One of the most important benefits that a telephone system offers is the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) feature. The IVR acts like a digital reception in which it quickly greets every caller to the company and directs the call to the right person within the organization.
Deploying an IVR is a huge undertaking in any business. When implementing an IVR, a company realizes that it can also be used for in other ways than just directing callers to the right person. For example, you can set it up as a company directory or even answer simple questions to frequently asked questions. An IVR in actuality starts the streamlining process of inbound calls to any company, a benefit that appears only after installation. Here are a couple of examples of an IVR being used today.
Retail Stores
A traditional retail store, one that has a physical location, typically gets questions about store hours, directions, and returns. An IVR can offer customers with answers to these frequently asked questions. The solution also provides a secondary benefit of keeping the staff off the phone.
Sales Departments
Sometimes, a website cannot answer all the questions. And when a prospective customer is calling, they have one or two questions that needs explanation before they buy. An IVR will quickly answer the call and direct the caller to a sales specialist who can answer all the questions and ultimately take the sale, or direct back to the website.
Small and Home Based Businesses
An IVR gives a small business the perception that a company is larger than it is. A similar service that provides the same illusion is a personalized domain. Giving a customer a business telephone number that uses a digital receptionist is exactly the same as giving an email address with your company name on it.
And most importantly, an IVR pleasantly delights callers and leaves them with a feeling that the company they are dealing with is professional and understands that time is money. Are you providing your customers with quick answers to their questions?