What Is Outbound IVR?
Outbound IVR can be customised to accommodate customer preferences. Some customers prefer phone calls, while others prefer email or text messages. Empowering your customers to choose the best way to contact you will allow you to communicate with them for longer periods. This will increase the profitability of your customer relationship. Moreover, outbound IVR saves valuable time, as you won’t have to repeat your message over again.
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Outbound IVR: Self-Service Options
A well-designed customer journey map can help you identify caller characteristics, location and final dispositions. A self-service customer journey map will highlight ideal contact types, typically those who can answer the question themselves. To get an accurate picture of your customer journey, you can gather data from your business phone system, customer relationship management and eCommerce software.
- For example, you can calculate the total number of calls a self-service option has handled and combine that with the volume of live agent handovers to determine the success rate of your outbound IVR solution.
- Not all self-service IVR is created equally. Some self-service options are not suitable for outbound calls.
- While most companies offer comprehensive IVR solutions, many cheaper alternatives are available.
- Self-service IVR is best suited for inbound calling and bill-paying. However, it would help if you considered your self-service IVR’s functionality before choosing a particular provider.
- Speech recognition is another option if you don’t plan to use outbound calls.
- With an efficient self-service system, your customers are empowered and satisfied.
- Furthermore, you can reduce your agent’s workload, decrease average call wait time and enhance customer satisfaction metrics.
- All these are important factors to consider in your decision-making process.
- It’s important to realise that self-service options will not eliminate all of your customers’ queries.
A well-designed outbound IVR will allow you to automate your marketing efforts by sending out proactive notifications to your customers. You can use outbound IVR to remind your customers of important dates or payment options. It will free up your agents to handle more complex customer issues. Further, you’ll be able to send alerts to customers on different platforms, so they can use the information to make decisions more effectively.
Inbound IVR solutions should be able to handle high call volumes and prioritise calls based on customer value. This way, precious customers can be directed to the most experienced agent, while busy agents can put the highest-value caller in the front of the queue. Additionally, IVRs can be customised to offer customers personalised greetings and messages. Many IVR systems offer self-service options as well.
Outbound IVR: Dynamic Calling
The outbound dialer can be customised to display various caller ID numbers. A business in Texas, for example, may use a Florida area code number for its caller ID. Similarly, an international company can display a US toll-free number instead of a local one. These dialer features enable business owners to customise caller IDs for their needs. The basic version of dynamic IVR uses recorded phone numbers to identify customers.
The next level of personalisation makes customer identification more personalised. The system can even allocate user histories to a specific caller. This makes it possible to bring in a problem-solving list to answer common customer queries. A dynamic IVR can cater to the ever-increasing expectations of customers. It also eliminates the need for customers to re-authenticate themselves.
Another option is to use a predictive dialer in place of an IVR. This method helps business owners lower call volume by engaging multiple communication channels simultaneously. External systems can also start the outgoing call through COM, WCF, or WebService APIs. An IVR system can reduce the number of calls agents take daily, allowing business owners to focus on sales. In addition to reducing the cost of outbound dialers, it can enhance customers’ overall experience.
The best part about dynamic IVR is that it enables callers to speak naturally. A smart IVR can learn from speech recognition and NLP to determine the caller’s needs and route them to the appropriate agent or flow. Smart IVR can identify the voice’s tone and adapt the call’s flow according to the customer’s needs. It even can personalise the call flow based on the goal of the customer.
In an era of omnichannel interaction, an outbound IVR is an efficient way to reach a large audience and provide better service. It can automate processes and empower customers with self-service options, which will help them make the best use of available agents. And with a large database of call records, an outbound IVR can serve a variety of purposes for your business. In this way, your business can be more responsive and efficient than ever before.
Outbound IVR: Pre-recorded Voice Menus
Configuring pre-recorded voice menus for your outbound IVR can help you make the most out of your phone system. The menu options include name and description, schedule, and after-hours actions. You can even customise the message that plays to the caller. It is best to keep the IVR menu to four or five options to accommodate the variety of queries your customers may have. If you’d like to try out a free IVR trial, you only need to call some of the PHLO phone numbers.
You’ll be able to see how this solution works in action. For more information about the different components, check out the PHLO Components Library. This will help you create an application that meets your needs and goals. You can use IVR to route callers based on speech recognition or key press. With this solution, callers can press a single digit to transfer to an automated payment IVR or press two to speak with an agent.
After speaking with an agent, customers can make a secure payment. Because the agent already knows their details, they won’t have to re-enter them. After the payment, the agent will update their CRM account with the payment information. A pre-recorded voice menu is an effective way to route calls. It guides a customer through a series of options or menus to get the information they’re looking for.
Once the user makes an input, the system plays back pre-recorded voices or digitally generated voice responses that will allow them to choose an option or continue their search. Once the user finishes their input, the IVR will automatically route the call to the appropriate department. Aside from saving time for employees, IVRs also benefit patients. For example, a caller needing a prescription refill can contact the front desk staff and be transferred to the appropriate person.
Outbound IVR: Integrated telephony system with CRM
An integrated telephony system with CRM can be used for better call centre management. This tool allows businesses to measure the performance of sales representatives and employees through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
The benefits of using this kind of CRM are numerous, and here are three of them:
- First, it increases productivity and minimises oversight of follow-up with customers.
- CRM integration also allows businesses to plan call activities and schedule automated reminders, which improves agent productivity and helps ensure team compliance.
- CRM integration is beneficial for companies with high call volumes because it helps avoid long wait times for calls.
- In addition, it helps businesses make the most of the talents of their employees.
- In addition, CRM telephony allows for one-click calls, which reduces the wait time for calls.
- Second, CRM and cloud telephony systems offer several benefits.
- Integration between these two programs can improve employee productivity.
- Agents will spend more time on high-value calls when their work is automated. With click-to-call technology, agents will no longer need to switch between CRM and phone to handle a call.
- Additionally, call recordings can be used to train recruits.
- Further, the data collected can identify key improvement points and make more informed decisions.
- Third, CRM software integrates well with cloud telephony.
Integration of CRM software with a cloud telephony system will improve customer service by providing real-time caller identification and details. This helps agents deliver better customer service. Customers expect more personalised experiences, which means agents need to know all of the customer’s information. In addition, CRM software is more secure and compatible with Salesforce, which means less maintenance and hassle.
Outbound IVR – To Conclude
Integration between CRM and a VoIP phone system will save important call details. By integrating the two, agents will be able to see their customers’ profiles and past interactions with them. Having this integration will improve customer experience, increase conversions, and improve communication between team members. The benefits of VoIP-CRM integration are numerous and can be a game-changer for any business. With the help of CRM, businesses can easily integrate these two platforms.
UK VoIP Providers |
Company |
Price |
Free Trial |
Customer Rating |
Who is it Best For |
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£19 per user, per month |
✓ |
4.7 |
Small businesses with big growth plans
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£9 per user, per month |
✓ |
4.6 |
Small businesses looking for a cheap and easy solution
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£12 per user, per month (billed annually)
|
✓ |
4.4 |
Telesales teams and small businesses with high turnover
|
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£6 per user, per month |
✓ |
4.4 |
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£10 per user, per month |
✓ |
4.3 |
Companies that need to communicate remotely
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£7.99 per user, per month (billed annually)
|
✓ |
4 |
Small businesses with varied departments
|
|
£14.99 per user, per month
|
X |
3.9 |
Small companies that are based online
|
Other Useful links about phone systems
All You Need to Know About XO Communications
5 Services Offered by Voxox
Zoom Review
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