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IVR Can Be a Huge Help, But Use it Wisely
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IVR Can Be a Huge Help, But Use it Wisely

 
May 28, 2014

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  By TMCnet Staff
 


Throughout the marketing world, professionals are advising companies to develop and deliver personalized experiences for all customers. Your stop at the bank will generate a first-name greeting, which is to be expected. But, do you find it weird if the IVR (Interactive Voice Response) acts like it knows you based on information taken from your account record?


Huge industries have been built around the value associated with Big Data. Companies want to capture as much information as possible on their current customers and prospects in order to better position themselves for upsell and new revenue opportunities. While telemarketing software is available to help this process, is it really best to automate this process, especially in a B2B environment?

There is plenty of data to support this approach to communicating with the target market. Some do respond and there is money to be made. The question, however, is if the process is causing more harm than the opportunities created. In other words, are companies using this approach to telemarketing software actually hollowing out their customer relationships?

Consider what telemarketing did to traditional marketing. Companies were looking for a way to streamline processes and get to quality leads in less time and spend less money. Telemarketing proved to be a viable option to accomplish these goals, yet it introduced the automated response and removed the human element from the interaction.

This isn’t to suggest that telemarketing is bad – on the contrary. When done correctly, telemarketing can drive significant business. The correct method includes the support of dynamic conversation, one that is prone to changes in tone according to the conversation, and much easier to control. Telemarketing supports this kind of interaction, yet it can also get creepy.

In other words, if the telemarketing agent tries to broach the conversation with personal information that had to be captured through other means, the customer isn’t likely to get all warm and fuzzy. Instead, it’s important to save the personal conversation for after the ice is broken. This starts with a big and bold announcement placed elsewhere that communicates your method of communication.

From there, you can cut down on the habit to want to control, empowering the customer to solve problems on her own and look to you as a consultant. After that, a follow up can be more personalized and it’s no longer weird. In doing so, you can’t help but see success. 


Edited by Rory J. Thompson
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