How to Set Up an Efficient IVR System: 10 Simple Steps

IVR stands for Interactive Voice Response. It is an automated communication technology that enables customers to access information by connecting to the desired destination. Here, the system offers them different options to choose from and guides them further.

Right off the bat, it interacts with the customers and collects the required information by providing them with options. Furthermore, based on the customer response, IVR gives an instant response or directs the call to the desired agent, team, or department.

If the customer's query is simple and easy, the IVR will handle it and provide the answers quickly. IVR effectively routes the call to others if the system is not able to process the query.

For example, when you call a business, you are welcomed with automated greetings, which are set up by the brand. After that, you interact with the IVR through a pre-recorded voice by choosing the options on the keypad and getting a response.

In the former days, setting up an IVR was time-consuming since the requirements were challenging and expensive. Hence, businesses were looking for a reliable and budget-friendly option.

On the other hand, modern cloud IVR does not require any physical infrastructure or hardware requirements and is easy to set up with a few clicks.

• A customer makes a call to the business

• IVR greets the customer with welcome music

• It provides a set of options to engage the customer and ask to choose from it

• The caller types the option in their phone keypad

• Based on the answer, IVR tries to provide a self-service response.

• If IVR does not resolve, the call will be directed to the agent based on skill-based routing

• As you go through an issue, you make a call to the business..

• You will be greeted with the welcome music.

• IVR provides you with the options of Pressing 1 for maintenance issues, Pressing 2 to know the account balance & payment options, and Pressing 3 to speak with the customer care executive.

• Based on your response, IVR will provide a reply or direct your call to solve your query.

Here, the automated IVR uses voice recognition software to receive and determine the customer input and distribute the call to the available skilled agents.

Since IVR systems are a great option for businesses to enhance their profits and customer experience, it is essential to switch to these systems to experience their advantages. Here are 10 steps that help you to quickly set up an IVR system:

When you are planning to set up an IVR calling system, the first step is to list down and define the goals and objectives. Here are a few things that you can consider:

• Reducing the long waiting times

• Directing the calls skillfully

• Automating the repeated tasks

• Enhancing customer experience

• Getting feedback from the customers

Next, it is essential to choose the right IVR system, as there are numerous ones in the industry. TeleCMI specializes in offering a feature-rich IVR system that comes with loaded functionalities at cost-effective pricing. However, you can do your own research by considering the following factors:

• Can the chosen IVR system adapt to the latest needs and updates?

• Is the application affordable?

• Can I integrate business tools easily?

• Will the system be able to customize my needs?

In order to gain the customer’s trust, it is vital to have a super-friendly call flow. Here are a few pointers you can consider while designing the call flow:

• The call flow should be simple and easy to navigate

• Have less menu options

• A mandatory option to speak with a live agent

• A clear and understandable language

High-quality voiceover is a key factor in enhancing the customer experience. To do so, make sure you follow these ones:

• Hiring a professional voiceover artist or using a text-to-speech converter

• Using a simple language

• Make sure to pronounce it rightly

• Recording the voiceovers in multiple languages

An effective call routing strategy can reduce long waiting times and improve customer satisfaction. Hence, be sure to follow these steps:

• Determine the call routing criteria (It can be based on agent availability, caller’s input, time of the day, etc.)

• Switch between the routing rules based on the business goals and adjectives

• Test the rules to make the required customizations and boost the performance

As businesses are looking to continue using their existing business tools, it is essential to integrate them into the application. By integrating, you can achieve the following:

• Specialized welcome notes and menu options

• Auto caller identification and data extraction

• Quick call transfer between IVR and live agents

• Live data updates on the dashboards

Agents are the backbones of the organization. Hence, to experience a smooth and easy transition to IVR systems, it is important to focus on the following:

• Training the agents with the sorted call flow and menu choices

• Offering guidance on managing customer queries

• Educating agents on how to use and access the data on CRM

• Providing special tips to handle difficult customer situations

Start customizing your IVR system by determining the areas that need improvement and monitoring them frequently. You can focus and check for the following metrics:

• Call abandonment rates to know about disconnected calls

• Average call duration between agents and customers

• Customer engagement rates to measure satisfaction levels

• First-call resolution rates are used to identify the team's ability to resolve customer needs during the first call.

Customer feedback acts as a pillar to improve your business. Thus, to identify the areas of improvement and what is lacking, ensure you collect customer feedback. Here are a few ways to get them:

• Sending out surveys/feedback forms post-call

• Email and SMS surveys for easy engagement

• Monitoring their social media handles to grab feedback

• Directly getting feedback from the customers

To make sure your IVR system is functioning effectively, you should regularly update and maintain it. You can follow these steps to ensure the IVR system is upto date with the latest functionalities and patches:

• Frequently reviewing and updating the voiceover

• Testing the call routing roles and updating when needed

• Working on technical issues, if any

• Integrating new features and functionalities to enhance the application

You can follow these 10 major steps when you explore how to set up an IVR system that can bring you greater advantages.

Now, you have learned the steps to set up IVR. While performing the setup process, you can follow these 10 simple steps:

You can greet your customers with a professional and friendly welcome note for a pleasant experience. A warm greeting in a cheering voice would be a great option.

Here is an example: “Hello! We hope you are having a great day. Thank you for calling us!” It sounds professional and friendly.

Make sure you use only one voice throughout the call instead of switching between multiple voices or robot voice prompts. You can get a professional voiceover artist instead of a computerized voiceover and build an intuitive prompt that is pleasant and engaging.

Next is to get professional music when the customer calls are placed on hold. Create engaging music that prevents the customers from hanging up or being frustrated rather, it should reflect your brand image. In between, you can also combine the major notifications and updates.

Customers approach businesses to get their queries addressed quickly. Hence, businesses should not overload the menu options. Hence, customers may disconnect the call.

It is essential to monitor and check for updates to make sure the IVR system is functioning properly. You can also address the regular issues and technical issues in the application and come up with an optimized solution.

Regularly check how your IVR system is working and merge the latest company announcements, news, promotions, discounts, and other updates. You can also have a customer survey for product enhancement at the end of the call.

Most customers usually hang up the call when they don’t find the answers from the brand. As we discussed before, have easy menu navigation and limit the options to improve customer call experience.

Waiting in the queue will be tiring for the customers. It would be a great gesture if you could provide them with their place in the queue and the time to speak with the agents. This can rule out multiple call abandonments.

The majority of customers prefer to speak with humans to get their queries resolved efficiently. Hence, when designing the call flow, provide a mandatory menu option to quickly connect with the live agent.

Once you feel the customer is planning to conclude the call, you can politely request feedback and end the call respectfully. For example, you can use words such as, “Thank you for calling us, we hope your queries are resolved, and you had a positive experience with us”.

A highly efficient IVR system can be a game-changer for businesses of all sizes. Make sure that you get the right IVR calling system that meets your expectations and demands to improve your business performance.