Can you recall the last time you picked up the phone to call a company or service and spoke to an actual person, right away? Probably not. Most likely, an automated service response or auto attendant has been put in place to lead you to your designated department, directing you to press different numbers and speak information, all the while weaving you in and out of menus and choices.
Nowadays, the utilization of an auto attendant service is the path most companies are choosing to cut costs. According to Forrester Research (News - Alert), it costs $6 for every call handled by an actual person, while a call handled by an auto attendant costs between 5 and 25 cents.
These auto attendant methods don’t require employees to tend to every call that comes in, thus allowing staff to focus on other important tasks at hand. However, companies are now working on improving this new method that has superseded customer service lines, and are focusing on voice quality, personalization and customer satisfaction.
Insurance company Aflac, for example, is known for its cheerful marketing, personified by that “Aflac!” duck, of course. For years, robotic tones greeted callers, but the company recently decided to overhaul the automated voice system and replace it with the voice of a well-known actress. This type of branding, according to an Aflac representative, aims to persuade Aflac’s callers to stay on the phone, rather than switch to a live agent.
So, who should your company turn to for powerful, cost-saving auto attendant solutions? Parlance Corporation, in particular, offers speech-enabled auto attendant services that have helped universities, hospitals and Fortune 500 companies to realize new operational efficiencies and cost savings through the streamlining of communications. Through Parlance’s auto attendant solution, nameConnector, callers are routed quickly, easily and without operator intervention to every important destination – simply by stating the name of the person they wish to reach.
With Parlance’s nameConnector, companies are promised reduced costs, decreasing up to 90 percent of calls requiring operator intervention; recaptured lost opportunity, by providing direct access to critical resources 24/7; satisfied customers, since their connection time is decreased by up to 75 percent; an enhanced image, since every call is answered on the second ring, at any time of day or night, with a professional voice; and standardized communications, with a dynamic single source directory that includes brand locations, on- and off-site employees, contractors and “shared contacts.”
With less person-to-person interaction, as well as a professional and seamless solution in place, companies using auto attendant solutions are on the fast track to better, and more creative, customer service.
Tammy Wolf is a TMCnet copy editor. Previously she was assistant to the editor at The Darien Times, a weekly newspaper in Darien, Conn., where she edited submissions, did page layout and design and helped manage the newspaper's website. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Jaclyn Allard