| Can Your IVR Messaging Get Any Better? | | | | you are leaving it to the luck of the draw. |
| | | | |
| A question I often get asked from both new | | | | This process I call IVR Optimization, (I |
| and existing clients is the same question | | | | borrowed the term from Google Web |
| that marketing experts ask themselves every | | | | Optimization), a tool that you can use to |
| day. I will use the same approach to help you | | | | improve on your web conversion rates by |
| arrive at an answer."In your experience can | | | | testing various versions of your web site. |
| my IVR messaging get any better?" | | | | |
| | | | Now, you ask yourself, what does this have |
| Even after 14 years in this business, my | | | | anything to do with IVR applications? Its |
| crystal ball tells me the same thing, "Ask | | | | simple, the same principals of "Split |
| the caller". | | | | Testing" apply and are possible with an IVR |
| | | | campaign. |
| Do what marketing experts do, test your | | | | |
| messaging, more specifically, split test your | | | | Dynamic, IVR Optimization allows you to test |
| message to ensure that your message gets | | | | different variations of your IVR scripting. |
| users to do what you want them to do. | | | | This way you can identify the message |
| | | | combinations that produce the highest success |
| Whether you are using IVR for a survey, lead | | | | rates. The success rate being; how often you |
| generation, or providing a client with | | | | can get the caller to do what you want them |
| information on their account, make sure that, | | | | to do. |
| the message gets the caller to do what you | | | | |
| want them to do. | | | | You can run 2, 3 or 4 different combinations |
| | | | and not just rely on gut feelings. You can |
| * Is your objective to have your customer use | | | | conduct real-time research, with real |
| your self-service IVR to check their balance? | | | | callers. This research helps you optimize |
| Or talk to an agent? (Needless to say that if | | | | your messaging and yield the highest success |
| the caller opts for the agent, it will cost | | | | rate. |
| you 5 times more than if they interact with | | | | |
| an IVR). | | | | The IVR world is a little more complex than |
| | | | Google's Web optimizer approach; you have |
| * Do you want callers to say yes, to be | | | | more caller/call recipient interactions to |
| contacted regarding an auto loan? | | | | consider. |
| | | | |
| * Do you want more of your customers to | | | | The good news is that with the right |
| participate in your customer satisfaction | | | | expertise and technical framework you can |
| survey? | | | | optimize your IVR messaging so the caller |
| | | | will do what you want them to do; you can |
| The type of application doesn't matter, if | | | | move away from the traditional "guess work" |
| you want to optimize your results, and | | | | approach to a systematic, predictable |
| achieve the return you are expecting. You | | | | approach that will provide you with the |
| need to test with real customers - otherwise | | | | highest return. |