Are they necessary? Is it worth spending any time or energy on them when we have this new and improving technology?

The short answer is Yes!  The rationale is compelling.

 

Technology can be a sharp, double-edged sword

Offering callers important technology capabilities can add phone channel functionality and help reduce caller effort in processing their call. Yet, that technology is a two-edged sword on those occasions when technology may not perform as the caller expects or desires. What then?

Sure, there’s always a default to a menu system (or worse, direct routing to a customer service representative) built into multi-modality systems, but consider your callers in these cases.

The call hasn’t gone well. If then, the system ”solution” doesn’t go well either, dropping them into an inefficient default call flow that wasn’t well-designed, those callers feel punished twice and their likelihood or possible willingness to engage in future uses of your technology, may be diminished or destroyed in favor of simply seeking path to a rep, when one may not be necessary.

As you adopt new technology, spend the time on a well-designed Plan B default, proven menus that perform seamlessly when they’re needed.

To discuss what your IVR's Plan B might look like, click here.