Interactive Voice Response (IVR) products represent interactive technology that allows a computer to detect voice and keypad inputs over the telephone. (Contrast with an auto attendant.) IVR technology is used extensively in telecommunications, but is also being introduced into automobile systems for hands-free operation. Current deployment in automobiles revolves around satellite navigation, audio and mobile phone systems. In telecommunications, IVR allows customers to access a company’s database via a telephone touchtone keypad or by speech recognition, after which they can service their own inquiries by following the instructions. IVR systems can respond with pre-recorded or dynamically generated audio to further direct users on how to proceed. IVR systems can be used to control almost any function where the interface can be broken down into a series of simple menu choices. In telecommunications applications, such as customer support lines, IVR systems generally scale well to handle large call volumes.
It has become common in industries that have recently entered the telecom industry to refer to an Automated Attendant as an IVR. The terms Automated Attendant and IVR are distinct and mean different things to traditional telecom professionals, whereas emerging telephony and VoIP professionals sometimes use the term IVR as a catch-all to signify any kind of telephony menu, even a basic automated attendant.
IVR systems are typically used to service high call volumes, reduce cost and improve the customer experience. Examples of typical IVR applications are: telephone banking, televoting, and credit card transactions. Large companies use IVR services to extend the business hours of operation.
Call centers use IVR systems to identify and segment callers. The ability to identify customers allows the ability to tailor services according to the customer profile. It also allows the option of choosing automated services. Information can be fed to the caller allowing choices such as: wait in the queue, choose an automated service, or request a callback (at a suitable time and telephone number). The use of computer telephony integration (CTI) allows the IVR system to look up the caller line identification (CLI) number on a network database and identify the caller. This is currently accurate for about 80% of inbound calls. In the cases where CLI is withheld or unavailable, the caller can be asked to identify themselves by other methods such as a PIN or password. The use of DNIS will ensure that the correct application and language is executed by the IVR system.
CTI allows a contact center or organization to gather information about the caller as a means of directing their inquiry to an appropriate agent. CTI can also extract important or relevant information about the individual customer from the database, making for a more effective and efficient service.
The use of IVR and voice automation enables a company to improve its customer service and lower its costs, due to the fact that callers’ queries can be resolved without the cost of a live agent who, in turn, can be directed to deal with specific areas of the service. If the caller does not find the information they need, or require further assistance, the call is then transferred to an agent who can deal with them directly through CTI integration. This makes for a more efficient system in which agents have more time to deal with complex interactions, for example, customer retention, up selling, cross selling and issue resolution. This way, the customer is more likely to be satisfied with a personalized service and the interaction is likely to be more fulfilling and rewarding for the agent, as opposed to dealing with basic inquiries that require yes/no responses, such as obtaining customer details. Employee satisfaction is important in the call center industry due to the fast turnover of staff, IVR is therefore one way of retaining a workforce and allowing them to do a more effective job.
IVR also enables customer prioritization. In a system whereby individual customers may have a different status, for example, a bronze, gold or platinum card holder, the service will automatically prioritize the individuals call and, in the case of a platinum card holder, move them to the front of the calling queue.
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