Traditional IVR is Killing Your Customer Experience and Burning Out Your Agents
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems were once seen as a breakthrough in customer service automation, but they haven’t moved with the times.
In today’s fast-paced, customer-centric world, they hinder more than help.
The downfalls of traditional IVR
Rigid menus: Callers are forced through predefined paths, leading to frustration when their specific needs don’t fit with the available options.
Lack of personalisation: IVRs treat every caller the same, failing to recognise returning customers or adapt to individual preferences.
High abandonment Rates: Lengthy menus and hold times contribute to increased call drop-offs, directly impacting customer satisfaction.
The Conversational AI advantage
Conversational AI revolutionises the customer experience by engaging in natural, free-flowing conversations.
Unlike traditional IVRs, they speak to callers as your agents would, understanding context and handling interruptions gracefully, while providing personalised responses for a more natural interaction.
Plus, IVRs are simply call-pushers, putting callers in queues to speak to agents that can resolve their issues and answer their questions.
Conversational AI isn’t an IVR, it’s your hardest working agent – taking those frequently asked questions and answering them, or troubleshooting issues to find the resolution, based on the data that’s already stored throughout your business – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Nor is it a replacement for your team – it’s a force multiplier.
Beating agent burnout
Contact centres are the frontline of customer interaction, but frustrated customers, repetitive tasks and high call volumes can lead to staff burnout and turnover.
- Monotonous tasks: Handling the same queries daily can diminish employee engagement.
- Inconsistent service: Burnout can lead to errors, affecting customer satisfaction.
- High turnover: Stress and lack of fulfilment are significant factors in staff churn.
By taking those monotonous jobs out of your agent’s workflows, Conversational AI enables them to spend longer with the callers who need human input, building better relationships with less time pressure to turn around the biggest detractors of their brands.
In turn, staff feel more satisfied in their roles, more motivated to excel and have the energy levels to continue developing their skills. That means higher team morale among longer-serving, more experienced staff that can deliver better levels of service, as well as lower recruitment and onboarding costs too!
So, why cling to outdated IVR systems that erode customer trust and staff loyalty?
Embracing conversational AI not only enhances user satisfaction but also streamlines operations, offering a far better employee experience at the same time… what’s not to like?
Let’s talk about how Conversational AI can support your business’s growth before your competitors beat you to it!
