What Is IVR and Why Your Business May Need It

Nowadays, whenever you call a business or a service it’s rare to have someone pick up the phone without going through an automated selection process first. This is called Interactive Voice Response (or IVR) and is a practice used to help customers reach the right person or get the right information without lengthy waiting periods. 

Therefore, we could say that the IVR process helps businesses provide clients with a positive experience. Good customer service is crucial for the well-being of any business, whether you’re an entrepreneur running a one-man show, or a large corporation with branches all over the world. Without this element, you can’t communicate with your customers, which usually leads to low customer satisfaction and an overall low reputation. 

However, depending on the budget and size, not all businesses can afford a complex customer service system. Luckily, modern technology is advanced enough to help all sorts of businesses stay in touch with their customers without investing too much in infrastructure and employees. 

Therefore, below you can read about the top three customer service methods that can help lift your business off the ground and build a solid relationship with customers.

Top 3 Methods to Stay in Touch with Customers

#1: Intelligent Chatbots

Due to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning algorithms becoming mainstream, businesses now have access to a wide range of intelligent chatbots that can help guide customers and perform basic functionalities. 

In addition, some chatbots are quite friendly and can have conversations without customers even realizing they are chatting with a robot. Also, they are designed to learn based on previous behavior, which is why they improve the more you use them.

Lastly, a chatbot is the ideal way to keep in touch with customers without having to buy devices and hire people. Not to mention that one system is faster and more efficient in taking requests and replying than any human ever could (for basic functions, that is). 

#2: IVR Call Center

An IVR call center is focused on voice calls and works best for medium-sized and large businesses, with a complex structure that expects a wide range of requests from their customers. 

Moreover, IVR call centers are so common nowadays that most people expect to hear the pre-recorded content whenever they reach out to a company. The technology is not new, but it has improved over the years and nowadays can easily guide customers towards their desired department or information. 

#3: Outsourced Call Center

Full-on call centers with human operators are extremely useful for a wide range of situations, which is why businesses can now outsource the service to a specialized center. However, this type of customer service is quite pricey and may not be affordable for all businesses out there. Still, it is efficient for complex services and products, where customers need to talk with a human representative. 

Wrap Up

While there are other forms of communication (such as email or text messages), it is important to let your customer know your company has a human side. Therefore, whether you choose a chatbot, an IVR system, or a human-operated call center, these are important elements for your business’s success. 

Cyndy Lane
 

Cyndy is business journalist with a focus on entrepreneurship and small business. With over a decade of experience covering the startup and small business landscape, Cyndy has a reputation for being a knowledgeable, insightful and approachable journalist. She has a keen understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing small business owners and is able to explain them in a way that is relatable and actionable for her readers.