid When Designing IVR

Interactive Voice Response or more commonly known as IVR is an essential automated phone system technology that provides access to information to your incoming callers through its unique voice response system. It is a set of pre-recorded messages that don’t require intervention from a human agent or receptionist. Interestingly to know, some companies make mistakes with the way they use the automated system. So, to prevent you from committing the same mistakes, we list down some of the common errors that business owners tend to overlook.

Common Mistakes

• Long Introduction Plus Too Many Choices in the Menu – introducing your company is an excellent way of letting your callers know more about your business. But a lengthy intro? That is a big no. As we see, clients call because they want immediate answers to their questions or prompt solution to their problems. And in a case where they will encounter a long introduction, most probably they will get irritated and abandon the call because they have already run out of patience. About the menu option, it should be simple as possible to avoid the build-up of frustration among your callers.

• Unsatisfactory Voice Quality – Many companies preferred to record their menu options on their own since they thought that it might be a great idea. What they didn’t realize that it could bring a disaster to their customer support if it’s not recorded perfectly. That is why there are professional recordings that eliminate the chances of misunderstanding between your clients and your business. They see to it that message is clear to avoid any confusion on your caller’s part.

• Irrelevant on-hold messages – putting a caller in a queue is somehow frustrating. And that is the reason why we provide music or messages while they are waiting for their turn. But repetitive messages and incorrect placement of advertisement would only add to the frustration of waiting callers. It would be best if you provide something relevant to their queries and avoid repetitive messages. If you choose to provide music while on hold, be sure that it’s not the same promotional music since it might irritate your callers who are put on-queue.

• Inability to provide a “Request a Call Back” alternative — this is one of the mistakes that you should avoid if you want to retain your existing clients and customers. Let’s accept the fact that there are times that you cannot address every concern of your callers promptly. So, it would be a good practice if you provide an option to call back.

• Inability to prioritize the menu options appropriately – you might already receive countless calls from customers before, and based on those calls, you probably should be able to learn what are the top reasons why they call your business. Analyze the trend and prioritize which is which.

• Inability to provide reassurance to clients and customers – one thing that is usually being overlooked is the inability to provide reassurance to callers. Your customers call you because they want something fix right there and then. If you are unable to assure that everything is under control, then it might leave them confused and look for another that could offer them the answers they need. The solution? Resolve their issues as soon as possible.

• Inability to update IVR design – IVR is customizable, which means that you can personalize and change the options from time to time. Many companies are not aware that they should change their IVR options from time to time. Avoid this mistake to avoid bouncing customers.

• Unorganized promotions – IVR is an excellent place to promote your marketing and advertising campaign. However, you should be careful in placing your ads. Most business, if you will notice, placed their promotional campaign at the very start of their IVR because they think that more people will get the message and would result in more customers. Unknown to them, this is a bad idea since it will only irritate callers especially those who need immediate solutions to their problems.

Final Words

It is crucial to use the IVR system to redirect your clients to the correct person or department. However, without proper analysis and customization, it would only confuse and might irritate your callers. The main component of an effective IVR is effective voice recognition, followed by a systematic and organized process.

If your organization is still using an in-house employee to attend to incoming calls, it may be the right time to incorporate an IVR system into your company. Aside from being cost-effective, it also enhances your business professional image.

Telnum is your one-stop-shop when it comes to the latest cloud-based phone technology. You can choose the right phone system that would perfectly match your business and your budget. If you are still unsure about it, all you have to do is reach out to us. Our Tech Specialists will help you decide on the right phone system.