2. What to expect from
this presentation?
Learn from our experience of working on a wide
range of IVR projects. Be first to hear what
consumers have told us about their likes and
dislikes
Why IVR Matters
Why efficiency AND experience can go together
3.
4.
5.
6. It is the emotional and
psychological
relationship you have with
your customers
(Jay Ehret, Marketing Blog Spot)
7. This applies to us all regardless of what we do,
public, private or charity
18. Mamma’s Best IVR muffins
100g The structure / call flow / design
100g Functionality (DTMF, voice rec, self serve)
20g Routing
60ml The scripts
125g Voice messages
1 ½ tsp Music
All combine to create the
sound of your IVR - therefore the
sound of your brand
20. The Power of Sound
Sound affects Feelings & Emotions,
Feelings & Emotions drive behaviour.
(Baumeister et al., 2007)
We are trying to influence behaviour
26. Why did we decide to
commission a white
paper?
27. Does the pre agent
experience
affect customer’s
overall satisfaction?
28. We thought we have to investigate
this in more detail but make
the report :
Independent
Rigorous
Unbiaised
29. Methodology
Our study was conducted
online.
Over 1000 participants
responded (35% female- 65% male)
Independent question
design, data gathering and
analysis
University of Roehampton
Phd student
37. Question 3
We then asked
responders to pick
which
customer service
issues frustrate
them from a
list
38. Result
93% Having to speak
with multiple agents
93% Being kept on hold
for a long period
88.4% Not getting what I
need on the first
attempt
70% Poor sound quality
70% Inappropriate
messages
41. Result
56% are extremely
likely to hang up and
abandon the call
72% of those who hang
up are extremely likely
not to call you back
90% will switch provider
43. Customer Cost
Customers are happy to pay a 10% premium for
excellent customer service rather than experiencing
frustrations and negative emotions (American
Express, July 2011).
44. Customer Cost
It costs five times as much to
acquire a new customer as it
does to keep one
(Peters, 1987)
52. Result
84% Give immediate
feedback to the person
who resolved the enquiry
86% stay loyal
79.1% tell friends &
family
32.6% post on social
networks
53. Happy Callers, Happy Staff
Positive feedback from callers helps the agents to
overcome the emotional exhaustion they may go
through which consequently will increase their
job satisfaction and commitment to the
organisation as well as reducing the percentage
of absenteeism & intention to resign
(Grebnel et al., 2003).
57. Advocacy –
The Holy
Grail?
Attachment to
the brand is a
means to
increase
consumer
loyalty
(Chaudhuri &Holbrook, 2001)
58. Advocacy
attitudinal loyalty and/or
behavioural loyalty
then advocacy
this also has a positive
effect on willingness to
pay more, and
encourages others to
use the products; it is
also negatively related
to an increase in
returning the product
59. Why is advocacy so valuable?
• Positive effect on willingness to pay more, and
• encourages others to use the products; it is also
• related to a decrease in returning the product.
This is the reason why having loyal customers who
can be considered as fans of a brand or company, is
one of the most important goals a business may
have. A loyal customer does more than any advert can
for a business, they become promoters – someone
who would answer ‘yes to the ultimate question –
would you recommend us to a friend.
60. Summary
The results suggest that there is a correlation
between a positive pre agent experience and the
successful or unsuccessful outcome of that call.
What happens to callers in the welcome, menu
options and in queue or on hold experience –
generates emotional reactions and subsequent
behavioural changes.
61. We know what customers have told us
Is there a gap between them & industry
professionals?
64. Operational Impact – Case Study 1
Situation
A major financial services brand came to us for
help with reducing the number of call transfers
they were having to make.
Customer satisfaction was low and each transfer
was costing time and money.
65. Operational Impact – Case Study 2
Situation
One of the largest consumer electronics retailers
in Europe with 5 brands under one roof
Shifted calls from stores to central contact
centre and started to experience high caller
abandonment, below target sales and poor
customer sat scores
70. Create a human experience
not a robotic one
Create a tone of voice that reflects
your brand and service values
Strip away unnecessary layers of IVR
Use words that mean the same to your customers
If there is a wait time deliver personalised,
and relevant content
71. Summary
Understanding underlying caller frustration, the
behaviours they cause and what we can do to
influence them will help us to design and produce
caller experiences that generates desirable
behaviours from both a customer experience and
operational perspective.
These two aspects are sometimes seen as mutually
exclusive and this study shows that they are in fact
complementary
72. Experience AND
Efficiency?
Example
Every caller who reaches
the right place
first time is positive for
the customer (93% of
them)
and is a cheaper call
to handle.
73. We can positively influence the behaviour of our
customers when they get in touch if
we do the right things.
(However, if we do the wrong things we will create negative behaviours)
74. ROI Factors
Abandoned calls
Right first time routing
First call resolution
Call transfers
Acceptance of self serve
Call deflection to other channels
76. Build a
Business Case
Understanding the
business case for
change is crucial in
this climate. Make
sure you know what
each elements
costs you
77. Communicate changes
If you do make changes,
communicate them internally
and with customers.
Sign post the different choices
and explain why if necessary
78. IVR doesn't just impact telephony
We saw earlier how positive customer
feedback increases agent job
satisfaction, and commitment to the
organisation as well as reducing the
percentage of absenteeism and
intention to resign
This means the IVR has wider
consequences and can add even more
value to the organisation as a whole
79. Listen to your
experience
On the way home
dial in to your
main numbers
and listen to the
experience in
relation to the
discussion
today.
What will you do
differently?
