Improving IVRs through Full Understanding of Integrated Systems
September 26, 2011
By Mae Kowalke, TMCnet Contributor
The old expression ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ has some application in the information technology sector, but at a certain point fails to capture the complexity of being fully versed in a particular technology.
It would be more apt to say that if you are going to be around for customers in the long term, you’d better know everything there is to know about what you do.
That’s the stance of Interact, Inc., a company founded about 30 years ago, which specializes in interactive voice response (IVR) solutions for small, second- and third-tier telcos. Over the years, it has expanded to focus on convergence of voice and video, data, social media, and the web—without losing focus on its core competency.
Chris Buffum, Director of Sales at Interact, explained during a TMCnet video interview at ITEXPO (News - Alert) West 2011 in Austin, Texas, that the company integrates these various functions into enterprise solutions to create better customer experiences when dealing with auto attendants and IVRs.
Full integration is the key; if an enterprise doesn’t have the capability to fill all its IVR-related needs internally, Interact can help with everything from developing strategies to designing and implementing applications.
“We have learned to be useful to all levels, rather than specializing in one particular aspect of IVR,” Buffum explained during the video interview. “Our perspective is that you’re best serving the customer by being a consulting company and presenting solutions all the way through an entire business case to deployment.”
Today that range of service includes a focus on the cloud, hosted computing, and integration. Hosted services are usually less expensive for enterprises, but can be frustrating to pursue because expertise at all levels usually doesn’t reside under one roof.
This is where Interact differentiates itself.
“Most of our competitors specialize in one aspect of creating solutions for companies,” Buffum explained. “For example, a company offering call center integration for IVR might specialize in the application layer only, rather than full integration of cloud or virtual services.”
Watch the full video interview for more discussion on ways to improve IVR systems and help enterprises achieve their goal of satisfying and retaining customers.
Mae Kowalke is a TMCnet contributor. She is Manager of Stories at Neundorfer, Inc., a cleantech company in Northeast Ohio. She has more than 10 years experience in journalism, marketing and communications, and has a passion for new tech gadgets. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by Juliana Kenny