Your Personal Automated Assisant, the IVR
If you’re confused about what an IVR is, you are probably more familiar with it than you realize. An interactive voice response, commonly abbreviated as IVR, allows your customers to communicate with your business using a telephone’s keypad. An automated attendant collects input, processes it, and can effectively route phone calls. You may have experinced an IVR when dialing a business and typing the first three letters of last name of the person you would like to speak with. You’ve also interfaced with an IVR if you’ve ever voted on popular TV shows like American Idol or Big Brother.
Common IVR Funtions
- Banking: checking your balance, making payments
- Retail: Making orders, credit card payments
- Utilities: meter readings; making payment, checking usage
- Travel: booking tickets, checking-in, flight information
- Mobile: making purchases, registrations
- Weather: checking forecasts
Whatever the case may be, IVR allows you to streamline your business communications and provide a better user experience to your customer by directing him or her to the correct person or department.
Here are four things to consider to make sure your IVR is always functional and working to deliver the best possible experience to your customers:
- Keep it Simple
- Your organization’s structure may be complicated, but that doesn’t mean your IVR needs to be. It’s beneficial to create a flow that will always lead to a voice on the other end. Having an “other” or “operator” option also helps those who may not know which prompt they should be choosing.
- Keep it Consistent
- Don’t make drastic, frequent changes to your IVR system. Updating your hours of operation or holiday message is one thing, switching extensions and department options can be confusing to your customers and employees.
- Keep it Up-to-Date
- Make sure to amend your IVR whenever your company experiences personnel or department changes, hours of operations changes, etc. that could affect your system and your customer service.
- Keep it Clear
- Use a clear, concise voice for your IVR. Make it personable but also keep the tone, pace and annunciation consistent and understandable.
How Can You Calculate the ROI of IVR?
Martin Healthcare Group opted for a Digium Switchbox VoIP solution with unified 
communications features, including IVR that made it possible to have both efficiency gains and a pleasant customer experience.
Download the Martin Healthcare case study to learn:
- How did Martin Healthcare Group unite high-tech business communications technology with an old-fashioned “personal touch”.
- What are the features of Asterisk.
- What are the advantages of a Interactive Voice Response (IVR).
- What are the efficiency gains that Martin Healthcare Group experienced.