It can be difficult to maintain normal operations during staff and supply shortages. Implementing an IVR system is critical to meeting customer demands and keeping operational costs in check. Additionally, businesses in any industry can benefit. First, let’s start with the basics.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Explained
Interactive Voice Response, or IVR, is an automated phone system technology that allows incoming callers to interact with a computerized voice recording. The purpose of the system is to help navigate callers through their questions or inquiries without the need for additional staff.
The interaction between callers and IVR systems is done by voice and dual-tone multi-frequency signaling (DTMF) tones generated by the keypads. Based on their responses, these systems can assist users directly or transfer them to the appropriate party.
With staff shortages and massive supply chain disruptions, eliminating the need to hire additional staff can be game-changing for your operational costs and hiring teams.
How Different Industries Use IVR Systems
Various industries use IVR systems for multiple operational benefits such as increased employee efficiency, reduced call center traffic, and a better omnichannel presence. Let’s look at how different types of businesses have IVR integrated into their processes:
Financial
Banks, lenders, and insurance companies use IVR systems to help inbound callers complete simple transactions, such as checking their account balance, product inquiries, or routing calls to appropriate departments. IVR can also save callers dealing with emergencies such as lost cards or identity theft.
Retail
Retailers can heavily depend on IVR systems to answer customer calls regarding ETAs for orders, rescheduling deliveries, or canceling orders. IVRs easily manage inquiries like these and don’t require additional staff. IVR systems can be especially beneficial to stores with multiple branches. Ensuring callers have the correct store before getting an associate on the line helps especially if you’re already short-staffed.
Healthcare
Hospitals and clinics consist of many different departments and business units. IVR systems provide support for patients calling by asking initial questions. Then, they’ll collect the necessary information to help route callers to the correct department. IVR systems are also highly beneficial to pharmacies to help patients refill medications and alert them when ready for pickup. Additionally, reminders are sent to patients when medications are ready for a refill – allowing your staff to focus on more critical tasks.
Telecommunications Industry
Telecom companies and internet providers have proven they need IVR systems, especially when it comes to customer satisfaction. Many people say they prefer to talk to a real person. However, a well-designed IVR system gets answers to questions in an extremely efficient way.
While IVR systems can’t solve all customer issues, they can gather information upfront and guide customers through troubleshooting, making the process much more efficient for when a technician gets on the phone.
How Glympse Integrates with an IVR System
The Glympse platform enhances business operations by easily sharing information with customers. It integrates with various existing technologies such as Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Interactive Visual Analysis (IVA), and chatbots. This capability allows Glympse to leverage customer journey data, providing valuable insight into customer behavior.
Glympse also includes a voice-enabled application programming interface (API) that can reduce appointment-related calls to customer service and support by up to 70%. These savings are especially beneficial when many companies must cut operational costs to remain competitive.
A typical example of Glympse’s integration with an IVR system begins with a call to customer care. The system intercepts the call and identifies the caller’s number as an existing customer. It then looks up the customer’s information, including scheduled appointments. The IVR system then takes the customers through a short series of questions to target what they are calling about. Customers use their keypad, as well as use a voice response, to give information about their reason for calling.
A well-designed interactive system focuses on the most likely reason for the customer’s call. Assume, for example, that a large proportion of inbound calls are related to appointments. Trends will show these calls usually increase as the service date approaches. In this scenario, a customer with an appointment scheduled soon is probably calling about that appointment. The ability to obtain basic information about the appointment without waiting for a live operator improves the customer’s experience and saves on labor costs.
Taking a Glympse at a Real-World Example
One of Glympse’s telecom customers who uses our voice enablement API has already achieved a 21% reduction in appointment-related calls to customer service. Integrating the Glympse API into their IVR system reduced these calls by 68%, ultimately resulting in an operational savings of millions of dollars.
Glympse integrates easily with your existing technologies and offers a 90-day free trial. So with no risk to you, get started tracking today! Contact us here.
