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IVRs can be used in a variety of scenarios, from a simple replacement of= a call dispatcher inside a company (receptionist) to complex, database dri= ven IVRs used in call centers, banking, retail or televoting. Generally spe= aking, IVRs are used to automate workflows and processes, replacing the hum= an operator.
In this case, an IVR is used to automate the flow of incoming calls insi= de a company. Callers are guided to connect with phone extensions by means = of built IVR menus with prerecorded messages. This task is usually performe= d by a human operator (a call dispatcher or a receptionist). Using the IVR = technology, this process is automated, leaving the receptionist with more t= ime to perform other tasks.
"Welcome to ABC company! For Sales, press 1. For Support, press 2. To = send a fax, press 3. Thank you!"
Using the terminal keypad, callers are put through to Sales or Support o= r, by pressing 3 on the phone keypad, they can send a fax. If they know the= phone extension of the person they want to speak to, they can connect to t= hem directly.
In case of an inbound Call Center, an IVR is added to a call queue that = connects callers with sales or support agents. This is a typical scenario f= or insurance/banking/financial services/utilities companies which offer cus= tomer services in various languages.
Once the connection is made, the IVR invites the caller to choose a lang= uage, then to select the service they want. Eventually, the call is moved t= o a queue where agents respond in the language selected by the caller. Opti= onally, the call may be recorded by the queue.
"Hello and welcome to Hosting services! For English, press 1. For Span= ish, press 2." "If you want Sales, press 1. If you want Support, press 2. For billing and = invoicing, press 3."
Upon selection, the caller is directed to the Sales, Support or Accounti= ng call queues.
There are companies that provide highly specialized phone support servic= es. For instance, a software house that sells premium support services incl= uding telephone support. Customers buy VIP support packages, consisting of = a number of minutes per month (e.g. 60 minutes/month).
Customers dial the IVR and the IVR asks for a unique ID such as a PIN nu= mber or a customer ID. The customer enters the code using the phone keypad = and complies with the authentication process. The IVR links with a database= storing all customer IDs and validates the input.
If authentication is successful, the next step is to check if the custom= er has available minutes left for the current month. This is done by queryi= ng a database where all customer calls are recorded, including the call len= gths.
If authentication is successful and the caller has still got free minute= s left, the caller is put through to an agent which starts logging the call= . If authentication fails or there are no minutes left, the caller receives= an error message and the call is closed.
Sometimes, customers can use the IVR to send utilities companies (water,= electricity, gas, etc.) specific information about their consumption rate.= This can be done very easily: the customer calls the IVR, provides their c= ustomer ID, and enters the counter readings for the gas consumption in the = current month using the phone keypad. The value is stored in a database, co= mpared with the last month reading and the difference is used to generate t= he invoice for the current month consumption. The entire process is done au= tomatically, without any human operator intervention.
IVR applications are used in the freight/transportation industry to conf= irm the delivery of goods/packages to their destination. Upon delivery, the= freighter dials the IVR number, performs a PIN-based authentication, and c= onfirms the status delivery of the package by entering the transport ID or = airway bill (AWB) using the phone keypad. The number is stored into a datab= ase and the transport is confirmed. Based on this transport status, other p= rocesses on the workflow can be triggered.
Passengers can use the IVR to track down their luggage during commercial= flights. When a passenger wants to locate their luggage, they dial a numbe= r (printed on the back of their ticket) and enter their flight number and s= eat. The IVR connects with back-end databases and identifies the actual loc= ation of their luggage and the next destination. The response is played to = the caller using a text-to-speech application.
"Dear customer, your luggage is currently in London Heathrow."
"Next destination is Miami Florida USA, with ETA 8.15 PM. Thank you."<= /pre>
In the case of public events such as TV shows, charity actions, etc., th= e IVR is used to receive calls from the public which votes for their option= s. Usually, this sort of events generates a tremendous amount of calls over= a short period of time. Therefore, you are advised to carefully consider d= esigning and planning the capacity for such systems.
Need help? Ask a question in our GetSatisfaction co= mmunity.