How to Improve IVR Customer Service

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When executed well, IVR systems can help more of your customers self-resolve issues and enable your agents to better handle every call they receive. When done poorly, however, it can leave your customers more frustrated than when they called in the first place. Getting IVR right the first time can sometimes mean the difference between losing a customer for a life or a lifetime of loyalty. 

Whether you’re implementing IVR for the first time or looking to improve your existing IVR scripts and workflows, these tips will help you create an IVR experience that resolves issues fast and leads to higher customer satisfaction.

1. Tailor Your IVR Menu Options to Call Volume Patterns

One of the biggest mistakes contact centers make with phone automation systems is creating their IVR menu without using actual data. Your first instinct might be to align your various menu options with your company’s departments (customer service, sales, IT, billing, etc.). But this doesn’t take into account the actual call volume each of those departments receives, and so isn’t necessarily the most effective way to structure your IVR menu. 

Instead, it makes more sense to dive into the data to find out the most common issues customers call in about and set your IVR menu options based on those findings. You might learn, for example, that the largest proportion of callers are simply looking to pay their bill. This would mean it’d be smart to offer billpay as the first menu option. 

A thoughtfully constructed menu that’s based on actual customer call data will help you maximize the efficiency of your IVR system. 

2. Arm Agents With Customer Data Upfront

Your CRM is a wealth of information about your customers. Use it in conjunction with your IVR system to reduce service times and empower agents with the data they need to deliver excellent customer service.    

By using an IVR system that matches caller phone numbers with their customer record, contact center agents can instantly see need-to-know details like the customer’s name and purchase history upon connection without having to ask customers to repeat information already entered into the IVR. 

Save time and avoid frustration by only asking for information you don’t already have. 

Profile matching also enables quick access to a customer’s call, messaging, and ticket history, which provides important context and help agents speak more directly to the needs and knowledge level of each individual caller. 

3. Use Customer Data to Prioritize Queues 

Just as you should use call volume data to guide the structure of your IVR menu, it’s a great idea to use customer data as a factor in determining wait time. This is another area where CRM adds value because you can use profile information to place the most valuable customers at the front of the line.  

It’s just bad business to make one of your best customers wait in a call queue. Instead, assign priority to higher value leads based on data points like the length of the customer relationship, their lifetime value, or any other property you deem valuable. 

You can also keep customers happy by routing calls to the top of the queue based on urgency. For example, you might give higher priority to a customer calling about a service outage than one with a question about their bill. 

4. Don’t Let IVR Scripts & Messages Get Stale

The best IVR technologies are dynamic, evolving in real-time based on current events and business conditions. Serve the needs your customers have right now by updating your pre-recorded IVR messages according to what’s happening in your business. 

COVID-19 is the perfect illustration of this. We’ve seen many companies take advantage of IVR to update their customers about their pandemic response and inform them of the resulting changes to their services. 

But it doesn’t need to take something as large-scale as a global pandemic to alter your IVR messaging. Letting customers know about a new service offering, a new support channel, or even something as simple as a change to your business hours can be great reasons to update your phone system messaging to better serve your customers. 

5. Gather Customer Feedback on the IVR Experience

As you continually seek out ways to improve your customer experience, don’t neglect to gather feedback from a critical group of stakeholders: your customers themselves. 

Gauge the effectiveness of your contact center’s speech recognition and automated messaging system by asking customers about their experience using it. This can be easily accomplished by adding a short, optional customer feedback survey to the end of calls. 

Solidifying the basics of good IVR navigation, ease of use, low customer effort, persona routing, and supportive issue resolution is your first step to success. It’s only through a thorough evaluation of the needs of your customers, their tasks in your IVR queue, and an understanding of what’s needed at the time of agent handoff that you can design your IVR effectively. 

When you have all of the above, that’s when you know you have the processes and systems in place to offer a customer-centered support strategy.

How to Improve a Contact Center IVR System?

Are you ready to take your contact center’s customer service to the next level? It’s time to explore how to improve IVR systems and create a more seamless and delightful experience for your callers.

Empower with personalization: Elevate your IVR system by incorporating personal touches. Tailor greetings that resonate with your callers’ preferences and previous interactions. When customers feel recognized, they instantly connect.

1. Simplify navigation: Streamline the IVR menu. Create a logical flow that guides callers effortlessly to their desired destination. The goal is to make navigation intuitive and frustration-free.

2. Harness the power of speech recognition: Embrace cutting-edge technology by integrating speech recognition. This advancement enables callers to interact naturally, enhancing the overall user experience.

3. Regularly update prompts: When considering how to improve IVR systems, keeping IVR prompts fresh and relevant is vital. Regular updates prevent monotony and provide valuable information, making callers feel well-informed.

4. Remember, the key to optimizing customer experiences lies in constant evaluation and adaptation. Regularly review call data and customer feedback to identify pain points and areas for enhancement.

By adopting these strategies, you’re not just improving your IVR system—you’re transforming it into a powerful tool that fosters better customer connections. So, are you ready to unlock the full potential of your contact center? Implement these techniques for how to improve IVR systems and watch your customer service reach new heights.

How does an IVR system contribute to efficient and effective customer service?

In the dynamic landscape of customer service, an IVR system stands as a steadfast pillar of support, revolutionizing the way businesses connect with their clientele. Let’s delve into how IVR customer service orchestrates efficiency and excellence like no other.

1. Streamlined call routing: At the heart of IVR customer service lies its exceptional ability to swiftly route calls. By efficiently directing callers to the right department or agent, valuable time is saved for both customers and staff. This seamless call distribution ensures that inquiries land in capable hands, minimizing frustration and maximizing results.

2. Instant access to information: Picture this: customers seeking information at any hour of the day, instantly served by an IVR system brimming with knowledge. IVR customer service becomes the digital concierge, offering answers to FAQs, account details, and service updates. This 24/7 access eliminates wait times and fosters a sense of empowerment among callers.

3. Tailored self-service: IVR systems are the epitome of self-service excellence. Customers are empowered to take charge, executing tasks like bill payments, appointment scheduling, and order tracking independently. This freedom not only enhances customer satisfaction but also lightens the load on contact center agents.

4. Data-driven insights: IVR customer service isn’t just about addressing inquiries; it’s a treasure trove of insights. By analyzing caller behavior and preferences, businesses can fine-tune their strategies, personalize interactions, and anticipate customer needs. This data-driven approach fuels proactive service and builds lasting relationships.

Embrace the evolution of customer service with an IVR system that’s a beacon of efficiency and effectiveness. IVR customer service empowers businesses to enhance operations, serve customers seamlessly, and unlock a realm of insights that drive growth.

What considerations should be taken into account when developing an IVR strategy?

Developing an IVR strategy is like architecting a bridge that connects customers to unparalleled service. To ensure this bridge is solid and reliable, there are crucial IVR strategy considerations that must be carefully navigated.

1. Customer-centric design: At the heart of every effective IVR strategy lies a customer-centric approach. Tailor the IVR experience to address customer needs and preferences. Craft a menu that resonates with callers, making them feel valued and understood.

2. Simplicity and clarity: An IVR system should be intuitive, not intricate. Keep the menu options concise and clearly articulated. Avoid overloading callers with too many choices. The mantra here is simplicity—guide callers through their journey seamlessly.

3. Personalization matters: Infuse a touch of personalization into your IVR strategy. Greet callers by name, offer options based on their history, and anticipate their needs. This bespoke touch transforms an IVR interaction from mundane to memorable.

4. Seamless escalation: IVR strategies should be designed as pathways, not roadblocks. Integrate mechanisms for easy escalation to live agents when necessary. This transition should be smooth, minimizing frustration and reinforcing the human touch.

Crafting a stellar IVR strategy involves recognizing that each touchpoint is an opportunity to exceed customer expectations. It’s about weaving technology and empathy seamlessly.

By embracing these IVR strategy considerations, you’re not just creating a system—you’re crafting a customer experience masterpiece. A well-designed IVR strategy nurtures relationships, boosts efficiency, and supercharges growth.

How can contact centers optimize the utilization of their IVR systems?

In the ever-evolving landscape of customer engagement, optimizing IVR utilization stands as a pivotal strategy for contact centers striving to deliver unparalleled service. Let’s delve into the realm of maximizing IVR utilization to unlock new dimensions of efficiency and satisfaction.

1. Strategic call flow design: Crafting an IVR system that excels starts with meticulous call flow design. Tailor the menu options to align with your customer’s needs, ensuring that the journey through the IVR is intuitive and effortless. From basic queries to complex tasks, each step should seamlessly guide the caller.

2. Leverage personalization: Infusing a touch of personalization within the IVR experience transforms the mundane into the remarkable. Utilize caller data to greet customers by name and offer relevant options based on their history. This bespoke approach makes every interaction resonate.

3. Promote self-service capabilities: IVR utilization thrives on self-service empowerment. Encourage callers to utilize the IVR for routine tasks such as balance inquiries, appointment scheduling, or order tracking. This not only streamlines processes but also reduces agent workload, enhancing overall efficiency.

4. Data-driven insights: Harness the power of data analytics to fine-tune IVR utilization. Dive into call data to identify pain points, frequently asked questions, and caller behavior patterns. These insights empower continuous improvement, refining the IVR’s performance over time.

By mastering IVR utilization, contact centers embark on a journey of operational excellence and elevated customer experiences. This isn’t just about call management; it’s about orchestrating a symphony of efficiency and engagement.

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LiveVox (Nasdaq: LVOX) is a proven cloud CCaaS platform that helps business leaders redefine customer engagement and transform their contact center’s performance. Decision-makers use LiveVox to improve customer experience, boost agent productivity, empower their managers, and enhance their system orchestration capabilities. Everything needed to deliver game-changing results can be seamlessly integrated and configured to maximize your success: Omnichannel Communications, AI, a Contact Center CRM, and Workforce Engagement Management tools.

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To stay up to date with everything LiveVox, follow us @LiveVox, visit www.livevox.com or call one of our specialists at (844) 207-6663.

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