If one goes around asking CEOs of small businesses, about one of the major challenges they face in the initial phases of setting up their brand – the answer from most would certainly revolve around ‘manpower’.
It is an established fact that nearly all small businesses don’t possess the liberty to hire multiple employees to answer calls from prospects and customers, all day long. This is specifically where majority of small businesses are moving towards Interactive Voice Response system (IVRs).
Interactive Voice Response system allow your prospects/customers to serve themselves better by automating the entire calling process. It is one such technology that enables a system to interact with humans with the help of touch-tones or speech recognition programs to answer queries, handle requests, or route callers to the right direction.
IVR necessarily removes the need for customers to speak directly to your employees. Thereby, small business can benefit hugely with this system, by allowing you to lessen your workforce and streamline your customer service and other interactions. It was predominantly used by bigger companies in the past, but the recent upsurge in technology has made it affordable for small businesses.
How can Small Businesses Optimize IVR to Reap Numerous Benefits?
- Record Message on Voicemail
This is one the basic features of Interactive Voice Response system. When no one is available to pick up calls from customers, having a voicemail box set up is a great idea. It allows callers to leave a message, in order to be attended later. Rather than just a missed call, customers are able record a voice message, which leads to decline in customer frustration. Thereafter, you can listen to the recorded message and arrange a call back or take appropriate actions.
- Call Routing to Proper Department
With this sytem, you can certainly expect minimum human assistance, especially when the customer call needs to be redirected to the right department. Callers just need to select from the options provided the Interactive Voice Response system, by pressing respective digits on the keypad. Once they have selected a particular combination of options, they will be connected to the right representative, who will be able to help them accordingly.
- Order Status
Many a time, customers only call to enquire about the current status of the order they had placed. Keeping a 24/7 customer service center open with reps attending to order queries is surely an uphill task for small businesses. You can easily do away with this problem with this system that comes with automated order status. It is immensely beneficial for basic requests, where customers can quickly obtain the information they need on their orders.
- Customer Priority is now Automated
Agreed that you have just started out, but that doesn’t mean your business won’t have high priority customers. You can integrate IVR with a CRM solution to save customer data and details, in order to provide faster service to high-value customers who are assets to your business. Thus, skilled representatives can take care of their queries or issues.
- Keep a Check on Customer Satisfaction
There is no denying that present day businesses is all about the customers and the sense of fulfilment they draw from your products/services. However, conduction surveys with the help of emails, marketing campaigns, website, and other mediums can be a toilsome and money draining assignment. On the contrary, small businesses can easily use IVR to gain customer feedback. Thereafter, you can refine your business accordingly to go higher up in the customer satisfaction scale.
If your startup is ready to upgrade its communication solutions with minimal investment, Ameyo Emerge has the ability to be highly instrumental.
