Do any of these sound familiar? You call a business and the phone rings off the hook; no one answers. Or you call a business but you can’t even get through to someone because the line is constantly busy. You don’t want this to be your business, do you?
If this sounds like your business, how many unaccounted-for calls are you missing? As the phone rings off the hook, and prospects and customers aren’t attended to, they’re likely looking up your competitor’s phone number. Not only are you losing business but you’re not doing your brand a favor either.
It’s time for a permanent solution to prevent this in the future, and we know the perfect solution.
An Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system is exactly what you need. IVRs contribute to a company’s growth by saving and managing incoming calls. They’ve long been utilized by large businesses, but IVR for small businesses is gaining ground quickly. This is due to the magnitude of benefits the system has for small- and medium-sized businesses. Before we get into some of the benefits, let’s talk about what exactly an IVR is.
What is an IVR?
An Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system consists of a computerized system that answers inbound calls and routes them to the appropriate line within an office or retrieves information from a database. Essentially it allows customers to quickly serve themselves through an automated process.
For instance, it may say Press 1 for support, 2 for sales or 3 for our hours. And when your agents are not available or it’s after office hours, calls can be attended to by IVR. Ultimately, this provides your customers with quicker service for their questions or needs while freeing up many of your agents.
IVRs used to be limited to large businesses who had big budgets to pay for it. Today, with the proliferation of VoIP and cloud-based telephone systems, the playing field has been leveled. IVR is accessible and affordable to businesses of all sizes.
Why IVR is Important for Small Businesses
1. To increase your productivity and reduce employees’ workload
One of the top benefits of IVR for small businesses is it helps manage your call volume by automating what is typically manual processes. It alleviates instances of colleagues determining where to find the right answer or which agent can provide the information. Instead, you’ll be able to manage a higher volume of calls.
2. Improve your small business’ image
Using an IVR system significantly helps improve the perception and reputation of your company. It provides an extra layer of professionalism when it comes to customer service. Simply, it shows your customers you care enough about them that you provide a structured and personalized response to their calls.
3. Help keep your customers happy
The customer experiences your business delivers is a differentiator that cannot be replicated by your competitors. When callers are immediately greeted with a professional voice greeting, it helps present a professional business image.
Then, it quickly directs the customer to the most appropriate department. That way, the first human interaction they have will be with someone qualified to answer the question or solve the issue, without a call transfer or wasted time.
Lastly, regardless of when a customer calls, IVR can perform its task 24/7 and let the caller know someone will get back in touch with him or her as soon as possible—or it can direct them to an area where IVR solves the issue. Examples would be checking account balances, hearing store hours and so on.
Cloud-based business telephone system providers like VoxSun have helped pave the way for small businesses to better compete with larger companies. If you’d like to display the same level of professionalism as big businesses, consider an IVR system. It’ll help keep both your customers and employees happy, along with making your business more efficient and productive.
Contact VoxSun today to learn how your business can benefit from a cloud-based business phone system with features such as an IVR system.
Please click here to get started today and to receive a free analysis from VoxSun: https://www.voxsun.com/quote/.
