IVR: Why do entrepreneurs need it in their start-ups?

Generating credibility is one of the most difficult tasks for entrepreneurs in their beginnings. Of course, getting started is important beyond fame, clientele or available resources. However, there are quite inexpensive technological solutions that allow any type of business to be professional. Precisely, the IVR is one of those tools that provide the business with a formal and convincing image.

Nowadays, many people start small businesses from scratch. Some even at a very young age, using only social networks and a smartphone as the only means of business communication. This is not bad, but you can always use telemarketing software to project more professionalism. At this point you may be wondering, what is an IVR?

 

IVR: A tool we all know

Talking about IVR phone system seems very complicated, technical or little seen. However, this is a system that almost all of us have encountered in one way or another. Those who have called a bank’s call center or telephone company have come across this type of tool. Truth be told, few people in today’s world have not interacted with telephone customer service.

When a customer calls and encounters an operator who asks for their information and leads them through the departments of a call center, they are interacting with the IVR. This system is also known as Interactive Voice Response (IVR).

The main function of the IVR is to interact with the customer, collect data and lead him through the menu of options. In this way, the customer will be able to communicate with the correct department when establishing communication with a call center. In the meantime, this automated system can perform other very important tasks for the call center.

However, the IVR telephone system also fulfills a dual institutional and advertising role. In principle, this application allows the introduction of institutional messages, slogans and recordings that identify the company and humanize it. This is the most interesting part for those who have a very recent venture.

IVR as an institutional element

Many entrepreneurs lack elements that evoke institutionalism when starting their initiatives. This reduces reliability among users in principle, which is always synonymous with fewer sales. Precisely, the IVR makes it possible to incorporate institutional messages and advertisements in a business phone. This can be verified when calling any company or institution with a call center. The first thing you hear is a welcome, some advertising, and then the customer service process begins.

Basically, the IVR has several spaces where recordings with institutional messages can be placed: the name of the company, mission and vision and other dialogues that serve to project the enterprise as a serious, responsible and formal company.

In fact, having an IVR when a client calls evokes seriousness. If a customer communicates with a business and hears messages from this interactive system, he will quickly understand that he is communicating with a serious, respectable and real company. This is much better than calling a personal phone, for example.

The IVR as part of the brand

But beyond being an element that evokes institutionalism, the IVR is nowadays used as a branding element. For sure, business advertisers try to unify IVR messages with other advertising elements of the companies. For example, if a business advertises with a featured advertiser or voice, they often try to incorporate this element into the interactive response system as well.

This is something that can also be seen in the call centers of clinics, banks, insurance companies and telephone companies. This is how a system that was intended to interact with people to facilitate their entry into the call system, has become a really effective advertising space.

The IVR’s effectiveness in creating a company’s image is truly astounding. This is so because every time a customer calls the message is repeated, remaining in the subconscious. Companies create an identity and characteristics that identify them, becoming a brand. Evidently, going from being an initiative with a future to becoming one is what every entrepreneur wants for their venture.

Space for promotions

The spaces to insert recordings in the IVR are quite usable and, since customers are the ones who call, there is usually enough time to transmit promotions. In fact, this interactive system usually greets users with an institutional welcome. But, in addition, you can always use a few extra seconds to announce an offer, sweepstakes or promotion.

That is to say, after the greeting, a promotional recording can be placed. Likewise, you can take advantage of the time the customer is left on hold while a request is being processed. Currently, the IVR offers a very broad structure for adding advertisements. Best of all, you can always change the advertising pieces, giving some variety to the content and allowing for different promotions.

Customers are totally accustomed to hearing promotions right at the beginning of their calls to a company. In other words, it is very difficult to cause any kind of annoyance with this service.

Three technical functions of the IVR

Next, the IVR solves problems that are important for consolidated companies with a large volume of calls. To tell the truth, this module revolutionized the logic of corporate customer service in multiple ways. This is because its functionality has made it possible to address many customer service issues. Far from attending to customers and greeting them, the IVR fulfills the following functions:

It incorporates self-management systems: the development of automation has made it possible to incorporate self-management systems that allow customers to solve their problems by themselves. For example, nowadays it is not necessary to use a telephone operator to reset bank passwords. The IVR makes it possible to incorporate these automated applications and improve the quality of service.
Redistributes call queues: When companies begin to have call volume, the IVR gives companies time to attend to the calls in queue. In other words, the time used for greetings and promotions is useful for people to wait a little longer without feeling that they are waiting. In addition, by directing people to the appropriate departments, it avoids inconveniences.
It allows surveys to be conducted: If there is something that companies value nowadays, it is being able to have information from their customers and users. Precisely, with the IVR it is possible to incorporate telephone surveys to make all kinds of queries to the people who communicate with the business. This is a very useful function that not all companies with telemarketing software can offer.

In reality, the IVR also fulfills other functions that are of interest to those companies that have call centers. This is just a taste of what this application solves. It could be said that it is one of the most important parts of any virtual PBX.

How to have a business line?

At the beginning of the article we indicated that the IVR is an automated application used when contracting business lines. Perhaps this may sound strange or complex, but in reality all entrepreneurs can have a business communication system with a very low investment. To do so, you only need to hire a virtual PBX.

The virtual switchboard is a software that allows entrepreneurs to have functions and modules that are used in the call center. However, it does not matter if we do not yet have a call center or a staff of telephone operators. In principle, this tool will provide any entrepreneur with professional, formal communication and tools as useful as IVR. In fact, this is just the beginning of all the modules offered by this service.

The best thing is that hiring a virtual switchboard is not something extremely expensive or impossible to afford. In fact, at Neotel we have quite cheap plans, designed for entrepreneurs and merchants who are just starting their business. It is possible to contract this software for a basic monthly fee of 100 euros and have basic functions and, of course, the IVR telephone system. From this point on, no one will doubt that your company is real, integrated and formal.

Neotel also has advanced modules, ideal for marketing, data collection and customer service. Our company offers everything you need to professionalize your business. Check our rates and contact us if you have any questions.