No matter the size of any business, providing a top-tier customer experience is essential to its success. And this doesn’t just apply to the product or service a business is selling, but also to a consumer’s interaction with a particular brand.

As such, retaining a high level of customer satisfaction is essential in maintaining not only day-to-day operations, but also leadership and success in any given industry.

And with most customer interactions taking place via a cloud contact center for many medium-to-large businesses, it’s imperative companies choose a system that includes the latest technology, specifically interactive voice response.

What is Interactive Voice Response?

IVR is an automated communications system that is usually the first point of contact for many customers when they contact a company via their call center. More advanced than traditional call center technology, IVR systems allow businesses to offer a number of services, including predicting the reason why a particular customer is calling or proactively reaching out to a customer about a particular issue.

Most importantly, IVR systems help maintain a consistent level of quality control throughout a call by keeping the context of the customer’s issue constant through the various channels they may be using, including phone, email. live chat and/or social media.

This helps provide a high level of quality when it comes to this initial interaction, which is vital in keeping clients happy throughout a telephone-based interaction. This is especially true in a call center setting, where employees will be handling a high volume of calls and need to maintain a steady and consistent level of excellence.

Personalized Customer Engagement

For many clients, calling a customer support line can be tedious and downright frustrating, with many feeling like they’re just a number in a call queue and not as a real customer. IVR systems help alleviate this level of anxiety and irritation by offering customers customized recorded messages and prompts based on their on-file information, including their name and title. This type of personalized communication allows businesses to increase positive engagement with their client base in a setting that was, in the past, very mechanical and impersonal.

Automated Emails and Callbacks

Other helpful elements of IVR systems are features like automated emails and callbacks, which offer time-saving solutions that increase positive customer engagement. As any live agent will tell you, customer or client calls can, at times, be unpredictable, with some customers needing to suddenly jump off the call or needing more information than the agent has at the time. These automated features allow the client-business interaction to continue in a quick and useful way by sending out customized emails or even a personalized call back with the information a customer needs.

Prioritized Calls and Customers

Another very valuable feature of an IVR system is allowing customers the ability to bypass live agents altogether and simply use the system to check things like account information or the status of a recent purchase. This time- and cost-saving measure gives customers information quickly, while also freeing up a live agent’s time to deal with more pressing matters.

Keeping Your Clients Happy

Choosing a cloud contact center that utilizes IVR is essential to any business in the 21st century, as more and more consumers expect a modern, personalized client experience that is fast, easy and accurate. IVR’s automated technology is the very thing your company needs to break out of the past and into a new future filled with happy, and most importantly, returning customers.