8 mins read
Whether you own a small business or run an established firm, it is a no-brainer that you would want to showcase your professionalism through what you do. And a great way to do so is by deploying the IVR (Interactive Voice Response) technology for your business telephony solutions.
You must be wondering — how will an interactive voice response or calling menu boost your brand image and professionalism? We’ll tell you how.
As it turns out, IVR systems work great for small businesses aiming to appear large and well established, and even for bigger businesses looking to manage their incoming calls better. What helps, even more, is that these systems are versatile and completely customisable, so you can ensure that they work for your business.
This article will explore some of the ways that an IVR system can help build a positive brand image and how you can use it to the advantage of your company.
#1 Customise your IVR
Your IVR system can be a match made in heaven for your telephony needs owing to the fact that it is completely customisable, and you can tailor it to your business as and when it grows. An IVR service can provide customers with press-1 campaigns, can connect them to different teams, departments or agents and more. This system also gives you the option to play messages, such as important business information or special offers.
Providing customers with the information they need when they call will surely make them feel valued. Also, when customers get the answers to all their queries, they no longer need to be kept on hold or waiting in the queue. This is an example of excellent communication and customer service and this will reflect well on your business to new and existing customers.
Finally, customisation means that you can show off your brand in new and creative ways and ensure that important messages about your services are delivered in a way that appeals to your audience. Remember, your IVR system may be the first point of contact a customer has with your company and thus, it must be impactful.
#2 IVR makes your business appear larger
In the case of upcoming or small businesses, the workforce is often limited. With IVR, it doesn’t matter if you work alone or have a few employees. Installing IVR on your hosted phone system allows you to give the impression to potential clients that you are a much larger business.
These systems are associated with large, national businesses; so a customer calling you is sure to be impressed by a smaller business employing the same systems as their larger industry peers.
If a customer is able to visualise your business as being an established organisation, they will feel more confident about working with you. Some clients may be wary of working with a smaller business, but having an IVR can solve that problem for you as the size of your business does not remain an issue anymore. This allows you greater opportunities to sell your products and services as it allays the concerns of such clients.
#3 Use IVR as an extension of your marketing campaigns
It’s not only the options and business information on your IVR which are customisable. You can also add marketing messages to your system for customers to listen to while they are on hold. This puts them in a unique position wherein they absorb your marketing messages actively, rather than passively looking at your marketing materials or adverts.
This opportunity should be utilised to enhance your brand by delivering targeted marketing messages. Not only does this inform them of services that they wouldn’t have heard of prior but it will also encourage them to make additional purchases.
While these messages are fresh in their mind, your sales representatives can shed more light on these services during their calls with customers, thereby potentially increasing your profit and brand image at the same time.
Getting the balance right between marketing messages and other information is also key, so you should spend some time thinking about what services would be useful to your clients and should deliver messages as close to their needs as you possibly can, to prevent annoying your customers.
#4 Increase first call resolution
When a distressed customer tries to get in touch, the last thing you want is for them to be waiting unnecessarily or navigating through complex layers to be speaking to the right agent. An IVR system improves first call resolution, by intelligently routing calls based on the customer’s phone number.
Calls can be redirected to the last agent a customer spoke to, important customers can be put at the front of the queue, customers can be routed to consultants based on their language preferences––customisation options are aplenty.
First call resolution is important for both customers and businesses, as it saves time, allows for a pleasant experience and gives customers a much better impression of your business.
It also allows your agents to serve more customers as they spend lesser time resolving queries that don’t fall under their area of expertise.
Intelligent call routing ensures lowered abandon rates, reduced wait time for customers and call-back options for periods of high call volumes.
#5 Reduce costs with IVR
IVR can help reduce labour costs as businesses don’t need a receptionist or an agent to manually transfer calls anymore. The process becomes streamlined and automated.
Moreover, some queries are simple in nature and don’t always need to be looked into by an agent. This means that the business only needs to employ specialised agents and can save costs on hiring extra agents. Furthermore, when agents spend less time resolving customer inquiries on calls, the business spends a lot less than it would on call charges.
#6 Improve customer experience
A study conducted by Purdue University found that 63% of customers surveyed said they would stop doing business with a company if they have a bad IVR experience. This only goes to show that the customer’s experience is just as important as any other service that the business may provide when it comes to customer retention.
The implementation of an IVR system vastly streamlines the process for, both, customers and agents. Rarely do customers get routed to the wrong department or agent. And for those who have to wait, the system provides for a better on-hold experience, with virtual assistants managing all call back requests, announcing queue positions and wait times, and delivering information about other services.
If that isn’t enough, IVR surveys after each call allow the business to assess customer satisfaction and help them decide on training sessions for agents accordingly.
Clients, both old and new, will appreciate your business’ investment into their experience. And happy customers who have had a great experience with you are more likely to recommend your company to a friend or to other businesses, which in turn will create a positive brand image.
#7 Lower customer waiting times
Long waiting times are often the cause of frustrated customers. This can sour the relationship between client and company, even if it is still in the initial phase.
IVR systems are designed to minimise customer waiting times by routing them to the right agent without getting passed on from one person or department to another. Your clients are busy, so the last thing they want is to wait in long call queues, and an IVR system will take care of this for you, ensuring that callers reach the right department on their first call.
Some customers may not even need to be connected to an agent, freeing up even more agents to deal with other callers –– with the addition of FAQs and important service information on the IVR, a customer’s query can be answered without even speaking to a sales representative.
To find out more about IVR and how it can help create a positive image of your brand, call our experts on 1888-859-0450 today.
