Technology changes fast and so does the cost of doing business. When faced with the decision of hiring human agents to handle business calls, many high-level executives look for alternatives with measurable results.
In the business world, communication is a key factor for analytics. Call automation systems that are designed to respond to questions from actual customers are ideal for measuring efficiency, workflow, and success.
Understanding the different technologies available today
The technologies used for call automation include tone based voice response, interactive speech based applications, and traditional human employees.
Tone IVR is considered cheap to install but compared to the speech IVR and other methods of communication with potential customers. With this technology, it is not detailed and involves providing a simple Yes or No answer to the caller.
Speech applications are considered more complex in the types of conversation that can be processed. They have been designed to handle complex conversations between clients, and can respond to a client's requirements just like a live agent working in a call center. Conversations are not required to flow in a predetermined manner.
Human staff are often lumped together with the technology of call automation because they are an essential part of the equation. Some companies reserve live employees for more complicated or delicate caller issues. Others save live staff for areas where automated solutions fall short (callers with accents, multiple requests, or complaints typically fall into this category).
Truthfully, one type of automation is no better than another. Each serves to quickly address important phone calls.
What prospective buyers should look for
The company selling a call automation system should offer ongoing monitoring of the system, along with reporting. As mentioned earlier, these systems should provide an easy way to measure efficiency, workflow, and success.
They should also provide any kind of maintenance that is needed. This includes performance optimization, as well. Ultimately, the entire experience should be hassle free.
Besides "try before you buy" options, a company that offers free installation is an advantage. Clients should not have to pay to install something that they are going to pay for later. Therefore, prospective clients should only look for companies that are willing to install their IVR system free of charge.
A good IVR system will offer a variety of applications and features to use. Ultimately, one should have a large amount of choices from which they can choose. Some features and applications worth looking more into are:
+ Customer management
+ Automatic upgrades
+ Adaptive call center customer support
+ Other ways to customize
See a visual comparison of agents to IVRs at: http://www.smartaction.com/. For more resources, visit: http://www.smartaction.com/resources/main
Jay E. Coop enjoys writing about IVR phone systems and interactive voice response.
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