Johannesburg, 04 Aug 2010
Introducing interactive voice recognition (IVR) technology as a replacement to call centre agents can only be successful if businesses are prepared to let their clients have a say in how the system is designed, according to leading call centre and communications expert, Inter-Active Technologies.
In a time where customer service is becoming increasingly important, Johannesburg-based Inter-Active Technologies stresses that while businesses should keep up with the times by using IVR for standard customer calls, they should only do so if their customers support the idea.
Avoiding an overly complicated system, which could result in customers feeling alienated and frustrated, is another key step in designing the most cost-effective and user-friendly system.
Inter-Active Technologies' business manager for MTN, Bennie Sch"onfeldt, explains: “Many businesses are heading towards speech and voice recognition systems, however, many do not take the customer into consideration, and this is where the problem lies. Providing too many options and transactions will only frustrate the customer. IVR is a sensitive product, and if the customer has a bad experience, chances are they won't try to use the system again. IVR was designed to take non-essential calls away from agents, but if it is not implemented properly, they will continue to get the calls because customers will try to avoid the system. A negative impact like that could take up to 18 months before a customer trusts IVR again.”
IVR was introduced to the South African market more than 15 years ago as a replacement to touch tone calling. While many companies use the technology, it may not necessarily always be the best option in a country with 11 official languages.
“In Africa, dictionaries are not really up to the standard where everybody would be comfortable to use it. For example, a mobile network provider has to cater for a number of different languages, and the dictionaries for those languages are not 100% reliable yet. That is why it is so important to consult customers before switching to voice recognition,” Sch"onfeldt stresses.
Despite these setbacks, however, he notes that the cost of operating an IVR system is considerably cheaper than employing full-time agents, with a service cost of a call amounting to 3c, as opposed to the R27 cost of servicing a call on an agent level. Additional advantages of the technology include increased reliability, availability, and extended business hours.
Inter-Active Technologies offers expert support and advice on IVR systems, ranging from the design and implementation of the service, to the re-engineering of existing systems that are failing.
“There are a number of companies that can install an IVR system, however, the most important thing to take into consideration is the design of that IVR; Inter-Active Technologies will create an IVR system that is especially suited to the company's needs. If you get it right the first time, your uptake will be a lot higher and your investment in the system will pay for itself. Getting it wrong could prove costly,” Sch"onfeldt concludes.
Inter-Active Technologies is a specialist call centre and communication operation. Years of services innovation and system design in customer contact centres, business communication services and information communication technologies has positioned Inter-Active Technologies as a sought-after 'delivery channel'.
The company specialises in assisting its customers to improve communication with their clients through the provision of call and contact centre maximisation services, call and contact centre outsourcing and hosted application service models (ASMs), call and contact centre technologies, business process management and solution architectures.
Notes to the editor:
There are numerous photographs specific to this press release. Please visit http://media.ngage.co.za and click the Inter-Active Technologies link.
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