Many factors are part of the decision-making process when it comes to choosing an IVR system for your business. The IVR system should ultimately save you money, and create better relationships with your customers, and certain IVR systems will help your business accomplish both of these ends. But getting to the point of actually purchasing an IVR system should require consideration of a few points, the most important ones here:

1.       Consider what type of support you will need. TMC’s (News - Alert) Susan Campbell recently noted that “IVR systems can vary widely in the industry and if the program serves as the gatekeeper for your company’s phone line, it is important that it is operational and functioning at its best during work hours. Support offered by the vendor should enable you minimal downtime and failover systems should you have bigger problems.” 

2.       Consider the time it takes to implement an IVR system. Some solutions can take significant amounts of time to set up and integrate with your existing software. Depending on the level of integration and support you need, the IVR system should be able to be implemented within a reasonable amount of time for you to begin to make use of it without disrupting your processes.

3.       Consider the data reporting that comes with the IVR system. Data reporting is a key and necessary feature for IVR systems, according to a helpful article from emobility.org. The author noted, “Use the guess exercise of your call automation and rehearse these stats to your great advantage. After you have factual data about how exactly software program is performing you’ll be able to make necessary changes that yield a lot more results for your organization.”

4.       Consider your primary goal in implementing the IVR system. Do you need it to take care of a bottleneck issue with your customer calls? Do you need it to rectify agent productivity? Do you want it to automate your operations? Figuring out which goal is the most important to you will allow you to select the best IVR system for the job.

5.       Consider the customizable nature of the IVR system. Interact, Inc. is an expert in providing IVR solutions that are cost-effective and supportive, but the company also provides customizable IVR systems that are easily adaptable to any company’s size or area of focus. The customizable nature of an IVR system is an important point for decision-makers, as it can greatly facilitate the ease of implementation and long term use of the software.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.

Juliana Kenny graduated from the University of Connecticut with a double degree in English and French. After managing a small company for two years, she joined TMC as a Web Editor for TMCnet. Juliana currently focuses on the call center and CRM industries, but she also writes about cloud telephony and network gear including softswitches.

Edited by Jamie Epstein