New Integration alert! Dialaxy & Hubspot will be integrated. Learn More
EASTER Day Offer 25% Off
Ends in :
Purchase unlimited numbers for unparalleled flexibility and connectivity in your contact center
Expand your business’s reach nationwide with a toll-free number accessible in the US, and Canada
Secure a vanity phone number online for your business. Build brand identity, improve customer recall, and create a professional image easily.
Register multiple phone numbers for your agents and efficiently manage calls from various devices within a single system
Customize business hours for individual phone numbers, ensuring calls are received at your preferred time
Craft customized greetings for welcome and voicemail messages to enhance caller experience
Easily convert written text into spoken words using our cutting-edge Text-to-Speech functionality
Ensure seamless call routing to the appropriate team member every time by customizing your call distribution
An interactive customer menu, facilitating seamless navigation and access prior to connecting with an agent
Enhance your reach and streamline communication, ideal for contact center operations
Access unlimited call history records for comprehensive tracking and analysis of each number
Efficiently manage multiple conversations with our seamless call holding feature from separate lines.
Access voicemail transcriptions conveniently through the Voicemail Logs section
Boost contact center insights with Call Recording: Capture key conversations for improved communication strategies
Customize your inbound calling journey to align with your business's unique needs and meet customers' expectations
Easily configure call forwarding for your Dialaxy phone numbers to ring web portals, landlines, or mobile apps
Easily send and receive global text messages using your Dialaxy number with unlimited logs
Business texting from any registered line in Dialaxy, enabling instant SMS exchange while seamlessly integrating your CRM
Efficiently organize message logs by filtering them based on date and time, providing detailed and refined data
Silence conversations effortlessly with our convenient mute conversation feature to control over your messaging experience
Elevate drip campaigns with automated SMS messages, easily managed from your Dialaxy account
Automate messages with the schedule SMS feature for business to improve communication and boost productivity by sending texts at the perfect time.
Effortlessly schedule MMS for your business to automate multimedia messages, engage customers, and enhance your marketing campaigns.
Access our web applications seamlessly on various web browsers for a versatile and user-friendly experience
Unlock the full potential of our mobile app for effortless communication on the go. Explore intuitive features tailored for convenience and productivity
Access our desktop agent seamlessly on Mac, Windows, and Linux for a versatile user experience.
Make calls directly from your browser using the Dialaxy Chrome extension, eliminating the need to use your phone
Easily share your Dialaxy phone numbers with team members for seamless collaboration
Efficiently organize call, message, voicemail logs by filtering them based on date and time, providing detailed and refined data
Expand your agent group seamlessly for enhanced teamwork and productivity within your organization
Connect with an unlimited number of contacts, ensuring comprehensive communication coverage
Receive incoming call alerts directly on your screen and initiate conversations instantly by clicking the banner.
Stay informed with mobile notifications, ensuring you never miss important updates or messages while on the go
Receive voicemails directly to your email account with attached recordings, ensuring seamless access and convenient playback
Stay updated with extension notification, helping you to manage task smoothly
Easily activate integrations with just one click from the Dialaxy admin dashboard, streamlining all settings management
Streamline your workflow with seamless CRM integrations compatible with leading CRM platforms, without switching tabs
Expand your network of shared contacts through Google Contacts, mobile phones, CSV files, or CRM integration
Automatically sync. data with your existing CRM, seamlessly consolidating all information into one unified system
Discover top-tier platforms compatible with Dialaxy for enhanced marketing, productivity, and CRM capabilities
Try Dialaxy live! Schedule your demo session today.
Connect Dialaxy with your favourite tools. View all integration
Clear calls to advanced collaboration, get your startup's communication covered.
Prioritise patients first and ensure a safe communication.
Enhance customer communication for orders, complaints, and returns.
Maximise customer support for better travel experience.
Boost customer engagement, and manage high volumes of calls.
Maximise guest experience, streamline reservations, and optimize staff collaboration.
Provide franchise support, streamline operations, and ensure seamless collaboration.
Optimize team collaboration, client interactions, and consultations.
Enhance client service, claims processing, and agent collaboration.
Elevate candidate engagement, streamline interviews, and optimize team collaboration.
Enhance student engagement, streamline administrative tasks, and facilitate seamless collaboration.
Stay updated with industry insights and tips on our blog.
Explore the advantages of upgrading to Dialaxy from your current VoIP system.
Maximize lead possibilities of your company with Local Phone Number
Get local, toll-free, and vanity virtual phone numbers for countries like the USA, Canada, UK, and many more. Boost global communication with ease.
Get insights into who we are and what we stand for.
Explore inspiring success stories from our regular clients.
Discover A2P 10DLC solutions for reliable messaging.
Get access to our app for seamless communication on the go.
Find answers to common questions on our Help Center page.
Verify phone numbers and enhance consumer profiles with fresh, accurate lead data from hundreds of trusted sources.
A free phone validation tool designed to accurately verify and ensure the authenticity of phone numbers across various formats and regions.
Perform a free phone carrier lookup on any phone number across various countries, providing instant details about the carrier and network provider.
Perform a free reverse phone lookup on any phone number, allowing you to quickly identify the caller's details from any country across the globe.
Generate up to five unique phone numbers instantly at no cost using our Random Phone Number Generator tool.
Convert text into realistic audio with our free Text-to-Speech Generator. Ideal for accessibility and customized listening, offering two voice options to suit any purpose.
Use Social Media Finder to quickly and reliably search for online profiles across platforms. Simplify your profile discovery process today.
Instantly convert your voice to text for free with our Speech to Text Generator. Fast, accurate, and easy-to-use voice transcription tool!
Craft professional voicemail greetings in seconds. Use our easy generator to create custom messages quickly and make a great impression!
Home - Call Center - How to Use IVR to Improve Call Center Efficiency
Reviewed by : Prasanta Raut
Struggling to handle high call volume at your call center?
What if I say you can improve call center efficiency through a telephony technology?
With IVR, a VoIP technology, you can radically improve call routing, reduce customer wait times, and enhance the customer experience at your call center.
So, in this blog you will learn about IVR and how to use IVR to improve call center efficiency.
Further, you can explore the benefits, best practices, and common mistakes to avoid while implementing IVR.
Table of Content
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is an automated telephony system that allows incoming callers to interact with a menu system through voice and keypad inputs.
The IVR system relies on Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) and speech recognition to collect, analyze, and direct callers to appropriate agents based on their responses to the call menu prompts.
IVR has made some significant changes in call centers. Its automated feature has made phone-based customer interaction more systematic and fruitful.
IVR system is popular as it guides customers, reduces response time and direct calls to appropriate departments to provide customers with a personalized experience.
Based on the method you use for interaction, there are two main types of IVR systems. They are:
As we discussed earlier, IVR consists of prerecorded voice messages. When customers call your call center, the system greets them with an automated welcome message.
Next, the IVR system presents menu options to the caller through voice prompts, like “Press 1 for Sales”, “Press 2 for Customer Support,” and so on.
In the meantime, the system gathers customer information through multiple menu options provided to the caller.
Then, based on the caller’s response, the system routes the call to the appropriate call center agents/ departments.
If the customer selects a specific department, say “Press 2 for customer service”, the IVR system automatically routes the call to customer service agents. The caller can either use keypad or speak aloud to select the option.
The IVR system manages incoming calls in two ways: using a Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signal and speech recognition.
For some routine tasks, such as resetting passwords, checking order status, checking account balances, and making payments, the system allows the customer to do it on their own without needing a live agent.
The system only routes the call to a live agent if the customer’s issue is complex or requires human intervention.
In the present context, the popularity of IVR has skyrocketed, and for valid reasons.
Below are some of the benefits you can expect after implementing IVR for your call center:
IVR improves a call center’s call routing and handling through its call routing features. Most of the essential information the caller requires is in the pre-recorded messages. If callers need more information, they can choose to talk with the call center’s employees.
Customer calls are transferred to the relevant call center agents based on their selection during the interaction process. It helps improve a call center’s overall call routing and handling process.
IVR provides self-service options that give callers the power to quickly resolve their queries and issues without the need for live agents. For simple actions like changing passwords and making payments, the system allows callers to act independently.
Callers don’t have to wait for the live agents to get the required information, reducing wait time and enhancing customer service. Likewise, with the self-service option, call centers can reduce costs associated with staff headcount and high call volume.
First-call resolution Rates (FCR) measure the number of customer inquiries resolved entirely in the first call without the need for follow-up. According to SQM Group, the average FCR rate falls between 70% and 79%. Call centers with an FCR below 70% need improvements.
One way to increase FCR is by adapting the IVR system. The IVR system improves FCR by transferring calls to the relevant agents/ departments within seconds. It ensures customers reach the right person quickly.
Moreover, it has a self-service option that lets customers acquire needed information through pre-recorded messages.
The self-service option features of the IVR system allow customers to receive the needed information beyond office hours whenever they wish.
There is no fixed time required to access the information they need..
Calling is simple and hassle-free with an IVR system. An in-built self-service option allows customers to access call centers at any time of the day, whether on weekends or at midnight. Moreover, they can resolve their queries without the agent’s assistance.
And the flexibility to contact and receive information at one’s convenience directly improves the customer experience.
There is no guarantee that call center operations will improve just by implementing an IVR system.
To fully enjoy the benefits of IVR, it is essential to apply best practices during its implementation. Here are some key considerations:
IVR consists of advanced features and capabilities that simplify call center activities. Some of those features are as follows:
One of the best features of the IVR system is the personalized service to each customer and customer identification. IVRs identify customers based on their phone numbers and the account information they provide.
Moreover, according to their previous interaction, IVR provides personalized greetings and menu options to a customer.
By integrating IVR with CRM, call centers can route calls to appropriate agents/ departments based on customer interactions stored in CRM databases.
Additionally, it reduces manual work as it allows the automation of tasks like data entry and retrieval. Call centers can also track, analyze, and update customer interactions across multiple communication channels.
Another essential feature of the IVR system is the call routing feature. IVR uses intelligent call routing features to transfer calls to the most suitable contact center agents or departments.
Likewise, prioritization features allow you to categorize calls according to their importance and priority. Priority ensures that the most pressing issues are addressed as soon as possible.
The IVR system consists of advanced analytics and reporting features that provide insight into total call volumes, call duration, abandonment rates, first call resolution rates, customer satisfaction, the usability of menu options, and so on.
And call centers can use this data to make the right decisions and enhance customer service.
One of the prominent advantages of the IVR system is the IVR menus which allow customers to resolve their issues quickly. Hence, you should avoid making IVR menus long and complex.
Customers become disappointed and find navigating through long and complicated menus difficult, often leading to abandoned calls. Thus, design simple and easy-to-use menus with options limited to five in one group.
Another mistake to avoid is uploading poor voice messages and prompts. IVR systems with poor voice quality and prompts can easily hinder callers from scrolling through menus. So, the caller might not understand the tone.
As a result, you must ensure that the voice messages you record are in good tune and pitch. One person should do the voice recording to ensure that all the voice notes follow the same pattern.
It would be best if you avoid testing and optimizing the IVR system with a long gap. The long gap in testing and optimizing the IVR system will result in technical problems, which may affect call routing procedures and the overall process.
Hence, it is necessary to thoroughly test an IVR system to ensure that the self-service option works well and there is proper integration with other business technologies.
No one likes to wait for a long time on a call. Customers may get frustrated and unhappy in such a situation. Hence, you must strictly avoid lengthy hold times when designing an IVR system.
To ensure customer satisfaction and reducing frustration, you can inform customers about how long the waiting time can be.
IVR system significantly enhances the call center’s efficiency and productivity. It helps call centers manage incoming calls, reduce wait time, improve customer service, improve call center agent performance, and prioritize calls based on urgency.
Therefore, implementing an IVR system to improve your call center performance is a boss move.
Integrate this telephony technology into your call center today.
Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!
Yes. An IVR system allows integration with CRM, ticketing platforms, and databases to automate workflows, collect data for performance analysis, and provide personalized responses to customers.
The key metrics include average handling time, customer satisfaction, call containment rate, call abandonment rate, and first-call resolution.
Calls best handled by IVR tend to be routine calls, such as resetting passwords, booking appointments, tracking orders, and checking account balances.
Absolutely. Small businesses can implement IVR to display a professional image, handle calls, and automate customer service without additional staff.
Prasanta, founder and CEO of Dialaxy, is redefining SaaS with creativity and dedication. Focused on simplifying sales and support, he drives innovation to deliver exceptional value and shape a new era of business excellence.
Prasanta Raut