Is your IVR suffering from broken window syndrome?

In the early 1980s James Q Willson and George L Kelling introduced the world to 'The Broken Window' theory. 

The theory gives the example of a building with one broken window; if the window remains broken, more windows will suffer the same fate until eventually the building is broken into in its entirety.  This, Willson and Kelling refer to as the ‘norm setting’, which will signal all-out urban disorder! 

The same applies in business - if a guest arrives at a hotel to a hostile welcome from the front desk this sets the tone for the remainder of their stay. So when they arrive in their room to discover a cobweb, or when they are shown to a table in the restaurant and not given menus, they are much more likely to complain about anything and everything throughout their stay.

The same is true of your IVR system.  It's your front of house.  Your head housekeeper.  Your maître de. 

If a customer has to spend what seems like an eternity in a call queue listening to the same messages telling them their call is important, their call is valued, their call will be answered as soon as an agent becomes available…frustration builds, and before you know it their patience has just about run out. 

How can this situation be avoided? Well like any good hotel you should have happy, well-trained, informed and interested front of house staff.  Think more Cesar Ritz than Basil Fawlty.

Call queues are, more often than not, unavoidable, but at least if those queuing callers are listening to the right style of music, a voice over that puts them at ease, and informative, engaging messages, they might actually learn something about you instead of just being irritated by the time they speak to a human being! 

Sound like a good idea? Got a ‘broken window’ that needs fixing?  Then give us a call - we can mend your IVR system and avoid all-out caller disorder.

What makes a good IVR Script?

We love it when clients ask us this question because it shows they care about the customer experience. What makes a good IVR script is a very good question to ask because the language you use, the length of each messages and how you structure the overall call flow can make or quite literally break your callers experience.

IVR scripts should get right to the point and be as short as possible

Your callers want to speak to a human being as quickly as possible so writing lengthy IVR prompts that delay being connected to a real agent is only going to cause frustration.

Keep each prompt as short as possible while still giving the caller all the relevant information and try to reduce the number of options if possible to keep the caller moving through the IVR system.

The script needs to be congruent with your brand

This is all down to your use of language. Corporate companies such as insurance firms, banks and legal practices should most probably adopt a formal approach to instil confidence and reassure callers. Companies in creative industries might opt for a more informal style script to match their brand.

Think about what happens when/if the caller enters a call queue

You might think once a caller has been guided to a department that's the end of the script but what happens if the caller has to wait to speak to an agent and enters the call queue? What do they hear? Silence? Music? Their position in the queue?

At the very least you should have a music track that matches your brand to keep callers engaged and ideally you should have music and voice messages to give out relevant information. For example if a caller needs their account number remind them whilst they’re in the call queue so they can have all the information to hand.

For callers in a support call queue you can tell them where to find answers to frequently asked questions.

Taking the time to fully map out each call flow and IVR script will have a positive impact on your caller’s experience.

So there you have it our top tips to help you create a great IVR Script.

Still need some help? Then get in touch, call 0161 850 3033 we offer a free 20 minute IVR Script consultation.

Thinking of recording your own IVR Messages in-house?

Here are 5 points to consider before recording your IVR Messages in-house...

We get a lot of ‘how hard can it be to record our own messages…?’  Well, in truth, not only can it be hard in the sense of getting the right intonations and personality in your recordings, but it can also be hard on your company’s purse strings. Recording IVR messages in-house may seem like a good idea or a cheaper option, but like most things in life, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is!  You, or one of your valued employees, could have the best personality in the world, a first class drama degree, or just simply like the sound of their own voice, but we often find that once faced with the prospect of laying down audio in a recording studio, they don’t quite have what it takes to give the company the sound you’re looking for.

If you want to go down the route of using an employee to record your IVR messages here are five points to consider first:

1. Having a 'nice voice' is not enough; you have to know how to use it!

Professional voiceovers take years to hone their skill to enable them to know where inflections should be used in a script, while still sounding natural so the finished recording doesn’t sound forced. Unless the employee you’re considering using has this level of experience then the finished audio will not engage callers in the most positive way, so the finished messages are highly unlikely to be the same quality as using a professional voiceover.

2. How will the recording sound?

If you are going to use an employee to record your IVR Prompts, where, when and how will you do the recording? You could set up in a corner of the office or the boardroom but how much background noise is there? How long will it take to record every single prompt into the system then check over to ensure what has been recorded matches the script and is correct? When will you find the time to record? Wouldn’t you and or your employee be more productive doing your normal job, because it’s likely to take a while to record even the shortest of scripts, which brings us on to…

3. How long will the recording process take and what’s the real cost?

This fact is often overlooked. A professional voiceover will record an IVR script far quicker than an inexperienced wannabe! This means your employee could take all day to record a 500 word script correctly, something which a professional voiceover would have done in under an hour. This is compounded if you’re using a professional recording studio as you’ll be paying an hourly rate for studio hire. The longer it takes to get the script ‘in the can’ the longer the editing process will take removing all the fault starts or worse piecing together the best bits of several different takes, wastes precious studio time and costs money! So much so that the dramatic increase in studio hire costs can often outweigh the cost of hiring a professional voiceover artist in the first place.

Of course you can record at your premises but the quality will be nowhere near as good as a professional studio.

4. How often do you need updates?

Our professional voiceovers are in the studio most days so when a new IVR prompt needs recording we can usually turn it around in 24 - 48 hours. If your employee records in-house then if they’re not in the office this can delay important updates. If you’re using a recording studio, your employee will have to travel to a studio to record which increases lead times further.

5. What happens if the employee leaves the company?

At best they're unlikely to be willing or able to record new IVR prompts when needed. 

At worst they may ask for all the IVR recordings to be completely removed from the system, especially if they are moving on to a competitor.

This then creates a dilemma for you – to re-record or not to re-record? If you decide to take the plunge and re-record your entire set of messages, the aforementioned processes and stumbling blocks once more rear their ugly heads, and you will probably be left wishing you’d just bitten the bullet and recorded with a professional voiceover in the first place!

It’s also worth noting that voiceover work is probably outside the scope of an employee’s contract of employment so they may look for remuneration for their additional work.

We outlined the benefits of using a professional voiceover artist to record your IVR prompts in September last year click here to take a look.

If you have any questions or queries we’re always happy to discuss projects call us on 0161 850 3033.

Optimising recordings for use on IVR Systems

An often over looked part of the IVR recording process is mastering the finished audio.

Once the session recording has been cut up and saved as individual files, it's essential that these files are checked for accuracy; this includes checking each file against the approved IVR script, volume matching each file and them optimising for use on the IVR system. 

How we optimise IVR Messages for use on your IVR System...

Volume Matching

We volume match each IVR file so you don't geT BIG CHANGES IN SOUND LEVel when played back on your IVR system. Ensuring volume consistency across the entire system makes the whole IVR experience a much more pleasurable one. 

File Optimisation

Matching your new IVR messages to the required file specification for your IVR system is a must, otherwise the voice prompts will be too loud, too quiet or even distorted when played down the line to callers.

We've worked with a wide range of IVR systems and as long as we know the file specification we can optimise your IVR prompts to sound their best.

If you want to hear the difference a professionally recorded IVR message can make to your system then request your free demo recording today.

by Steve Hindley you can find Steve on Google+

The benefits of Professionally Recorded IVR Telephone Prompts

In business image is everything nowadays, and professionally recorded IVR messages can enhance your brand. After your website, the phone is usually the first point of contact with customers so it pays to make the right first impression.

If you’re utilising an Interactive Voice Response system, what impression is it giving callers?

The main benefits of using Professionally Recorded IVR Messages:

Experienced Voices - We hand pick only the best voice talent based on their experience and ability, the voice artists we work with have years of experience and are able to deliver consistent sounding IVR Prompts. Callers can instantly spot a professional voiceover which creates the right first impression for your company.

Consistent Sound - Our voiceovers are very good at matching their delivery style to your brand values, is able to bring your IVR Script to life and create the right mood for your telephone system. When you come to record message updates in the future your chosen voiceover will be able to match the new and old messages perfectly - your callers will never tell the difference.

High Quality Audio - Having your IVR Messages recorded in a fully soundproofed voice booth with a microphone worth over £1,000 ensures high quality sound, without distracting background noise. You might think that it’s not worth going to all that effort when the finished recordings will be used on the phone (yes you’re right the phone network doesn't provide great quality) but if you start with a recording that has background noise and is unclear, this will be magnified when listening back to it on the phone.

Professional Editing - If you record your own IVR Messages it’s usually done straight into the telephone system which means you have no editing control. What you record is what you get; there’s no chance to edit out breaths, pops, clicks and background noise, all of which are distracting for callers and doesn’t create the right impression. Audio editing requires a tuned ear and technical skills to provide a polished batch of IVR Prompts, which all match perfectly.

In short if you’re serious about attracting new customers and retaining existing ones, then taking the time and effort to improve your IVR Prompts it a must.

by Steve Hindley you can find Steve on Google+

Not all IVR Systems are customer facing

Over the past few months we have seen a rise in the number of IVR Messages being used for internal communications typically HR and IT Helpdesks.

Larger organisations with thousands of employees need to operate efficient systems for dealing with queries and an IVR system with professionally recorded IVR Messages can help internal departments control their workflow.

Professionally recording IVR Messages shows employees you've taken time to think about their experience as well as the customer experience.

by Steve Hindley you can find Steve on Google+

Will you be compliant on 13th June 2014?

On Friday 13th June 2014, the Distance Selling Regulations 2000 and Off-Premises (Doorstep) Regulations 2008 will be revoked and replaced by Consumer Contracts Regulations. So if you're a trader selling goods, services or digital content to consumers, there is a new set of regulations which will apply to you. Sorry if you're B2B as we know a lot of you are but these are big important changes which are worth knowing about, whether you’re B2B or B2C.

There are a number of changes, some of which include the information that must be given to consumers before making a purchase, their rights if they change their mind, delivery times and much more but we're going to look at the changes around the use of non-geographic phone numbers such as 0845, 0844, 0871, 0872 and 0873 for customer helplines.

First of all it's worth pointing out that you can still use non-geographic numbers for your sales lines (for now), as the changes affect customer telephone helplines for after sales service.  The regulations state:

"No phone charges in excess of basic rate for post-contract phone queries"
 
In plain English this means if you offer a telephone helpline for consumers to contact you about something they’ve bought, there should be a number available on which they call for this purpose, costing them no more than the basic rate.

So to comply you must offer a customer service line to consumers on at least one of the following numbers: geographic numbers or numbers which are always set at the same rate, which usually begin 01, 02 or 03 and mobile numbers which usually begin 07, or free of charge i.e. 0800 and 0808.

OFCOM has proposed reforms around call charges to 0800 and 0808 numbers so they will soon become free to call from mobiles.

Of course if you need any of your telephone messages re-recording to reflect any new phone numbers you've implemented give us a call on 0161 850 3033.

The above information is as a guide only.  Latest information and guidance on the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations can be found on the government's Department for Business Innovation & Skills website.

by Steve Hindley you can find Steve on Google+

What are IVR Voice Prompts?

Quite simply IVR voice prompts are the spoken messages you hear when calling an automated telephone system.

When you call your bank, utility company, insurance broker, hotel chain...in fact with most large companies who provide customer service or ordering functions over the phone you're likely to be greeted by an IVR system which plays a number of IVR voice prompts, giving you the option to go through to different departments.

Who records these IVR prompts?

We do! We have a range of professional voice overs who have many years recording everything from TV and radio commercials to corporate narration and of course IVR prompts.

Why are IVRs used so much?If well designed and implemented properly (with of course professionally recorded IVR message prompts) IVR systems can improve call handling for not just companies but also clients by delivering callers to the correct department quickly and efficiently.

To discuss our IVR Prompt Recording Service and how an IVR system could improve your call handling efficiency give us a call on 0800 0112 123.

How many levels does your IVR Menu have?

If your IVR takes callers more than four layers into the IVR Menu System then you're probably upsetting your callers and causing extra stress when all they want to do it talk to you.

This might sound like we're talking ourselves out of a work but it's also our job to help clients to rationalise and simplify their IVR System so it works for callers.

So let us take your maze of IVR options and sub menus and work our magic.

Your callers and customers will love you for it!

Call us on 0800 0112 123 or email enquiry@IVR-Recordings.co.uk to get started.

Welcome to the new IVR Recordings Website

Hello and welcome to our new look IVR Recordings website, we hope you like the refreshed style and additional content.

We've got lots of information and audio samples of IVR Message Prompts to make your call centre sounds great. If you need professionally recorded IVR Prompts for your telephone IVR System then we're the people to talk to!

You can also Request a Call Back or Free Quotation here

Keep checking our blog as we'll be launching some exciting new content over the next few weeks.

If you're looking for On-Hold Marketing Messages then visit our sister website www.iNarratorOnHold.com