Interactive Voice Response enables computers to interact with humans by voice usage and
touch-tone telephone keypad inputs. With IVR, you can connect your customers with the
right agents which is one of the biggest benefits of this technology. However, it’s easy to
make mistakes. We bring you 10 things you shouldn’t do with your IVR messages.
1. Overloading the caller with a long introduction.
Your caller shouldn’t waste its time on lengthy pre-queue introductions and listening to things
they should have to hand. If the call center is adequately staffed, your customers will not be
able to retrieve these items before one of your agents picks up the phone.
2. Having less than two on-hold messages.
The number of your on-hold messages should never be less than two. The best would be if
you can have three of them because listening to the same message over and over again will
drive your callers insane. That’s why you should have various messages so you don’t irritate
callers and they lose motivation for this conversation.
3. Having unnecessary menu options.
You shouldn’t have unnecessary menu options as this will annoy your callers as well. If a
few options lead to the same place, you should dispense with them. Having only those
options that are truly important will lead to more satisfied callers who won’t feel like talking to
your company is a waste of time.
4. Not providing an exit route.
You shouldn’t forget to provide your customers with an exit route. It’s very easy to pick the
wrong option or just go through and find out you didn’t choose the one that you actually
needed. When you realize that, it’s already too late and you will probably become frustrated.
That’s why it’s vital to include an exit route for your callers.
5. Choosing bad on-hold music.
If there’s anything that annoys your caller more than being on hold is having to listen to bad
or boring on-hold music. When choosing the music, try to select the one that reflects your
brand image. The best way to test it is if you listen to it for a while just like you are one of
your callers and see how you feel about it.
6. Using various voices and volumes.
When talking about IVR experience, you shouldn’t use different voices and volumes.
Changes in volume, timbre and pitch will only annoy your caller. Treat it as your website.
You wouldn’t want different elements, font, and backgrounds on your website so why should
you do it with your IVR messages?
7. Using industry words.
You should never use industry words or jargon when creating your IVR messages. You
callers are not experts and you should talk as simple, clear and understanding you can. If
your messages are unclear, that means you are doing something wrong. Try to test it with
somebody who doesn’t know your business to see if you managed to create the right
messaging.
8. Making your IVR sound like a person.
Don’t forget that IVR is a machine and your callers are well-aware of that, so you should
never try to make it sound like a person. Understanding that they are talking to a machine
will set the right expectations for this call and your callers won’t be disappointed. Try not to
overuse words like ‘’OK’’ or ‘’Thank you’’ as it might seem too fake.