| The Seven Deadly Sins of IVR | | | | IVR application. A good example is a frequent |
| The sales pitch for interactive voice response | | | | flyer application that speaks in a calm voice, |
| (IVR) is very compelling - being able to offer | | | | “Your account balance is” followed |
| 24-hour service to customers without human | | | | by a gruff speaking voice barking “eight |
| intervention. However, a large number of IVR | | | | thousand two hundred and ten.” A |
| applications fail to work well. Jonty Pearce looks at | | | | common mistake has been to use the telephone |
| seven of the greatest sins! | | | | handset to record announcements rather than a |
| 1. No option to speak to a person | | | | professional recording studio. This can result in |
| The biggest trap is that IVR entices the unwary | | | | inconsistent volume levels as well as poorer |
| into the lure of being able to provide service to | | | | speech quality. Recording studios are able to |
| the customer with no human intervention. IVR | | | | smooth out volume levels and provide the correct |
| vendors are often guilty of selling this offering. | | | | frequency profile to match the telephone rather |
| While IVR can be of great help, providing a | | | | than stereo quality. |
| self-service facility to regular customers, it is not | | | | 5. Voice Recognition Accuracy |
| the complete panacea. IVR works best in two | | | | Voice recognition is a very powerful technology, |
| areas - playing options to route calls to the best | | | | but it is not a panacea. It claims 95% accuracy, |
| agent group and self-service to a closed group of | | | | but this is frequently on a single command. Mobile |
| frequent callers. Automating beyond this level can | | | | phone users can find difficulty using the service. |
| often be counter productive with poor customer | | | | For some users, it simply fails to work at all. It |
| service and less than expected take up. Even | | | | should be used with care and works best to a |
| worse, is to use an IVR to answer a sales line. I | | | | closed user group. After two voice recognition |
| never fail to be amazed at how many companies | | | | attempts the caller should be connected to a live |
| greet a sales opportunity with a pre-recorded | | | | agent. |
| voice! | | | | 6. Taking too Long for frequent users |
| 2. Poor or No hand off to an agent | | | | A new user to the system needs clear |
| A frequent trap is not allowing people to connect | | | | instructions on how to use the system. It is also |
| to an agent. Cost is often the reason given for | | | | important that frequent users can enter |
| this. For example, a well-known mobile phone | | | | information as quickly as possible. Most IVR |
| company publishes a number to call if you have | | | | systems allow type ahead, sometimes called cut |
| questions with your bill. But, it does not allow the | | | | through, that allow users to enter data while the |
| option to transfer the call to an agent to discuss | | | | voice command is being spoken. So a frequent |
| the problem. When transferring to an agent the | | | | user would not have to wait until the end of |
| customer details should be transferred with the | | | | “Please enter your account number |
| call. It is bad customer service to ask for the | | | | followed by hash, or wait on the line to be |
| same details again. | | | | connected to an operator. BEEP”, but could |
| 3. Poor menu prompt structure | | | | enter the account number in the middle of the |
| This is widespread. The golden rule states that | | | | sentence. |
| you should never have more than five options on | | | | 7. Insufficient testing |
| a voice menu. There should also be no more than | | | | So, all that trouble has gone into developing the |
| two levels of menu. This should be treated as an | | | | IVR application. Was it first introduced to a small |
| absolute maximum. Personal experience has | | | | group of internal customers to iron out any |
| shown that the most successful menus have just | | | | problems? All to often the answer is no. This |
| three options. | | | | would have sorted out all the previous sins before |
| 4. Recording Messages | | | | they caused any lasting damage! |
| A poor voice recording has ruined many a good | | | | |