Interactive voice response (IVR) systems are the first point of contact when a customer calls a contact center. However, today’s IVR capabilities extend to much deeper processes than just routing calls to the proper communication channels. Such systems are unique assistants for contact center managers to improve the quality of customer service. In particular, the latest news about adaptive personalization from Contact Solutions, a cloud-based customer service solutions provider based in Reston, Virginia, suggests that they can be extremely effective.
Adaptive personalization offered by the company is a new comprehensive solution for providing an individualized approach based on analytics and prediction of customer behavior. Traditional IVRs treat every caller the same way, which often makes callers feel like they are not valued or that their unique needs are not taken into account, even when they contact the operator for help. Contact Solutions says, “The new solution creates highly personalized and effortless customer care experiences within the IVR that fully reflect customer behaviors and preferences.”
Personalization is the key to success. With adaptive personalization, companies can respond more quickly to customer behavior and preferences, speed up authorization processes, and dynamically adjust service at every touchpoint during the call process. The benefits of using this technology are evidenced by examples when organizations that were the first to use it reduced call duration by about 35%, while the level of communication channel utilization decreased by more than 70%, and up to 90% of subscribers received better and more convenient self-service.
Comprehensive personalization includes three components:
Adaptive reminder
The system learns the needs of customers based on the analysis of enterprise data and their behavior during numerous calls to optimize problem-solving according to their preferences.
Adaptive audio
The system responds to changes at each point of interaction based on data about customer behavior during the conversation to match the pace of the conversation and avoid customer dissatisfaction.
Adaptive intelligence
The system collects much more data about customer interaction and customer journey than a traditional IVR, thereby enabling the company to identify actionable ideas and opportunities to improve customer service.
“Having access to the right data and knowing how to apply it can be the difference between winning and losing business. In today’s fast-moving, hyper-competitive world, customers want to be treated as unique individuals and expect companies they do business with to know them, and anything less is a bad experience. Adaptive Personalization allows enterprises to deliver that level of individualized service,” said Michael McShea, SVP, of Marketing and Product Management at Contact Solutions. “With up to 98 percent of customer calls to a contact center being automated in the IVR for many of our customers, the IVR is still highly critical to overall customer CX and may be the primary source of experience with a brand. The IVR channel is operating against the same expectations for personalization that customers are used to getting through other channels, and with the Contact Solutions Adaptive IVR, we can deliver on that experience.”
Benefits of adaptive IVR:
The benefits of creating a more personalized experience are worth noting, including the following:
- Understanding the peculiarities of customer interactions with the contact center IVR menu, as well as what this interaction costs the organization and how it affects the level of customer service.
- Identify customers who find it difficult to work with the IVR and correct their shortcomings long before they demonstrate their dissatisfaction by interrupting the call.
- Adapting the IVR to the peculiarities of individual subscribers’ behavior in real-time.
- Organizing real-time interaction with subscribers and transmitting information about each stage of the customer’s self-service journey to help make the right strategic decisions.
- Ensuring faster resolution of customer requests, which in turn reduces the duration of conversations, increases customer satisfaction, and reduces the cost of IVR channels.
IVR innovations are essential, especially when it comes to making customers feel valued when they call the contact center. The ability to personalize the interaction from the first call is a unique advantage that will certainly attract the attention of contact center managers who are focused on improving customer service and operational efficiency, as well as enhancing customer experience (CX).