Olivia Maier
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems are an affordable way to effectively manage incoming calls. An IVR system is an automated phone system with call routing capabilities. You’ve probably experienced an IVR system from a caller’s perspective before. If you’ve ever heard an automated message prompting you to select where you want to be routed based on menu numbers, or department names, that’s IVR.
IVR systems are able to be customized by using pre-recorded welcome messages and prompts, making them adaptable to your specific needs.
If you’re a small business, you may be wondering if IVR makes sense for you. There are many benefits of an IVR system for all businesses, but small businesses can especially benefit from this technology.
A business phone system is able to function as a call screener, helping save your team time as they can avoid calls that aren’t relevant to their work. They also won’t be interrupted for calls that are better suited for other team members. By routing calls where they are meant to go, your team can avoid unnecessary interruptions to their work.
Your callers can also benefit by going directly where they need to in order to have their call successfully resolved. By allowing them to do this, they can spend less time on the phone and reach quicker resolutions.
For a small business, it is important to maximize everyone’s time effectively. An IVR system helps do that, allowing you to connect with more callers in a given day.
With an IVR system, a customer can access your phone lines day or night. They can be routed to your voicemail if no one is available, which makes sure that their call is handled promptly during your team’s working hours.
Set your team up for success by having calls sorted appropriately before they even have to return a call. This will help a smaller team reach more callers without overworking your employees. For a small business with only one or two employees handling the phone it can still be useful as you will know exactly what your caller is looking for when you return their call.
Reduce errors
With manually done routing, there is room for errors to cause tiresome back and forth. IVR systems are able to automatically direct callers to the appropriate team members, reducing overall errors.
With a small business, it can be difficult to handle incoming calls and get them manually routed. This can lead to issues in caller satisfaction, but luckily an IVR system can help you avoid that!
An IVR system is able to route calls to the appropriate available team members, who will already know what they want. This increases the processing speed, and allows for a higher call handling capacity.
As a small business it might also be effective to route calls to any users that are currently available. This can maximize the efficiency of your phone lines.
All businesses can see the benefits of an IVR system. For a small business, it can be a valuable tool to add to your phone handling capabilities. If you are looking for a robust business phone solution, then look no further than Yodel! Yodel is able to offer an intelligent voice based IVR solution, giving businesses access to an improved version of this tool. Instead of routing being based on menu options, Yodel is able to listen to what your callers are saying in real time. Yodel is able to route callers to the appropriate agent based on their voice responses, helping to maximize the benefits seen by IVR technology. To get started with our intelligent IVR system, or to check out the rest of our robust features, take advantage of our free 14 day trial!
Silke English
Clarisa Abalasei
