Call centers and retail businesses have used various speech IVR "solutions" with success for quite some time now. But when you really look at the data, results aren't as good as they appear. All too frequently, business owners find themselves devoting countless hours toward understanding the complicated software, investing multiple thousands of dollars, Got2b glued and worrying about whether their product is truly delivering the results that were promised. You're reading this article because you don't want to find yourself in the same spot. And, you certainly don't have to. Here are five ways you can start saving time, money, and worry about choosing the right IVR software.
1. Get a time commitment!
Time is one of the biggest factors you'll want to consider before choosing an IVR. It is not uncommon for speech recognition systems to take weeks or even months before setup is complete. Regardless of your current workload, this is unacceptable. Just like in the real world, time is money. Charges and fees are typically commensurate with the amount of programming involved.
2. Look beyond upfront costs for savings.
True, a good IVR that's properly functioning can easily save you untold expenses that you would have otherwise spent on employees. However, it's in your best interest to go beyond that selling point if you're really interested in saving cash.
Two things that could save you money right off the bat are (1) researching hosted IVR options, and (2) finding out if your current telephone system is eligible for upgrades, rather than starting from scratch with a whole new unit.
3. Make sure your software includes comprehensive data reporting.
Sure, you can try to estimate how many additional calls are being completed. You can try to gauge increased sales.
You can even hypothesize about areas in your business departments that are being neglected. At the end of the day though, all you're doing is guessing.
Some, but not all software applications provide detailed and easy to comprehend figures on these areas. Take the guess work out of your call automation and use these stats to your advantage. Once you have factual data about how the software is performing you'll be able to make necessary changes that yield even more results for your business.
4. Say goodbye to outdated software.
The problem with software commonly used by call centers and retail businesses is that they rely 100% on the caller's saying the "right" thing. But, you can't just treat every caller like they're the same. They're not.
The speech IVR industry has reached the point where this outdated programming is no longer necessary. Today's technology now revolves around what's called "open speech" programming and is capable of interpreting the content of the caller's request.
5. Stop worrying about programming
If you're like most people, you're buying IVR software to relieve a bottle neck in your customer service calls, to see more productivity in your workplace, and to improve customer satisfaction. Remember, the software is supposed to make your life easier - not harder. Some of the telephone system products out there require monthly service agreements for technical support and reprogramming, or worse yet, expect you to make this changes on your own.
Unless you're a highly skilled programmer, this is only going to end up costing you time, money and will certainly stress you out. There are enough third-party software providers that allow you to outsource or run hosting options that you should never have to deal with these technical issues.
Jay E. Coop has over a decade of experience in advanced telephone systems, with a particular interest in IVR software. Listen to audio samples and learn more about [our-difference/artificial-intelligence]IVR software at his site.
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