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The Complete Guide to IVR Interactive Voice Response & Automated Customer Service

What is an IVR?

An IVR is a system that allows customers to interact with a company by phone. It can be in the form of voice or touchtone and can be used for customer service, order taking, product information, and more.
IVRs are good for all types of businesses. They allow companies to provide efficient customer service without the need for an additional staff member and they are easy to use. IVRs also come with a lot of benefits such as:
  •  Providing 24/7 support
  •  Improving customer experience
  •  Helping create new revenue streams
  •  Reducing operational costs

The use of IVR's has been on the rise in recent years, with many people preferring them over other forms of communication like email or phone calls. Voice response systems were first introduced to help consumers with general information. They are used in everyday life and can often be found on the bottom of websites or advertisements contain a contact number for customer support.The modern voice response system is generally a computerised voice that assists users through complicated tasks, like setting up new accounts, booking rentals or reservations.

 

IVR's are an important tool for small business owners to reduce costs.

IVR's provide a way for small businesses to cut costs on customer service. This is because they allow companies to use their personnel for more productive tasks and not just answering calls.

Instead of having a person working to answer calls, the IVR can redirect callers to the relevant areas. of the company, like sales. There are a variety of IVR's from various companies that work to provide this service for clients.

Many companies use voice recognition software which automatically recognises what is being said and then directs the callers to where they need to go. Other companies use their own custom IVR menu that may require a caller to enter a number directing them to the relevant area.

What makes virtual call centres different from traditional call centres?

Unlike traditional call centres, VRI's are often operated by companies rather than agencies. Callers that use virtual call centre services may not need to go through the process of dealing with an agent and going through multiple touch points or steps in order to get help. Staff at a VRI are already familiar with the relevant topic which the caller is calling about and may have information on hand from a CRM or system information.

IVRs allow for businesses to answer calls even outside of business hours and offer information about the business. The On-Hold Messaging feature uses the same IVR to allow for businesses to automatically start a prerecorded or live message on hold.

Different IVR providers will have different features, but most offer these basic features:

  • Call forwarding to another number
  • Call waiting
  • Caller ID
  • Voicemail
  • Text to Speech recording
  • Voice Recording

Businesses can choose between VoIP phones with or without these features.

In addition to this, a virtual phone number can be set up to allow callers to reach the business's voicemail, an operator, or a sales representative. In addition, they can be programmed to ring a different number when called from another phone number.

 
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