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White paper: How disruption can transform voice channels


Johannesburg, 24 Nov 2020

In times of widespread disruption – whether natural or man-made – contact centres can become a true lifeline for customers, as they seek urgent answers to questions old and new. The first half of 2020 bears witness to this. Many organisations saw calls to their contact centre spike to unprecedented levels. At the same time, many saw capacity fall – depleted by agent illness, social distancing and the challenges of working from home.

For the CX leaders tasked with solving the challenges disruption brings, an intelligent IVR (interactive voice response) can be an invaluable ally. But such IVRs have been far from common. Our data indicates very few IVRs offered these intelligent capabilities at the start of this year. In general, IVRs weren’t ready to support a strategic response to rapid social and economic disruption.

Over 160 organisations across the globe have used our online tool to assess the maturity of their IVR. In this report, we share that data, and what it reveals about the state of the world’s IVRs before so many contact centres were forced to adapt to a new normal. We also explore how disruption has proved a catalyst for IVR evolution, telling the stories of organisations that moved quickly to adapt their voice channels to meet unprecedented challenges.