Let us start with thinking about how customer support calls go today. You call a particular number, and you are then presented with a menu of options to choose from- how easy does that sound!

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems are being widely used in business communications today. The main objective of this system is very clear and obvious- to provide quicker and more efficient customer support. Most of the time customers can have their problems resolved even before reaching a real-time representative.

But like any other technology, implementation plays a significant role in the success of an IVR solution. But if your business is planning to implement this system, then it is important to do it the right way.

One way in which you can track the success of a solution is by analyzing certain IVR metrics. These include First Call Resolution (FCR) Rate, call abandonment rate, call completion rate, time spent, and customer satisfaction score.

Let’s take a look at what each of these metrics mean when it comes to an IVR system.

• First Call Resolution: This metric signifies how many customer calls are resolved in the first attempt. Having to contact support teams multiple times can be pretty annoying for anyone. But receiving the appropriate support on the very first call can encourage customers to reach out to your business more and improve their overall satisfaction. A higher FCR rate means your business is able to provide the right help to customers and is efficient in addressing their concerns.
• Call Abandonment Rate: Are your customers hanging up before their query gets resolved- or before reaching a live agent? If so, you are more likely to have a higher call abandonment rate. Call abandonment can take place due to several reasons like if the caller gets confused with all the options present, are put on hold for too long, or shortage of human support.
• Call Completion Rate: This is basically the opposite of the call abandonment rate. This measures the percentage of customer calls which are completed successfully without facing any hiccups. A high call completion rate can not only show customer satisfaction but also the IVR system’s effectiveness in handling and routing calls.
• Customer Satisfaction Score: CSAT score measures the overall satisfaction experienced by calls from their experience with your IVR system. You can arrange a feedback session at the end of each call so that customers can express how satisfied they’ve been with the service provided. A high CSAT score signifies better satisfaction and vice versa. It is important to keep this score high in order to retain existing customers. You can also recognize key areas which need improvements and make the necessary changes to improve the overall functionality.

By keeping a close check on the above-mentioned metrics, you can make sure your business can fully utilize an IVR system and reap maximum benefits from it. A good IVR system can help in keeping customers happy and satisfied while making operations more streamlined. IVR can thus enhance productivity and as we already know, happy customers can ultimately lead to business growth!