9 perks of utilizing IVR for business communication

Operating a business organization is certainly not an easy task in the current competitive environment. Business owners need to simultaneously manage a million tasks and ensure that their precious resources are utilized to optimum capacity.

One major aspect that can make or break a budding business is the way it handles its internal and external communication. Organizations need to build a structured communication structure, one that is flexible, cost-effective and convenient. This is perhaps the prime reason that most companies are shifting towards getting Interactive Voice Response solutions.

A powerful telephony system is not an asset, rather a basic requirement for businesses. Since 60% of customers prefer to call small businesses on the phone, it is vital to make sure that you buy IVR for business in Indian markets. Customer service is a major differentiator – if your organization goes all out to provide an excellent and seamless experience to clients, it will definitely gain a competitive edge.

Deployment of IVR for businesses in India can help all types of organizations, irrespective of the industrial sector or size. If you plan to buy IVR for business calls, you can be rest assured that it will handle all your incoming and outgoing calls in a streamlined manner. IVR for business organizations is a comprehensive solution – it automates all routine communication tasks, boosts productivity, and takes care of rising customer expectations.

What Is Meant By IVR?

There is no doubt that the term ‘Interactive Voice Response” is buzzing in the corporate ecosystem. We may have heard it multiple times, but are we really aware of what IVR stands for? Let’s delve deeper, and understand this revolutionary technology.

IVR for business organizations means getting an interactive voice response platform, which is basically an automated solution that enables interaction between callers and a computerized system. 

In the past, interactive voice systems were primitive in nature and allowed only manual telephone calls pick-up, and numeric keypad responses. However, with the advent of artificial intelligence, the current generation of IVR for business organizations is advanced and possesses speech recognition capabilities, machine learning, and caller analytics.

IVR systems have your agents’ landline or mobile phone numbers mapped on them. Hence, your customers can just dial a specific number on a drop-down menu provided to them to get connected for instant service. For example, your IVR solution may play a pre-recorded message such as ‘Press 1 for Sales Support, Press 2 for Technical Support and Press 3 for any other query’. 

The call will be automatically routed to the correct agent, without the need of any receptionist or call operator. This means that your staff members do not need to sit for long hours at their work stations, and at the same time your customers get guaranteed service round the clock, without the need to wait for endlessly long periods of time – a win-win situation indeed!

Deciding to get IVR for business communication can have a tremendous positive impact on your profitability. It reduces the load on your customer support team members, provides for personalized service experience, and builds brand reputation. The cost of IVR for business organizations is also not too hefty – it is a one–time investment that has a profound and far-reaching positive impact on revenues.

This is the main reason that companies have recognized its immense benefits across the globe – the IVR market is booming, and is expected to touch $5.5 billion by the year 2023. The best way to boost customer satisfaction is to buy IVR for business calls – it empowers clients to serve themselves through automated technology, and is more efficacious than a traditional wired telephone system.

Benefits of An IVR For Business Organization

Now that you are clear about what an interactive voice response system is all about, the next thing you need to do is understand how it can help your business. 

You might be wondering whether it will be worth the pain or trouble to research about this technology, explore the options, and invest in a credible service provider to buy IVR for business communication. Well, it is the best decision that you can make for your company as IVR platforms come power-packed with a diverse range of innovative features and calling capabilities.

Technological advancements have made IVR service more than a mere tool to answer customer calls – they are now a must-have automated platform that can perform a range of functions. Right from a professionally recorded greeting, to call routing to even recognizing the voice of repeat callers, there is no task that cannot be handled by modern IVR systems. Here are some great advantages of investing in an IVR for business communication requirements of your organization:

1. Reduced Costs:

While taking the decision to buy IVR for business communication is transformational, it is sure to have a high return on investment in the long run. The cost of IVR for business is a one-time expenditure, however, it leads to reduced expenses. 

Companies do not need to maintain a huge base of staff members to attend to customer calls at all times. A lot of money is also saved as there is no requirement to train customer service representatives – most queries are handled through the automated IVR system’s knowledge base.

The best part about interactive voice response solutions is that employees enter the picture only when it is absolutely necessary. Routine queries and frequently asked questions can be easily managed by IVR platforms – this leads to a dramatic reduction in the number of call agents and helps companies save on rising communication expenses.

2. Higher Employee Productivity:

Organizations are always on the lookout for innovative methods to enhance operational efficiency. Employees often waste time on mundane and routine activities that eat away into a precious time such as routing customer calls to the right departments or responding to repetitive queries. 

IVR systems automate most of the routine tasks and this leads to a more productive workforce. Call agents have more free time at hand to remain available for urgent inquiries or customer problems. 

IVR systems can determine whether a caller requires a trained agent to solve their query, and routes them to the most appropriate department. Support staff members can utilize their problem-solving skills to resolve complex issues and keep customers happy with superior quality service.

3. Excellent Customer Service:

Customer service is the golden key to ultimate business success. The modern customer is digital-savvy and expects service at a fast speed. Interactive voice response platforms ensure that the quality of query resolution is quick, and seamless for clients.

IVR for business is an asset that connects clients to the right department at first attempt – there is no need for them to wait in endlessly long telephone queues or waste half the day to receive service. This makes for an enjoyable call experience, and customers do not find the need to switch to rival organizations, as they receive great support and service through automated IVR solutions.

4. No More Missed Calls:

Missing customer calls is catastrophic for any small business as it translates to lost opportunities. When calls are not picked up, customers often perceive that an organization does not value their business or patronage, and move on to rival firms.

Call agents cannot remain on duties forever, and companies often find it expensive to maintain a large workforce so that they can have team members handle calls on a shift basis. Hence, getting IVR for business communication is the best answer, as it makes sure that your customers can call at any time of the day or night – their call will be answered, and queries will be resolved effectively.

Investing in an interactive voice response system also means that you don’t need to worry about high call traffic hours anymore. It eliminates the need to hire extra employees to handle extra calls on holidays or during peak hours, as an automated IVR solution will route the calls to available agents.

5. Builds A Better Brand Image:

Organizations need to work hard to build a positive brand image that resonates with their target audiences. Interactive voice response systems enable you to play a personalized greeting message for customers and also play on-hold music for them while they are connected to an available agent.

IVR for business does not only help in enhancing customer satisfaction, rather it boosts the brand image by increased professionalism. They project a personalized, yet highly professional image that creates a favorable impression in the minds of clients and keeps them coming back for repeat purchases or business.

6. Better Identity Checks:

Data security is a real concern in the current business landscape, and organizations need to take stringent measures to protect their sensitive customer information from reaching the wrong hands. This is the prime reason that customers often have to answer a couple of quick identity check questions, and once their identity is verified, call agents proceed for query resolution.

If you decide to get IVR for business calls, identity verification is one area that will be easily handled as callers can simply enter their account number and other verification details on numeric keypads. Advanced technologies such as speech recognition can also help IVR systems maintain high standards of security, and prevent fraudulent activities.

7. Obtains Customer Feedback:

While most organizations use IVR systems to prioritize and manage incoming calls, the actual truth is that they are versatile and can be used for many other important tasks too. Obtaining customer feedback is a critical function that can be performed by modern IVR systems easily. They can collect customer feedback by asking basic questions to clients while they are waiting for service in the queue, and have them punch in the responses. 

Managers can also use IVR solutions for outbound calling to past, current, and potential customers to collect feedback or evaluate their experience. In fact, many customers may end up giving far more honest responses to automated platforms as they do not need to worry about hurting someone’s feelings on the opposite end of the phone line.

8. Decline in Call Abandonment Rate:

Call abandonment is a big issue for most customer-centric organizations, as it leads to lost revenues and builds a poor brand impression. Very often, when companies cannot provide fast service, customers get frustrated and abandon the call – they seldom call back, and view the company as unprofessional.

With an automated IVR system, organizations are able to resolve queries at a faster pace and keep up the interaction with people waiting in queues. This reduces the call abandonment rate and helps to keep customers satisfied with superior service levels. Customers do not feel neglected and there is a definite reduction in call abandonment rate.

9. Minimizes Chances of Human Error:

When call agents are inundated with a high volume of calls, they often make errors and give wrong information to customers. Using an automated IVR solution reduces the workload on staff members, and this minimizes the chances of human error.

IVR systems serve as virtual assistants and can answer routine queries in an accurate and structured manner. Automation leads to better service for customers and ensures that they are provided with correct information at the earliest.

IVR for business communication is slowly but steadily gaining acceptance in the corporate sector. Organizations are realizing the tremendous benefits that they can gain through advanced IVR platforms – flexibility, better customer support, professionalism, and tighter security.

There are tons of options in the market when it comes to Interactive Voice Response systems. It is important for organizations to assess their business requirements so that they can make an informed choice. A credible service vendor will not only set up the entire IVR solution but also customize its features to suit your business model and client requirements. And, that is MyOperator!

It is time to stop relying on your staff members and leverage the power of automated IVR for business in India. If you do not want to be left behind your rivals and gain a competitive advantage, make sure to invest in IVR for business calls, and increase all vital bottom-line results instantly!