As we have covered previously, it is an essential tool for any business to keep in touch with its clientele. A business should frequently evaluate the functioning of its communication system in order to gather more insight about its customer needs. Those companies opting for automated responses/attendants and IVR (Interactive Voice Responses) systems to screen and direct callers must also evaluate the solution they choose to implement.
A lot goes into this evaluation, such as recognizing if your auto attendant solution provider feels a necessary responsibility to CONNECT THE CALLER. Or, is your auto attendant capable of error-free speech recognition with varying pronunciation hitting the system daily? Easy to see that some difficult technology is needed in your chosen auto attendant solution. But it isn’t only managed services and efficient technology that your customers are looking for. Let’s be honest, they want a solution that makes them feel as if they are experiencing a true human interaction. Therefore, what should the voice of this auto attendant sound like? Are customers more comfortable interacting with a male or female voice?
A Speech Tech Mag report studied such a question, and the fact that the decision to use a male or female voice is not an easy one to make. But, when deciding to implement an IVR solution and auto attendant, it is one of the more common questions.
The traditional approach to IVR platforms has been to use a female voice. Phil Shinn, speech application developer and designer of voice user interface at the IVR Design Group, suggests the decision to implement a female voice may not always be the best choice. Nonetheless, more than 75 percent of the almost 700 IVR systems in the GetHuman customer service database rely on the female voice.
Surprisingly, however, an Adweek/Harris poll, recorded 19 percent of Americans to identify the female voice as more persuasive and inviting. And similarly, 18 percent believed the same thing about the male voice. The majority, 64 percent, indicated that it did not make a difference whether the voice used in IVR messaging or an auto attendant system was a male or female. So why is the overuse of female voices? Why focus so closely on the gender of the voice implemented?
One thing is for certain, not all auto attendants are created equal. Not only does a poor auto attendant performance impact internal operations, it also impacts customer satisfaction. In today’s world, self-service solutions are being embraced for their ability to speed customer service, and studies show the auto attendant plays a central role in driving customer satisfaction. If your auto attendant performs poorly, callers will eventually give up on it and “zero out” every time. Keeping the customer happy is key, whether it be via service, pronunciation, voice type, etc.
Jaclyn Allard is a TMCnet Web Editor. She most recently worked on the production team at Juran Institute, a quality consulting firm producing its own training and marketing materials. Previously, she interned at Curbstone Press, a nonprofit publishing press in Willimantic, CT, and fulfilled the role of Editor-in-Chief for the literature and arts journal published by the University of Connecticut. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by Jaclyn Allard