IVR Systems Buyer's Guide: Top Solutions of 2021

What To Look For in IVR Providers

Not all hosted IVR solutions are created equally, and not every single solution will contain the same features. Take a look below at some of the most critical aspects of an IVR system to better understand what your business should keep an eye out for when searching for a provider.

Natural Language Capabilities

Old school interactive voice response systems relied specifically on keypad presses, requesting callers to hit a specific button for the department they need or issue they are trying to resolve. Modern IVR technology now comes with Natural Language capabilities, enabling your system to listen to callers as they speak directly to the system. This helps provide a more natural experience for callers and even lets your IVR system ask for more complex information that could not be represented by a keypress.

Inbound or Outbound Support

Hosted systems may seem like they lend themselves to inbound calling specifically, but that isn’t necessarily the case. Some hosted IVR tech can work with outbound calls as well, providing personalized messages to callers and providing them the opportunity to interact with the system.

IVR systems integrate with dialers and ACD systems to optimize wait times and customer calls for omnichannel call centers. Finding the right tool only requires understanding the needs of your cloud contact center.

Self-Service IVR Options

Self-service goes hand in hand with automation. It’s critical that your IVR supports self-service options to enable automated customer support. These self-service options will enable customers to interact with your system to solve issues without the need for agent intervention, allowing agents to focus on more complex issues and enabling callers to receive the help they need on their own accord.

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Integrations with CRM

Call Centers and CRM solutions go hand in hand, and so do IVR systems. When this solution integrates with a CRM application, critical customer information can be automatically injected into the CRM, enabling much better organization and saving agents time, allowing them to handle calls instead of inputting data.

These systems are as secure as modern CRMs to safely store personal data, credit card information, or other vital material.

Drag and Drop Configuration

IVR solutions can be rather complex, and it may seem like they could be impossible to set up. Try looking for a provider that offers drag and drop configuration. Instead of learning specific code or if-then statements, your IVR communications center can set up a call flow and menu options for the system by simply dragging and dropping and linking together different aspects, visually.

The top IVR technology should provide drag and drop for auto attendant customization and IVR menus.

Furthermore, you should take into account the size of your business. For example, if you need an IVR system for small business, you will need to consider one that is lower in price but still offers the features that you need.

The Top 5 Interactive Voice Response Features to Consider

Depending on the specific needs of your business, your software will have to emphasize different features. However, there are a few key functionalities that are critical to all IVRs. Be sure that you invest in a system that offers these five features.

1. Built-in Automatic Speech Recognition

Automatic speech recognition is a powerful technology.

ASR enables you to identify words spoken by callers, in real-time. Spoken words can even be translated into text to create a full transcript of the conversation that can be provided to the agent when they answer a call. ASR enables your IVR to expand beyond simple keypress functions, allowing clients to have conversations with the system.

2. Intuitive Script Designer

These systems must be given a script so that they know what to say and how to interact with callers. Some script designers can be clunky, confusing, and complex.

You need an IVR software provider that offers an intuitive script designer that is easy to grasp and puts the user experience at the forefront. Drag and drop configuration is one of the best solutions in script designers, enabling your business to set up scripts in a matter of minutes.

3. Queue Callback

No one wants to have to sit with a phone next to their ear, waiting on hold for what feels like forever. Queue callback is a great feature that provides your callers with the option to have an agent call them back when their place in the queue is finally reached.

This is a great quality of life improvement that can help lead to improved caller satisfaction, letting them know that you value their time.

4. Call Queues and Ring Groups

A critical aspect of IVR systems is how your agents and departments will be grouped together. Call queues help your business stay organized, by grouping callers into different queues for different departments or agents.

Ring groups allow you to have multiple phones ring at once when one single phone number or extension is dialed, which enables your business to distribute incoming calls among different agents.

5. Skills-based Routing

Going even further beyond call queues and ring groups, skills-based routing enables your business to direct callers to the best agent for the inquiry. Call routing is based specifically on that agent’s skill level or their specialty.

This way, expert agents can handle more complex issues while callers are directed to the best agent for their issue.

Final Thoughts on IVR Software Solutions

IVR technology has quickly become a must-have for any small to medium business looking to optimize their operations. Generally, it will be offered as a feature of contact center solutions, but not all solutions are created equally.

Seek out a system that integrates directly with your existing software. This ensures setup is a breeze and that you avoid any major issues down the road. CRM integrations also ensure that every step of the customer journey is recorded and documented.

If your business is searching for a new communications platform, always ensure that an IVR is included within that solution. As callers adjust to them, IVR systems are becoming a critical aspect of maintaining an organized, efficient, and productive communications center.

While the lowest price and longest feature list might be attractive, it’s most important to find exactly what your business needs and a provider that can deliver.