Improve service with better IVR design

Max Parry, Value Partners
23 Apr 2010
00:00

Better filtering

An engagement with one operator revealed that less than 15% of incoming calls required contact with a customer care operator. As many as 45% of callers had requests that were arguably better resolved by automated response systems (balance and billing requests, changes to price plans, VAS bundle changes, etc). The challenge for operators is to enable these customers to quickly and painlessly access the appropriate response system.

The first step in developing an IVR that efficiently executes real solutions for subscribers is advanced caller segmentation. Most existing caller segmentation methods are based on static parameters (such as whether the subscriber is a pre-pay or post-pay customer), but the most effective modern systems can predict in real-time the potential issues faced by the individual customer, by referencing recent usage profiles, billing information, open issues with customer care, and other updated records.

For example, a customer with an overdue bill is likely to be calling to settle the balance. Using this information, IVR menus can be adapted to individual callers to quickly present options that are likely to be relevant to the caller. Similarly, callers of particular strategic value or high up-sell potential can be identified and transferred to specialized call center agents. Personalized IVR menus reduce the redundancy of IVR menu trees, increase customer satisfaction and reduce the number of calls that have to be handled by customer service agents.

An even more effective method of reducing call center traffic is to reduce the need for customers to make support calls in the first place. Often sales are made with little regard to customers' post-sale needs: for example, sales agents do not always explain billing or provisioning details to customers, resulting in inbound calls to resolve issues like scheduling of deliveries or tariff changes. Through intelligent mapping of the customer journey from pre-sale to ongoing post-sale needs, operators can reduce the number of issues the customer needs to raise. Similarly, proactive reporting via email or SMS of the status of outstanding support queries can reduce the need for customers to make follow-up calls themselves.

Operators are also reducing reliance on call centers by encouraging greater customer self-care through alternative media platforms, principally online and mobile portals. However, customers expect web-based support services to be as equally comprehensive as telephone channels. Static information such as FAQ pages may still be the most common form of online support, but these pages are usually inadequate to resolve many issues.

To create a more responsive feel to online support, some leading operators have employed human digital assistant technology. Customers with support queries are greeted by an animated human face that responds to questions and prompts actions in a conversational manner, increasing the personal engagement of the customer with the automated support channel.

The resulting increase in the propensity of subscribers to use online support enabled one of our telco clients to save about E10 million per year, based on a 6% reduction in inbound support calls (roughly 300,000 calls per month). The use of such avatars in Asia may be compelling, particularly in markets where visual technologies via mobile devices are popular: Ovum/Genesys' recent survey indicated that 55% of Indian subscribers and 80% of Chinese subscribers view avatar-based support services as valuable.

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