Interactive voice response (IVR) is a program designed to connect customers to the right agent or deliver you an appropriate response. But, you already know that, unless you have been living under the rocks. So, why are we talking about IVR then? Because today we are going to inform you on how IVR can be so much more than just being a customer support tool.
IVR offers numerous possibilities for you to engage with your customers. Your IVR has huge marketing potential. Just think about it. Making a client return for more it’s always easier than finding a new client. Your IVR is a channel filled with hot leads. Take advantage!
In this article, we’ll go over a few tips on using your IVR to increase your marketing reach. In each one, we’ll talk about the line between news and spam. However, keep in mind that each industry is different. Some have more tolerance, others have less. Always keep an eye on your IVRs metrics to get the best performance.
On Hold Messages Some people might think they need to choose between On Hold Messages and IVR. That’s not true at all. Sure, IVR is meant to reduce on-hold time. However, it doesn’t really eliminate it. You still don’t want that reduced on-hold time to be silent.
Consumers will stay longer on the line if there is an on-hold message. Plus, those messages present you with the perfect opportunity to tell them about your latest promos. They will feel you care about their time and you’ll get extra exposure for your campaigns. Talk about win-win.
About not jeopardizing customer service. Don’t make your caller’s hold time into an endless ad. Give him a minute or two between messages. Another great tip is having multiple messages queued. Repeating the one message too many times will get annoying, fast.
Leverage the greeting If your IVR system doesn’t start by greeting your callers you’re in big trouble. Call us right away and let us know it’s an emergency. We’re kidding of course, but a greeting is quite important. Getting back to our point, you can include a promotional message to go with your greeting. That way your customers will hear about it, even if they won’t go through hold time.
Not letting this one get spammy is pretty straight forward. Keep it to a single short message. They don’t want to wait for a full explanation before dealing with the issue that got them to call.
Add an extra option Including an option to hear about sales and events is a great place for detailed explanations about your latest promotions. The best part is that only interested customers will end up there. This means that you won’t need to worry about spamming in this one. You can explain all the details you want. Go nuts!
Those are the top ways of using your IVR for extra marketing reach. If done correctly it will even improve customer experience in the process. This reminds us if you want to make absolutely sure you’re getting all you can out of your IVR schedule a free consultation.
