What is Interactive Voice Response?
With Interactive Voice Response (IVR), customers who call your support team are directed to the right department by following a series of voice or keypad prompts. (“Dial 1 for Billing,” “Say yes for customer service,” etc.)
Proponents of IVR say it saves considerable time for reps and customers by getting them to the right specialist fast. But customers loathe this tool. Case in point: there are entire websites devoted to pressing the right combination of buttons to get to a human.
IVRs are specifically used to reduce call wait time.
What is call wait time?
The average length of time customers have to wait before being connected with an agent when they call. The longer customers have to wait, the more time it takes for their issue to be resolved, which means more effort.
If your call wait time is high, it indicates that you need more support agents to answer calls, or need to provide customers with alternative support channels, such as self-service, to reduce the volume of calls.
Completely overwhelmed with phone support? Consider cutting the cord on phone support.