The term “interactive voice response” (IVR) usually doesn’t include the word “visual” as it sounds somewhat out of place in this context. The first impression of an IVR system is that it is an audio-only tool, but in fact, adding visual content to the process can be very useful, particularly for mobile phones. This is exactly what Jacada thought when it launched the Visual IVR system on the market of interactive customer interaction, and it is a solution that deserves to be approved.
The new product was released after Jacada joined the Interactive Intelligence Global Alliance Program, an initiative that brings together numerous technology providers that can support companies in providing the best customer experience. Jacada’s membership in this program, which includes firms such as Salesforce, IBM, Zendesk, and others, means that they can also offer customers something unique to deliver superior customer service.
Indeed, Jacada’s visual IVR system offers a wide range of features for customer service. Whereas a traditional IVR system uses only audio as a way of communicating information, a visual IVR system uses the same but adds visual menus to the mix. This technology is the most suitable for smartphone users, as it provides an impressive range of customization options. Visual IVR offers companies the ability to add information from a variety of sources, including email and even free-form text. Audio IVRs, on the other hand, cannot collect such information, which means limited company resources, because the more information the system has, the more it can be used.
Once the information is received, the system passes it on to contact center agents using a platform known as a Customer Interaction Center (CIC) to route the information. When contact center agents receive this data, they don’t need to ask any more questions, making the overall process smoother for both the agent and the customer. CIC operates with several different customer engagement platforms, including predictive dialing, speech recognition, automated customer feedback surveys, and several others.
Jacada’s co-chief executive officer Guy Yair offered some commentary on the move, saying, “Jacada is partnering with Interactive Intelligence to transform the way customers interact with businesses by reducing the effort and pain associated with requesting live service. The integrated Jacada Visual IVR and CIC solution enable customers to experience sophisticated self-service features with the rich attributes available on today’s smart devices, while taking advantage of CIC’s industry-leading customer engagement capabilities.”
Today, it is already clear how important it is to provide omnichannel, i.e. to be as accessible as possible on several different platforms. With customers increasingly shifting to mobile technology, the ability to provide customer service tools that are focused on simplifying the mobile experience is likely to be well received. Visual IVR represents a tremendous advantage for mobile, as it will not only help to increase the number of mobile users but also help companies move towards true omnichannel functionality.
At the same time, it is said that the interactive analytics market is already overcrowded with such materials. But in fact, Jacada’s appearance on the Interactive Intelligence Marketplace should be a positive development, as more and more users are looking to improve customer experience and make a more attractive offer to users.