A business that uses a “one-size-fits-all” system might find that it does not serve their customers effectively. Some businesses may consider a personalized IVR, which allows you to speak to your customers on an individual basis. This can be as simple as having your IVR speak in first person. Using “I” gives the caller the feeling of a personal conversation instead of a generic answering service. Based upon their telephone number or account number, you may also take it a step further by having your application refer to the caller by their first name.
Personalization can mean having a recorded voice that suits your audience. For example, your system might have a soft, warm voice for a hospital’s directory assistance application, or a booming, loud voice for a Monster Truck ticket sales solution. Take a look at a recent article published in the Wall Street Journal about companies who altered the voices on their customer-service systems based upon their corporate brand. The article states that one company experienced improved customer satisfaction after the change, with an increase between 5% and 10% more customers using the technology before being transferred to a live agent.
If you’d like your application to provide a completely unique personal experience, consider having your system connect to a database that holds information such as account details, purchase history, geography, or trends. One example of such an application might be a pizza ordering system. When the caller phones the ordering system for a pizza, the application pulls information from the database related to their past order history. Based upon this data, the solution would ask the caller if they would like a “l(fā)arge pizza with pepperoni” as ordered the last time they called in. This might save the caller time from going through the menu options again, making them feel like a valued customer.
It is no surprise personalizing your custom IVR can result in improved customer service and lower call abandonment rates, saving your business money. Remember to think of your callers when developing your application strategy, and include the right components that will provide your caller with a personal and satisfying customer experience.
One Response to “IVR Development Tips – #3 Personalize your System”
KO says:
If you think about it, IVRs are often the first touch point for the customer so as much attention should be put into them from branding point of views as to the corporate website. Many companies carefully plan their website, analyze visitor patterns, conduct research and frequently revamp their website in the name of improving the customer experience. IVRs don’t seem to get the same level of attention while it is clear that IVRs are part of the customer experience and that improvements in this area contribute to higher customer satisfaction, customer retention and bottom line savings.

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