How Interactive Voice Response Boosts First Call Resolution and Customer Satisfaction Rates

Most people likely connect interactive voice response (IVR) systems with inbound calls. Customers or patients call into a call center, customer service department, or collections agency. Once connected with the IVR system, the individual interacts with it and either performs an action, such as paying bills or updating contact information, or requests to be connected with a live agent.

The system, when implemented well, works wonders upon customer satisfaction and first call resolution (FCR) rates. However, IVR offers opportunities to improve outbound initiatives, too, further cementing the metrics important to your center, agency, or department. We’ll explore both the inbound and outbound aspects of IVR in this post and detail how they improve communications and collections inside and outside the organization.

Inbound Calls and First Call Resolution

When customers call your organization, they want answers, fast. They don’t want to be put on hold or cycle through a never-ending menu of options. They simply desire to reach a person with a question, pay a bill, or request information about an upcoming appointment or due date.

TCN meets your customers’ need — and, by correlation, yours — with an integrated interactive voice response (IVR) system. With it, you can customize greetings, menu options, and routing based upon agent skills or customer escalation. A customer, for example, who repeatedly presses “0” probably wishes to speak with an agent or manager immediately rather than navigate the IVR menu.

The system also stores customers’ navigation of the IVR system within the TCN Platform 3.0 Agent Gateway, providing you with detailed information about who your customers are and the resources they want. Agents can use that data to tailor conversations on the phone, as well as communications via email and other delivery vehicles.

Outbound Calls and First Call Resolution

Outbound calls only function when they are right party contacts (RPC)—positive results like greater first call resolutions and customer satisfaction are likely rewards.

TCN’s interactive voice response (IVR) system helps your agents mediate solutions, largely through features shared in the previous section. The data recorded in the Agent Gateway gives agents detailed information about the people they’re calling back. Agents can combine that data with other resources housed within the Gateway, such as that shared from a customer relationship management (CRM) tool or payment solution. The IVR system also records real-time activity, allowing agents to conduct more productive calls, and enabling you to better manage and mentor agents.

With the improvements made in interactive voice response (IVR) systems the past few years, investing in them is the simple, smart thing to do. TCN’s cloud-based IVR solution integrates with other contact center functions so that you gain a holistic view of the organization and its operations at a cost-effective price point. If you’re ready to employ IVR at your organization, request a demo today.