Most companies use old school interactive voice response as part of customer support. This is where customers talk to a machine or computer through the use of an audio medium. Interactive voice response is used by many companies in an attempt to reduce call traffic in their respective call centers. The IVR offers customers’ answers to their questions and queries. The only advantage of this system is that many customers are served at the same time. It thus saves time. However; there are some clients who don’t like talking to machines. In fact, it irritates them. Let’s start by looking at some advantages Follow this guide which will be helpful through this process: Interactive voice response machines are always operational. There is nothing like lunch breaks or vacation. As a result, customers are guaranteed assistance any time of the day. Which is very useful and which eases the process of interaction from the other side of the machine. It eliminates human errors such as transferring calls to the wrong call agent or department. IVR is programmed to follow commands as pressed on the keypad. It saves both time and money. Interactive voice response is cheaper compared to hiring call agents. This process can handle multiple customers at a time and thus it is considered fast response with solutions. As a result, it saves customers a lot of time waiting to be served. It makes customers feel appreciated as their needs are being addressed. This is better than customers waiting for long hours to be served. IVR makes a small company appear bigger. There is a notion that only big companies are capable of installing interactive voice response systems. Most companies use these systems to make their companies appear more professional. However; there are a few disadvantages which make both people and companies dislike the interactive voice response systems. Many young people feel frustrated listening to multiple phone menus. IVRs is very complicated to design. It is very easy to design a bad IVR system whereas it is very difficult to design a perfect IVR system which satisfies all the customer needs. Here are some common complaints associated with the use of IVRs: Some interactive voice response systems have very long menus. Most experts recommend a menu must not exceed four choices. Shorter choices make it easy for users to remember the options. Furthermore; it saves a lot of time. There are some interactive voice response systems which have too much irrelevant information a person can remember. This is one reason why companies should prefer using Visual IVRs through which consumers could see the menu and resolve their query directly. People use IVRs to get answers to their queries or questions which could easily be resolved with help of Visual IVRs. There are some people who find it difficult to understand the different IVR’s voice interface. This is one reason why companies should replace the voice interactive voice response systems with Visual IVRs Each customer wants their queries sorted out with ease. Failure to which they look for other companies which offer a better customer experience. Some IVRs direct customers to the wrong departments. This leads to call transfers which waste a lot of time. This is one factor which facilitates to increase in call traffics in call centers. Interactive voice systems are used for some invalid needs too. There are some cases where customers call for the queries which can be resolved through self-service options like Visual IVRs. It is very important for sales departments to be careful on how they handle their clients. This is because they have the power to determine if a company will retain or lose customers. A company should carefully reconsider before using interactive voice response systems to answer their client’s calls.
It really takes a lot of effort and determination for a client to pick up the phone and call a company. Sometimes we get offended that we wanted to talk to some human on the other end and we are finding some machine answering us! some customers take this very seriously and in a very sensitive manner. Excessive Use of IVRs by an organization is perceived as ignorance to address customers’ queries instead self-service options could be utilized If a sales department is going to use interactive voice response as a virtual brochure, it should provide an alternative means of communication such as self-service option There are some companies which use Interactive voice response systems to market their products and services. It feels bad to receive a call during odd hours of the day. It is even worse to find out it a computer. Before putting a full stop to the whole discussion, companies should take note that their clients are assets. They play a very important role in the success of a business. This is in terms of growth and profits. As a result; they should be handled with care and respect. They should feel appreciated or companies pose a risk of losing them to their competitors. Customers love companies which put their customers first. Companies should, therefore, come up with a list of how they will serve their customers. This can be through establishing Visual IVRS. Companies should not be afraid of investing on their customer care departments. In fact, it should be prioritized in any institution as it helps build a brand's reputation. Source:- https://www.ainoapp.io/blog/what-are-some-disadvantages-of-ivrs/
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Customers have different views on the use of IVRs or rather interactive voice response systems. This is one of the common platforms used in the contact center world. There are some people who love this system, whereas there are those who have an aversion of this system. There has been a heated debate over the years on the use of IVRs by different companies; both small and big. Interactive voice response system was invented in the 70s.Ever since; it has grown in terms of popularity and advancements. IVR has grown from the touch tone keypad to voice recognition.IVRS are quite affordable compared to other types of customer care service platforms used in call centers. Furthermore; it saves a lot of time as it can serve many clients at the same time. It generally reduces a call center's expenses. Furthermore, advantages of IVR’s are·
IVRs are not capable of solving all queries of Clients. This is because there are some client’s queries that cannot be handled by the IVR systems and a human agent is required for interaction which in turn increases the cost of a business. It does not equal a better customer service -An IVR can end up repeating itself without providing any assistance. There are some queries which a voice computer cannot solve. This leaves a customer frustrated to the point of looking for an alternative company with better customer care services. This is one reason why some businesses never expand or grow even after many years of operation. Having an IVR system doesn’t mean you are providing a quality experience to your customers. Agents are an integrated part of an IVR system. Companies using IVR systems should ensure they involve human agents to in providing customer support to their agents. This ranges from how companies are organizing their agents shift and, how they are managing their agents during the peak seasons. Poor logistics mean an overload to agents which generally affects customer service. There are some companies or institutions which fully depend on IVRS systems to handle their clients. It is however important for a customer care department to have some human touch. A point reaches where a person needs further assistance. How can such clients be assisted if there are no human agents to assist them? This may actually mar the reputation of a brand. Experts have stated that it is difficult to come up with perfect IVR systems. In fact, they give customers access to a wide range of activities. However; too many options are confusing and can spoil a customer’s experience. Experts recommend a maximum of four options per IVR system. A company might have more than four services to offer. In such cases, use of interactive voice response systems is pernicious which may hurt businesses.
We can clearly see some ways in which the interactive response voice system is beneficial to companies. However; there are some major cons associated with this system.Customer experience should always be taken seriously as it determines the performance of a business. Before choosing IVR systems, Companies should carefully weigh different options to ensure IVR systems perfectly suit the kind of services they are offering their clients. Source:-Aino app Blog Customer care services are very important as they help customers get answers to various queries regarding the various services they are using. There are many technologies used in call centers in efforts to serve customers efficiently. The most common known type system is called interactive voice response systems or rather an IVR system. This system is capable of substituting call center agents. There are some companies which use this system to solely serve their customers. However, this system has a lot of setbacks and limitations which make companies think twice before opting for this method. Interactive voice response systems cannot serve all clients as there are some queries or questions which these interactive voice machines cannot handle. As a result, Visual IVRS systems were introduced to override the limitations and setbacks caused by using the traditional interactive voice response systems. Visual IVRs can be described as the described as a new edge-cutting technology that has taken customer support to another level. When a person interacts with the Visual interactive voice response system, the Smartphone technology allows them to gain access to the mobile web application while still on call. This enables customers to gain access to options they hear from the Interactive voice system. Companies which opt for this technology, have an improved customer care experience. Visual IVRS is unique as customers need to have smartphones in order to enjoy this service. A perfect example of a Visual IVR system is the Aino application. Aino application is India’s first customer service platform that uses Visual IVR system. This application has enabled many companies to improve their customer care experience at very affordable rates. This means that customers can easily navigate through the system. That’s not all; the Aino application has connected many users with over 200+ brands within India. Customers using this application no longer have to wait for on IVRs in order to be served. Aino application provides its users with two options. Namely; call back services and self-services. These two services have helped many brands reduce the cost of their customer service. It also provides lead generation. Here are some advantages associated with the use of the Visual IVRs: Reduced Human Interaction As seen above, Visual IVRs system aims at providing self-care services to various customers across different platforms. It is evident that this technology aims at reducing human interaction between customers and human call agents. Customers ca, therefore, access different information faster and effectively. Cost Saving The Visual IVR system is capable of reducing the cost of managing and running a company. This is because it emphasizes on self-care. In addition, Visual IVR systems are affordable compared to other platforms. Reduced call center dependency Visual IVRS systems can significantly reduce call traffic in a Call Center. This is because customers have alternative means of getting information apart from the traditional way of only contacting customer care representatives. Customers can either use the self-service option to get certain information or request the service provider to contact you. Zero Setup Fee One advantage associated with the use of Visual IVR systems is that it requires a zero set up fee. This feature makes it convenient for use by both small and big companies. Faster customer interaction Customers are able to get answers faster as there is nothing like waiting on hold for minutes or even hours. Customers have an option of choosing either the self-care services or request a call back service. Customers no longer have to wait for a long period before being served. Enhanced user experience Visual IVR has enhanced users’ experience. This is because customers have multiple options to choose from when seeking help. Companies using Visual IVRs have improved a lot when it comes to customer experience. Customers always love systems which are can be easily navigated through the application with a lot of ease. Eliminates human error Visual IVRs are programmed to function in a certain manner depending on how they have been programmed. This eliminates human errors which might occur when using other systems. A perfect example is directing calls to a wrong department. In Line with customers behaviors
Visual IVRs systems are very flexible when it comes to serving various customers. As a result, a customer can choose the most suitable option of accessing information. It can be either through the self-care platform or speaking to a call center agent. Reasons why people hate the traditional interactive voice response systems Here are some of the reasons why people hate IVRs systems:
Diminish cost Visual IVRS intend to reduce the cost incurred in operating a call center. It intends to serve a high number of customers compared to a human agent. Self-service experience Through the use of IVR systems, customers can access the self-care menu without the need of contacting customer care agents. Why should Companies use Visual IVR systems? This question has been asked over and over again. Here are some reasons why Companies should consider installing this system in their various call centers:
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Karan DixitDigital Marketing Manager At Aino Ap. Archives
June 2017
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