How to Increase IVR Containment

The number of customers calling organizations to request a promise to pay is increasing significantly with these uncertain financial times. The result is a tsunami of phone calls that contact centers can’t handle. This leads to further customer frustration and stress during an already difficult period. It also drives up costs in the contact center with no associated increase in revenue, making it a losing proposition for all involved.

Imagine this scenario: A customer recently lost his job and can’t afford his utility bill. He’s already called the contact center once to defer the payment due date. Admitting to a contact center agent that he can’t afford to pay on time is already frustrating and embarrassing. The problem now is that he knows he can’t pay the full amount, so he calls again to request a payment arrangement.

Every time he calls, he’s asked the same series of questions: account number, street address, last four digits of his social. When he finally reaches the IVR menu, a set of submenus is presented. Then there’s a transfer to the contact center itself, with long wait times. Finally, the customer reaches an agent who can set up a payment plan. It’s laborious, time-consuming and ultimately leaves the customer more stressed than when he started.

The solution to this painful process is increased self-service in the IVR and secure, effortless authentication.

With a few tweaks to the existing IVR, this customer can hear a personalized greeting based on his ANI (caller ID). The IVR can also immediately identify a past due bill and ask him if he is calling to request a promise to pay (or set up a payment plan). If the answer is ‘yes’, the caller is authenticated with a simple passphrase, such as “My voice is my password.” The promise to pay or a payment plan is then completed and the call ends. The customer has a streamlined experience without requiring interaction with an agent. Additionally, IVR containment is achieved; a contact center agent handles one less call – saving money and improving wait times.

LumenVox enables organizations to exceed expectations, even during these stressful times, with state-of-the-art speech recognition and voice biometrics. The use of these technologies can provide material cost savings with a demonstrated return on investment. They can also help customers accomplish their goals quickly using the IVR, one of the least expensive channels available.

Contact LumenVox today to see how speech recognition and voice biometrics can work for you to help increase IVR containment.