1. IVR Design Tips: The Magic Number Seven (7)
Despite what may generate lots of head nodding, most IVR systems are not as
dysfunctional as a few pundits might like you to believe. Not that there isn’t room for
continuous improvement however.
Have you ever called an IVR system and initially felt like you were led down a wrong
path, or when you try to get to the right path, it takes you even deeper and farther from
your goal? Ever had so many menu choices you weren’t quite sure which option to
choose in the first place? This has been a common challenge in IVR design when
companies try to design an IVR system with either too many features, or try to solve too
many problems through automation alone.
A recurring theme you hear from Acclaim Telecom regarding IVR design is “Keep your
IVR system as simple and intuitive as possible“.
A research paper published in the late 1950s by renowned psychologist George Armitage
Miller was titled, “The Magic Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two”. This paper suggests
that seven (plus or minus two) is the magic number that characterizes people’s memory
performance on random lists of letters, words, numbers, or almost any kind of meaningful
familiar item. Further research revealed that the short term memory of a person depends
on the type of information being remembered, (e.g., memory is around seven for digits,
around six for letters, and around 5 for words). And unfortunately since then, time has not
improved our short term memory.
The good news is the challenge of the number seven can be overcome. Whether a huge
call center or a business with just a few customer service representatives; the answer to
this IVR challenge may be right under your fingers tips. Your customer service
representatives are one of your best resources for either helping design, re-design, or
enhance your IVR system. It can be as easy as asking them a few simple questions such
as:
What do customers call about most commonly that are not solved with the IVR
system?
Ask for the exact words the customer’s use to get assistance for the specific tasks, and
incorporate them into your menus. This will help the customer get to the option they
require, without having to guess at whether it’s appropriate or not.
What are the biggest complaints about the automated IVR system?
This can be subjective, however listen carefully to the answer to see if you can determine
what the true problem is. It may be as simple as fixing menu option wording, or finding a
better way to ask for account information.
What do your customers tell you would be a beneficial addition to the IVR system?
Customers will tell you what they want. Obviously there will be some ‘pie in the sky’
requests, but for the most part the caller may say very simply, “I’d like to be able to pay
2. my bill without having to talk to someone”, or “After four option selections I want to
speak with a live agent”.
Sometimes the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) approach can be the most effective. But if
you must convey a lot of information to your customers, consider giving them an option
to skip through, or trim the message to the most important of the key points and possibly
allowing them a further option to hear more on that particular subject. There’s nothing
worse than being stuck listening to a message which seems endless, or worse, not
relevant to their immediate needs while being forced to listen to the entire message before
being able to move to the next option.
On a closing note, here is one additional suggestion we hope all owners of an IVR system
perform. Review your IVR call flow at least once every six months. Even if your
business has not changed during that six month period, people’s expectations and your
competitors do change. Keeping your system fresh and keeping current with IVR
technology will go far in making your customers happy and showing you pay attention to
their needs.
About Acclaim Telecom Services, Inc.
Acclaim Telecom is a trusted, professional source of reliable, cost-effective hosted IVR
solutions and cloud based telephony services. Founded in 1993, Acclaim Telecom has
over 18 years of solid industry experience supporting all aspects of IVR implementation;
from cost effective IVR hosting, to developing and implementing new IVR speech
application designs, to hosting PBX, SMS messaging, and long distance services.
http://www.acclaimtelecom.com/
