How to Create an Effective IVR on Your Hosted VoIP Phone System

If you know how to create an effective IVR on your hosted VoIP phone system, both you and your customers will benefit. With the right configuration, this essential VoIP feature can help direct your callers to the right agent or department, improve customer satisfaction, and save time and money.

IVR, or interactive voice response, is a key feature for small and large businesses alike. If your IVR is set up properly, it can provide callers with useful information and ensure that they are routed to the right person or department.

Despite the potential benefits of IVR, a poorly configured system can actually do more harm than good. We’ll discuss guidelines for creating an effective IVR on your hosted VoIP phone system, and help your business make the most of this essential feature.

Defining your IVR’s functionality.

Before you begin the task of creating an effective IVR on your hosted VoIP phone system, you need to consider what questions your customers will ask and how you plan to answer them. This means that you’ll need to plan for any additional functionality, such as providing customers access to a live demo, or forwarding them directly to voicemail.

Planning your prompts and greetings.

As you work to create an effective IVR on your hosted VoIP phone system, you’ll want to start with paper and pencil. Plan out your greetings before you try to start recording, and be sure to read them aloud to yourself and others. That way, you’ll catch any confusing or redundant prompts, and be able to fix them without having to re-record it all.

Here are just a few tips for creating effective IVR prompts:

Keep it simple

If the caller can become confused, the caller will become confused. And remember, your customers are calling you because they want to purchase something, or they need help solving a problem. Presenting them with a misleading or convoluted IVR is not going to help the situation.

Keep it conversational

Presumably, your callers are reaching out to you because they want to speak to a real person, not a machine. When a customer calls, the IVR experience should feel conversational, interactive, and most importantly, tailored to the needs of your audience.

Keep your listener’s attention span in mind

The real purpose of an IVR is to smoothly transition your caller to the right person or information. As you plan your prompts and greetings, try to keep them as short and sweet as possible. All information that you include should serve to push callers in the right direction quickly.

Recording and Testing Your Prompts.

Depending on the phone system that you are using, the technical aspects of recording your IVR may vary slightly. However, there are some basic guidelines that you should keep in mind as you prepare to record your greeting.

Although it may seem obvious, you must remember to speak clearly and slowly. Even the best prompts can cause confusion if you’re racing through the script.

You’ll also want to go back and listen to your recording to ensure that it makes sense. Enlist the help of other team members who have not heard or read the prompts before, and make sure that they are able to navigate your IVR with ease.

Creating an Effective IVR on Your VoIP Phone System

With a little planning, creating an effective IVR for your business is simple. For more information on making the most of this functionality, explore the resources below: