Can IVR ruin customer experience?
We were all in that position. We called toll-free numbers and listened to greetings from an interactive answering machine (IVR): "Welcome to Company X ...".
So, we know that we are not talking with a living person, but we are optimistic that after a simple “yes” or “no”, or after a couple of key presses on the phone, we will get the required information. And sometimes it works as expected. However, according to JD Power and Associates, a good IVR is the exception rather than the rule.
Studies have shown that the share of IVR falls 33% of the total customer experience about the quality of the company's services. Unfortunately, these same studies find that IVR is the weak link of most organizations, it potentially worsens the situation and contributes to a decrease in the quality of customer service. Comparison of satisfaction with a live sales representative and IVR showed that only in 7% of cases, satisfaction with IVR was higher.
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To better understand how IVR affects the quality of service, it is useful to look at quality in terms of the SLICE-B model proposed by the Tempkin Group. Each element of the model affects the overall quality of service. These elements are:
Start - to what extent is the user involved in practice?
Localization - how easy can a customer get what he needs?
Interaction - how well does the client understand and control what is happening?
Completeness - to what degree did the client achieve what he was looking for?
Ending - with what mood did the client move to the next step?
Brand fit - how much has the company opinion improved?
How does your IVR fit the SLICE-B model? Can IVR adversely affect customer service? To deal with this, let's consider the notorious preliminary recordings and / or text-to-speech (TTS).
When IVR works with simple, general requests, it is able to meet the needs of the client. In the case of providing complex services or responding to unique requests, as the number of menu options grows, so does customer dissatisfaction. Everyone knows the situation when you have to listen to the full list of menu options, even if an option similar to the one you are looking for is at the top of the list. Studies show that the average number of options that a person can hold in memory is between 3 and 4.
The long and deep tree of the menu is bad for the second and third element of the SLICE-B model: not only is it difficult to localize a suitable option, but because of one-way interaction, the subscriber doesn’t imagine when he reaches the desired option. Only after repeating the entire menu, the user begins to imagine what to do. According to Forrester research, 45% of customers hang up if they are unable to quickly reach the desired option. They do not want to listen and try to memorize long menus.
The client knows what he wants. The IVR system is trying to predict what the client may ask, and is trying to pass on the necessary information. Unfortunately, instead of saying “I need this” and immediately getting an answer, the client patiently presses the buttons, hoping eventually to get what he called. That is why the Forrester study shows that the client receives the highest degree of satisfaction from communicating with a live operator.
The fourth and fifth elements of the above model - completeness and ending, complete all the things for which the client called and was effectively transferred to the next step - destructive, when the user did not get the desired result. The opportunity to move to a live operator can still save the situation, but often the user does not receive this opportunity either and his previously positive opinion of the company finally crumbles to dust.
Back in 20011, Natalie Dyke wrote an article for CRM Magazine (now Destination CRM) entitled “Hell in IVR”. Since then, the term has been used thousands of times by reporters, journalists, and bloggers who have written many horrific stories about clients who have been lost in the intertwining of trees and endless cycles of poorly designed IVR. This is what suffers from the sixth and final element of the model that destroys your brand.
So, we know that we are not talking with a living person, but we are optimistic that after a simple “yes” or “no”, or after a couple of key presses on the phone, we will get the required information. And sometimes it works as expected. However, according to JD Power and Associates, a good IVR is the exception rather than the rule.
Studies have shown that the share of IVR falls 33% of the total customer experience about the quality of the company's services. Unfortunately, these same studies find that IVR is the weak link of most organizations, it potentially worsens the situation and contributes to a decrease in the quality of customer service. Comparison of satisfaction with a live sales representative and IVR showed that only in 7% of cases, satisfaction with IVR was higher.
')
To better understand how IVR affects the quality of service, it is useful to look at quality in terms of the SLICE-B model proposed by the Tempkin Group. Each element of the model affects the overall quality of service. These elements are:
Start - to what extent is the user involved in practice?
Localization - how easy can a customer get what he needs?
Interaction - how well does the client understand and control what is happening?
Completeness - to what degree did the client achieve what he was looking for?
Ending - with what mood did the client move to the next step?
Brand fit - how much has the company opinion improved?
How does your IVR fit the SLICE-B model? Can IVR adversely affect customer service? To deal with this, let's consider the notorious preliminary recordings and / or text-to-speech (TTS).
Please choose from 9 options ...
When IVR works with simple, general requests, it is able to meet the needs of the client. In the case of providing complex services or responding to unique requests, as the number of menu options grows, so does customer dissatisfaction. Everyone knows the situation when you have to listen to the full list of menu options, even if an option similar to the one you are looking for is at the top of the list. Studies show that the average number of options that a person can hold in memory is between 3 and 4.
The long and deep tree of the menu is bad for the second and third element of the SLICE-B model: not only is it difficult to localize a suitable option, but because of one-way interaction, the subscriber doesn’t imagine when he reaches the desired option. Only after repeating the entire menu, the user begins to imagine what to do. According to Forrester research, 45% of customers hang up if they are unable to quickly reach the desired option. They do not want to listen and try to memorize long menus.
Sorry, this is the wrong answer ...
The client knows what he wants. The IVR system is trying to predict what the client may ask, and is trying to pass on the necessary information. Unfortunately, instead of saying “I need this” and immediately getting an answer, the client patiently presses the buttons, hoping eventually to get what he called. That is why the Forrester study shows that the client receives the highest degree of satisfaction from communicating with a live operator.
The fourth and fifth elements of the above model - completeness and ending, complete all the things for which the client called and was effectively transferred to the next step - destructive, when the user did not get the desired result. The opportunity to move to a live operator can still save the situation, but often the user does not receive this opportunity either and his previously positive opinion of the company finally crumbles to dust.
Press the grid to return to the main menu ...
Back in 20011, Natalie Dyke wrote an article for CRM Magazine (now Destination CRM) entitled “Hell in IVR”. Since then, the term has been used thousands of times by reporters, journalists, and bloggers who have written many horrific stories about clients who have been lost in the intertwining of trees and endless cycles of poorly designed IVR. This is what suffers from the sixth and final element of the model that destroys your brand.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/239723/
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