Karan Chhabra is the CEO of Servetel, RTDS’s India division. RTDS is a one-stop destination for business communication and account solutions, within the realm of cloud telephony. Karan worked part-time with RTDS—across various divisions such as sales, digital marketing, administration, procurement, talent acquisition, and research—before going on to pursue a B. Com LLB (H) degree from Amity University. After the completion of his course, he began his professional career with Servetel. Karan is passionate about philanthropy; he works closely with Operation Asha, an NGO working to eliminate TB from India.
Here’s a simple fact: businesses need to ensure that their customers feel heard and valued. Some might say that good customer service can make or break a company. And during turbulent times ? Ensuring that your customers are happy is one of the most important concerns.
Good customer service, in fact, can lead to customer loyalty, retention and word of mouth publicity. All great things, but how do we ensure that we provide a consistent customer experience every time? After all, it is six times more strenuous and expensive to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one.
This is where cloud telephony tools come in handy.
A solution like IVR or Interactive Voice Response can truly shake things up. Remember the calling menus you interact with whenever you call a customer service helpline? That is one purpose of IVR. It allows customers to reach out to companies for support, no matter the issue or time. And, being available always is the most effective way to increase your profit margins by leaps and bounds.
IVR: A win-win for all companies
Businesses can use IVR to route calls, solve queries and collect data without someone to answer the call. This solution saves time, resources and most importantly, stops the customer from looking for an alternative.
A sophisticated, multi-level IVR can not just cut costs but also boosts agent productivity. Better yet, it is extremely easy for customers to use. They simply need to input numbers on the dial pad or seek help through speech recognition. The IVR can also automate all customer interactions, using prompts and helping customers find quick solutions.
And if agent intervention is needed? Then the IVR will simply redirect the call to the best-suited agent. In the meantime, however, agents can focus on more important or complicated tasks.
This cloud solution can handle bulk calls, take care of customers, give them messages and ensure their queries are answered.
Sharpen the saw through IVR
Interactive Voice Response has truly transformed contact centre communications. Companies are now shifting their priorities towards automated IVR for it is an extremely feasible customer service solution. Owing to its plethora of benefits, businesses are readily including it in their operations and executions.
A few of the major advantages that are pushing companies to adopt IVR are discussed below:
Encouraging the self-help method
IVR systems allow companies to handle high volumes of calls, something that isn’t always possible with a human receptionist. It ensures that all the incoming calls are received and no call is missed. IVRs help customers reach out to businesses in a convenient, hassle-free manner.
Additionally, the options in the IVR menu, allow customers to self-help and navigate to quick query resolutions. It reduces the burden on a human operator and helps companies manage their businesses and bulk customer calls seamlessly.
Right queries in the right hands
The automated telephony solution routes the callers to the appropriate department or agent who can effectively resolve the customer’s concerns.
IVR reduces the risk of human errors, transferring to the wrong department, or providing incomplete solutions even while it tackles bulk calls.
Offers unrivalled customer service
The efficiency and performance of an IVR solution will remain the same even if the call volume is high. That is, no external factor will affect its functioning, and hence an IVR ensures a consistent and smooth experience throughout the customer journey.
Prioritising calls: a hassle-free process
IVR automatically routes the caller to the best-suited agent. However, in a scenario where they are busy, it will direct them to the next free agent or to the front of the waiting queue. It could even provide self-help options
Whatever the case may be, the company will never lose any valuable customer due to workload, poor customer service, or slow turnaround time.
Guaranteed customer satisfaction in the first call
The first impression or the first call impacts a customer’s experience with the brand.
IVR systems help businesses maintain professionalism and create a tech-savvy image of the company. A personalised greeting and a first call resolution is just the cherry on top. These features play a big role in ensuring the customer that you, as a business, care about their issues.
This further leads to extending a good brand image in the market and increased customer engagement that helps in fostering loyalty amongst your customer base.
A time and cost-saving remedy
IVR is an ideal solution because it comes with reduced cost and time efficacy. Not only can it handle bulk data, automate calls, but it can also be set up with less operational costs. It saves time and effort and most importantly, helps a business generate a greater ROI at reduced costs.
Assists in enhancing the services
Another benefit of having an IVR system in place is that you can use pre-recorded IVR messages to ensure that your customers receive their solutions instantly. You can collect information about the callers, their requests and their journey with your company, record these calls and use them to identify the gaps in your working; improving your operations and for training your employees in the future.
One for all and all for one kind of Solution
One of the major advantages of using an Interactive Voice Response system is that businesses of all kinds, regardless of size, industry and sector, can adopt this solution. Which is why companies like Servetel, which provides one of India’s most user-friendly IVR services, boast a client portfolio of companies of all sizes—be it a small office with 2 or 3 lines or a large enterprise.
The solution simplifies and eases out business operations and ensures seamless communication with customers and is, hence, ideal for all kinds of organisations dealing with customer calls.
However, when picking an IVR, one needs to choose the right cloud telephony provider. The provider should offer services according to your requirements and can handle bulk calls smoothly.
The Bottom Line
The introduction of IVR has had a drastic effect on nearly every facet of the 21st century. Be it sales, marketing or customer service. Nearly all companies are looking for some form of communication, collaboration and time-saving tools
Strict COVID-19 protocols like social distancing and self-isolation have further made cloud telephony tools more popular. Unquestionably, IVR is emerging as an ultimate solution in streamlining operations amid disruptive situations and challenges.
It is certainly paving the way for better communication across industries in India and abroad!