IVR For Your Business

Automating tasks is how you can take your business to the next level. One of these tasks is the answering of calls. Many companies are reaping the benefits of introducing an IVR system to their operations. IVR meaning an Interactive Voice Recognition system.

What Is IVR?

IVR is an automated phone system used within organizations that routes incoming calls to a specific person within an organization. When a customer calls a business with an IVR phone system, the caller performs an action based on what they need. If they need to contact someone in a specific department, they will choose that option.

An IVR solution allows a business to receive more calls in less time, which leads to an increase in profits for a business. Instead of losing calls with a human receptionist, you never have to miss a call because callers can now be directly based on what they need.

IVR Setup

An IVR system allows the caller to choose the options they need to get their queries handled promptly. There’s nothing worst then calling a business and not knowing what to do.

The technology to setup up this type of system isn’t too complicated. It consists of telephone equipment, a database, software applications to operate the system, and a telephone line connection.

Here’s what this type of system looks like in action:

Incoming call —> Caller greeted by IVR system and asked to act —> the caller then takes the next step —> depending on the action taken, the call is sent to the department the caller chooses.

Through the power of the keypad, a caller can choose the options specific to their needs. This system is simple and easy to use,, and your caller won’t be frustrated when they call, which can lead to more future business. More calls mean more profit for your business.

IVR Best Practices

Setting up your system the right way from the beginning is very important. It’s the difference between annoying your customers and making them happy to do business with you. When you set up everything to be easy for your customers to get what they need, it makes them happy.

Your instructions should be clear and easy to follow. The caller should be able to identify what the next step is in the process quickly. If the caller cannot follow the instructions, they may just hang up and move on to another business. You don’t want this to happen in your business, so it’s best to make everything easy for your customers.

Benefits Of An IVR System

There are many benefits to having an interactive voice response system for your business. Let’s take a look at some of them now.

Cuts Cost and Improves Profit

This type of system helps to cut expenses in a business. You don’t have to hire someone to direct the incoming calls physically. Your company also won’t lose any business because the operator was too slow to get to the caller.

Lower Wait Times

There’s nothing worse than calling a business and waiting for a long time to get help. How many times have you hung up just because it took too long to talk to someone to help? You don’t want this for your business.

With an automated phone system, your callers can choose the options they need to solve their problems. Based on what they decide, they will be directed to the best person to help them.

You can even set up your system to put your high-value customers first. You can set up your system to have them move to the front of the queue.

24/7 Customer Access

An interactive voice response system also gives customers 24/7 access to your company. Before having this type of system, customers could only contact your business around the times when your employees were available. Now they can call at any time.

Your IVR phone system will be able to handle any queries they may have at any time. They follow the instructions and get the help they need. This system even allows callers to set up a time to be called back to get more customized service.

Ability To Personalize Your System

With an IVR set up in your business, you can personalize your greetings, especially if you regularly do business with customers. You can set up your system to greet the caller by name.

Let’s say you want to greet a caller and wish them a happy birthday. It is easy to set up with an interactive voice response system. Maybe the caller has an anniversary or a special occasion coming up. It’s easy to set this up using an IVR system.

Furthermore, this type of system can be set up in different languages and tailored to a specific customer. It’s easy to lose business when you don’t have a system that caters to people who speak other languages. Fortunately, you can set up your IVR system to greet people who speak a foreign language.

Boost Your Company Image

An IVR phone system helps to boost the image of your business. It does this by adding a layer of professionalism to your operation. It can also make your business seem bigger, which adds a layer of trust.

For a smaller company, it might be a good idea to setup up an IVR system. It boosts the image of your company in the eyes of the people calling.

Lower Errors

An IVR system will lower your business’s errors than when using a human to run your phone system. If you have too many calls coming in at a given time, a receptionist may feel overwhelmed and make mistakes.

With an IVR solution, you won’t have this problem. You will have more calls going to the right people, and you won’t lose business because of frustrated customers.

AntTone offers you a simple IVR phone system you can set up in your business. The IVR app will allow you to collect customer information 24 hours a day, which boosts your professional image.