Customer queries can be simple and complex but need to be resolved on time. As they say, the first impression is always the last impression and no matter how hard we try if we fail to succeed to prove ourselves in the first place, it’s gonna be a hard road ahead. Same applies to businesses who are rigorously trying hard each day to create their position amongst the extensive market.

The modern-day customer needs attention to himself immediately, wants his issues to be resolved within minutes, needs special privileges to continue his transactions and so on. A business might have many customers and taking care of them individually is very significant as well as pressurizing too.

Either you can make it or lose it. 

Well, technology always comes to the rescue.

One such technology is Interactive Voice Response(IVR) which plays a preliminary role in handling customer transactions and engagement effectively.

What IVR does is:

  1. Take up communication with the customer, 
  2. Identify their incoming queries,
  3. Segment each of the queries,
  4. Routes them through various options which can solve their query without human interference,
  5. Lastly, if the customer is unable to still find a legit answer to his problem, his call gets diverted to the human agent which further willfully and proactively solves the issue and produce a desirable outcome for the customer.

Let’s look at some scenarios where a business can deploy IVR to enhance customer interactions:

Phone surveys:

For the service industry, collecting surveys and finding deviations stand for upmost importance to calculate their performance in the real world. With these surveys, businesses receive instant feedback from customers & get to know how they are performing and what is the satisfaction ratio. Phone surveys can be collected in 2 different ways using IVR:

  1. Transferring callers to phone survey immediately after their interaction with the agent. This helps to collect fresh relevant feedback as the interaction between the customer and the business agent stands fresh.
  2. Alternatively, when immediate call transfer seems difficult then the call can be scheduled at a particular period and survey can be conducted.

Phone surveys help businesses to decode customer preferences, habits, purchasing style, purchase decisions, strategy etc and thus help formulate relevant business strategies accordingly.

Promotions:

Promotion of newer products and services wouldn’t be a lot easier without IVR. With the use of IVR, businesses can easily tap customers and introduce them to their new lines. Like e.g. When a customer calls, IVR plays a welcome message. This welcome messages can be altered and used to effectively promote new lines of products to customers. 

Businesses are now remodelling distinctive approaches on how to effectively use IVR. Injecting your core advantages, introducing special offers or probably delivering a customised curated message while the incoming calls occur is a smart and proactive way of using IVR to its fullest.

Reminders:

Reminders are a great way to hold customer engagement and let customers know that we care for them.

With the use of IVR, Businesses can send automated reminders, be it for any purpose like payment due dates, appointments scheduled etc. The convenience factor that comes along with IVR has proven to be very advantageous for both businesses and customers and proves effective at the same time.

Taking care of churned customers or business partners:

Customers or business partners might not be active at all times and often cease their interactions with the business. When they do so, they often miss out great season deals or offers which can alternatively prove greatly advantageous to attract them back again as well. With the help of IVR, customers and business partners who are kind of considered as lost customers can be gained back with efficient interaction and communication.

Personalised communication can be automatically sent to them with messages like We miss you or a special offer for you since you haven’t shopped with us from a long time. This will catch the eyes and gain you the lost partners.

Every business is making an effort by using IVR innovatively to enhance their marketing efforts, strengthen customer commitment, gain efficiency, and downsize the expenses. 

If you are also looking to deploy IVR and gain its maximum advantages, you can check out MyTelly’s IVR system that can help you to adapt to your ever-changing business needs and vibrant customers.