Have you ever encountered an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) platform that left you so frustrated that you wanted to simply slam down the phone and switch your loyalty to another company? Of course, this type of response was easier before we relied on smartphones as our primary voice communication tool, and perhaps that lack of ability to “slam” the phone is leaving you angry, unable to satisfy your pent-up frustration.
The concept of the ridiculous IVR was the topic of choice in this Angel blog, with the writer taking a quirky approach to frustrated customers – perhaps they are turning into “Angry Birds.” The writer is, of course, referring to the best-selling game found in the iTunes App Store and developed by Rovio. While the concept of associating customers with a popular game may be inviting, let’s take a closer look at what this actually means.
In the game of Angry Birds, the purpose is to fling a variety of feathered creatures toward awkward structures that you hope will fall upon contact and annihilate the pigs hiding out among the blocks and other materials. The birds are perched in a sling shot and your job is to aim them appropriately and determine their velocities according to your strategy. The birds never survive the trip and your goal is to ensure no pigs remain in the process.
What does this have to do with your IVR? Your basic design could be creating customers who are aiming for a particular goal, but have to try over and over to achieve that goal as they keep running into “dead” ends.
The association with the game can go even deeper. The birds are your customers and the structures they must overcome resemble your IVR. The Golden Eggs are your live agents, and your customers must get through the different categories of Angry Birds in order to get to one. Anyone who has ever found themselves trying to weave through a poorly designed IVR can begin to see the connection.
In the design of your IVR, consider the position of your bird (customer) on the slingshot (your phone system). Once you have selected the right angle for the shot, you also must note that you have a limited number of birds (options) to use to hit your target (or get to the information you want). If successful in the game, you move from one level to the next, but each level becomes more complicated. And, even if you break through the barriers, you find that there really is no end to the game, or the IVR.
How closely does your IVR resemble this game? If you can’t answer this question, you either haven’t played the game or you haven’t tried your own IVR. Given there may be only two people who haven’t downloaded Angry Birds, it’s time for you to make a call and see how many structures you can knock down before you run out of options.
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Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by Tammy Wolf