IVR Systems and Auto Attendants
March 05, 2013
By Rachel Ramsey, TMCnet Web Editor
When calling a customer service number today, it’s not very likely that you’ll be greeted by a human being on the other end of the line. Technology has introduced crucial tools for the contact center, including interactive voice response (IVR) systems and auto attendants.
Auto attendants allow callers to be automatically routed or transferred to the destination they are looking for. An important part of any communication solution, an auto attendant answers incoming calls with professionally recorded greetings and automatically routes the call using intuitive call menus. For example, if you’re calling your bank, you can be greeted with options for balances and transactions, statement activity and history, reporting a lost or stolen card or to speak with a customer representative, to name a few.
Benefits of Auto Attendant and Speech Recognition Technology
Auto attendants replace live receptionists, helping businesses save money and become more efficient by automating certain repetitive business functions. These can include transferring calls to the right destination and providing company information such as hours or policies. Auto attendants are also available to customers 24/7, eliminating any time or geographical boundaries.
The flexibility of an auto attendant allows messages and call menus to be completely customized to an organization, so callers receive consistent and professional treatment, while companies can provide cost savings from having dedicated personnel for the sole purpose of answering phones and directing calls.
Also equipped with an extension system, auto attendants allow existing contacts to bypass greeting menus and go directly to their desired extension number. While IVR systems and auto attendants can be helpful for customer self-service, customers should easily be able to reach an agent at all times. Routing callers to the appropriate party or extension can be done without the need of a live operator.
Auto attendants can be used for multiple purposes in addition to routing callers. Organizations can have systems process orders and payments without live operator intervention using IVR technology and speech recognition by having the system answer the call, collect caller information, check product and invoice information, process the purchase or payment via credit card and provide callers with additional order and payment information.
Hosted IVR systems and auto attendants can also help conduct surveys to gain customer insight and feedback. Voice recognition or SMS systems can be used to gather interactive responses from callers.
Finding the Right Solution for Your Needs
Quality of the speech engine is critical for name recognition, and accuracy of the call routing. Interact Inc.’s Nimblevox is a cloud communications solution that offers hosted IVR, SMS, drag and drop service creation tool and APIs. It includes dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) as well as voice recognition and automatic speech recognition for callers to navigate the auto attendant solution.
Nimblevox uses the LumenVox (News - Alert) speech engine, which offers core speech software that has been certified as one of the most accurate, natural sounding and reliable solutions in the industry. LumenVox has won numerous awards for innovation and technical excellence, so organizations can rest assured they are offering the highest-quality IVR system to customers.
Also, SIP phones and softphones can be connected directly to the Nimblevox platform, allowing for calls to reach SIP extensions with minimal charges. The dashboard provides live call data, usage and other statistics with the ability to create custom reports. The Nimblevox hosted IVR system allows any organization to leverage interactive voice response for their business needs at an affordable price.
Edited by Rich Steeves