IVR systems slash contact centre costs and even win favour with callers when they get answers easier and faster. So why do IVR disaster stories outnumber successes?
Contact centre managers are under pressure to lower costs and raise performance. IVR – interactive voice response – delivers the goods, connecting callers to destinations and information, while contact centre agents do other work.
However, customers have been complaining about IVR since its introduction in the 1970s. The fault isn’t IVR technology itself, but system design that keeps customers away from live agents at any cost. But when IVR works better as a barrier than as a gateway, callers are required to work much harder than they expect, often describing the encounter as ‘terrible service’. No other kind of news spreads faster in customer land or does more damage to brand reputation.
There’s a growing body of evidence that shows companies are trying to stuff too many options into their IVR systems, confounding callers with so many pathways that they’re often left wandering deep in a forest looking for an escape route. So much for efficiency.
{loadposition peter}IVR must cater to customers – not just company strategy. So how can contact centre managers design a better IVR customer experience and satisfy tighter budgets?
Pyrios has the answers.
Discover how to design a better IVR experience in eight easy steps with our free IVR Best Practice Guide; Learn from the masters; Balance company strategy with customer needs.
About Pyrios
Pyrios is a communications technology specialist. We deliver a range of smart communications technology, consulting, integration and managed services to help our clients deliver brilliant customer engagement, every time. We provide services across Australia and New Zealand with offices in Auckland, Wellington, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Perth. Learn more at www.pyrios.com.