Using Interactive Voice Response to Drive Conversions Effectively
Moving forward in time, technology and AI holds benefits to organizations, both small and large, in nearly any industry imaginable. Naturally, the larger your company grows, the more it stands to benefit from an IVR system to continuously facilitate new growth.
It stands to reason that when larger companies regularly rely on a phone system to make the wheels of the business turn – it takes a substantial amount of man-hours to field these calls. And depending on how talented your call center reps are at handling things like customer dissatisfaction and boosting the customer experience – all things that lend to producing conversions.
But it isn’t just about helping to fill beds at your rehab center – you must balance your IVR strategy and route your callers’ paths efficiently to cover all bases – angry clients, satisfied clients, potential clients, curious family members, questions about billing, questions about rules, questions about different programs – it can be incredibly frustrating, confusing, and overwhelming.
Luckily, Ads Up Marketing is extensive knowledge regarding the use of an IVR system in the context of substance abuse treatment. In this article, we’ll give you the facts about call center IVR best practices, different IVR systems, how to successfully route calls, and, in the end, take the most direct route to customer satisfaction by sending callers to the most appropriate agent.
In the end, you’ll understand the etiquette of IVR systems, in addition to how you should plan your interactive voice response strategy based on where the calls originate, so keep reading and get all the details!
What Is Interactive Voice Response?
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) calling is a technology that allows automated interactions between a computer system and humans in call centers, customer service hotlines, and other business phone systems.
When a caller dials a phone number that utilizes IVR, they are greeted with pre-recorded voice prompts that provide instructions or options for them to choose from. The prompts may ask the caller to press certain keys on their phone’s keypad to navigate through the system or provide input.
The IVR Solution for Treatment Centers
In the case of a substance abuse treatment center, routing options usually include client intake, the doctor’s/nurse’s office, mental health, address and location information, and client services. Depending on the specific facility, additional options are available for routing.
Based on the caller’s selection, they’ll receive the information they’re calling about after making the proper selections. Otherwise, the route will take them to the human head of the department or some other form of live customer service.
Overall, IVR calling enhances customer service by providing a self-service option, reducing wait times, and ensuring callers are directed to the right resources or information.
Often this occurs outside of normal business hours, but IVR menus and options can help in a variety of situations to improve workflow and even customer experience.
The Modern Day IVR System
Since their inception, IVR systems have gotten far more advanced, allowing users to obtain pertinent data regarding customer profiles and personalities. This empowers businesses to not only improve that specific call but make changes for the long term that boost customer experience in the future and increase ROI.
The modern-day IVR system completes tasks leaps and bounds beyond just routing a call to a simple department after receiving a numeric code. Earlier IVR systems were limited to a single level, with only a few numeric options. However, many of the current IVR systems and the IVR menu will help to accomplish the following:
Eliminate Dead Air Time and Hangups
Even something as simple as an AI voice checking in every few minutes to remind clients of their place in the queue can make a huge difference. Dead air time with no noise or reminder of their place in line will almost always lead to premature hang-ups, leading to dissatisfied customers and a massive loss of potential leads.
Use Tracking to Test Campaigns
Many rehab call center facilities run dozens of ad campaigns at once, with the ultimate goal being a phone call. Otherwise known as Pay Per Call marketing, these campaigns are designed with one goal in mind – to initiate a phone call to the facility. Using different phone numbers to track which calls came from which ad creatives is an excellent way to split test and boost what’s working and cut what’s not.
Store Data and Profile Info for Specific Customers
After having your IVR system deployed for a significant amount of time, you’re able to stockpile information regarding customer behavior and how they interact with your IVR menu. Having access to this type of data allows you to build customer profiles, allowing you to predict how clients react and behave, leading to higher rates of customer satisfaction and a better overall customer experience in the end.
Record Conversations for Enhanced Customer Experience and Compliance Training
Any organization, especially a drug rehab facility, is governed by a set of compliance regulations when it comes to speaking with anyone over the phone. Recorded conversations not only cover you in terms of regulatory compliance and employee behavior, but can also provide valuable training material for new hires learning what’s expected of them regarding behavior, privacy, and other important dynamics.
Save Significant Money By Not Hiring for Overly-Simplified Tasks
When you have a large business, sometimes a client contacting you doesn’t always require you to route calls. In fact, many of the calls are extremely simple. In fact, a large majority will be questions like, “What’s your address?” or “What’s your fax number?” and “What are your Saturday hours?” Your IVR system eliminates you having to pay for someone to literally sit and answer these types of questions all day.
Now that you’re aware of what an IVR menu is, let’s take a look at how your call center IVR is best implemented and how it can help you optimize for conversions.
Best Practices for Using an IVR Menu at Your Substance Abuse Call Center
Using the following strategies will enhance the overall impact of your IVR system but also allow you to get the highest possible ROI and provide customers with more self-service options.
Provide the Option to Speak with a Real Caller Immediately
You’re probably wondering how this impacts your conversion rates. The answer is simple – if your IVR menu doesn’t give customers the self-service options to provide what they want and they need a live operator, what do you think they’re going to do after they find out they can’t get one on the spot?
Self-service options only go so far for your IVR software – at some point, to increase customer satisfaction, a live operator must be available instantly.
The whole point of the IVR menu is to initially guide callers toward self-service options. However, it is crucial to avoid trapping callers within a frustrating loop, preventing them from reaching a live agent, or subjecting them to lengthy menu lists and marketing messages.
Steering an Incoming Call Effectively
Strategically, this approach fails to build trust with customers and often leads to their frustration and eventual hang-up. A more effective solution is to promptly and easily offer callers the choice to connect with a real person.
If the existing IVR system lacks an appropriate option for their needs, provide an alternative for reaching a live agent. It is important to acknowledge that not everyone can effectively navigate the system or clearly understand the available menu choices, regardless of their simplicity.
Encourage the Use of Alternative Channels
It’s worth repeating that you should minimize hold times to maintain a great caller experience by using different tools or methods. That said, you can use that brief period of time to encourage callers to connect with you on other channels separate from the IVR menu, including:
- Social media tools and platforms
- Online messaging applications
- Email tickets
- and others.
To avoid customers getting frustrated while you promote your other communication channels, you might consider alternating your promotional messages with informative messages telling customers the estimated remaining wait time.
Certain customers may feel uneasy communicating their concerns through an IVR platform. Granting them the opportunity to directly engage with an agent or a live receptionist can facilitate a swift resolution of their issues or an appropriate redirection of the call.
Engagement Surveys and Analytics
Discovering and meeting customer needs is paramount when it comes to enhancing your company’s caller experience. One effective approach is to incorporate caller surveys and analytics, enabling you to gain valuable insights into their preferences.
Consider implementing a short survey at the conclusion of each call to gauge individual caller satisfaction. By collecting this feedback, you can obtain actionable information that will help enhance the overall efficiency of your IVR system.
The changes and improvements you make to your IVR menu design not only elevate customer experience but also communicate that you value their opinions and input. By actively requesting feedback about their experience, you can increase customer satisfaction.
Analyzing Where IVR Fits in Your Customer Journey
Regularly reviewing the analytics of your IVR system is essential to perfect every aspect of your menu. For instance, if you observe that many customers frequently hang up during the third or fourth level of options, you might consider streamlining your menu to reduce customer dropout rates.
Fortunately, modern IVR systems often come equipped with analytics dashboards as part of a comprehensive suite of business phone features. This enables you to easily collect valuable information and pinpoint areas where customers encounter difficulties with your interactive voice response menu.
Moreover, you can leverage advanced technologies such as AI (Artificial Intelligence) features to enhance the depth and accuracy of your caller analytics, providing a more comprehensive understanding of customer behavior and preferences.
Using a Smarter System
To maximize the impact of your IVR system, consider using a version that intelligently captures and stores caller inputs and data.
When potential clients contact your facility, the IVR menu prompts them with relevant questions to determine the appropriate routing. For instance, they may be asked to provide their phone number, reference number, date of birth, or any other number of identifying combinations of letters or numbers.
However, it can be frustrating for callers when they are transferred to a live agent and have to repeat the same information to access their account.
To ensure a seamless customer experience, choose an IVR system that automatically records and presents this information to the agent, eliminating the need for customers to reiterate details.
The Right Resources for Contact Centers (and Potential Clients)
This approach not only demonstrates your attentiveness to customers but also enhances your business’s professionalism by equipping agents with comprehensive customer information. It not only saves time but also helps you appear more prepared and ready to assist customers, fostering a positive impression.
Additionally, this feature can significantly reduce variable costs associated with telemarketing, as agents have access to accurate customer data without relying on repetitive input from callers.
Implementing Pay-Per-Call and Other Marketing Efforts
As an owner or manager of a substance abuse facility, you’re likely running numerous amounts of online paid marketing campaigns. All of these campaigns end with a phone call to the facility (in most cases). Find software for your IVR network that either integrates with different marketing platforms or allows you to directly gauge the impact each campaign is having.
The ideal situation for conversion tracking would be direct integration – however, this isn’t always possible. The next best thing is to assign a unique VOIP number to each campaign or separate ad set. This allows you to track different creatives or copy within each campaign, allowing you to cut and scale more efficiently.
Use Realistic Voices
There’s no doubting the fact that you’ve heard one of the older, archaic versions of IVR software. The tones and robotic sounds of these systems can create a negative perception right from the start.
To ensure a positive caller experience, it is essential to employ premium, realistic-sounding voices in your IVR system. By utilizing high-quality voices, you can alleviate customer apprehensions and surpass their expectations.
Traditionally, IVRs have garnered a reputation for offering subpar user experiences. However, by incorporating a realistic voice, conversations with customers can flow more naturally. When the voice resembles that of a genuine customer service representative, callers feel more at ease, fostering smoother resolutions and interactions and reporting less frustration.
Fine Tuning Your IVR Solutions
When selecting a voice for your IVR, you have various options at your disposal. You can choose between text-to-speech (TTS) voices, human voice talent, or even a hybrid combination of the two. It is crucial to consider what aligns with your business, industry, and target audience to make an informed choice.
By investing in a realistic and personable voice for your IVR system, you can enhance the caller experience and leave a lasting positive impression, setting your facility apart from the rest.
Ads Up Marketing and IVR System Management
At Ads Up Marketing, we can help you select the best IVR program and help with optimizing and setting up the different routing options. Ensuring all of the correct steps are taken can mean the difference between success and failure – and we have helped hundreds of clients prepare for success.
We can do the same for you! Contact us now to find out more regarding IVR, call center best practices, and how we can help your facility grab more of the spotlight!