Outbound IVR is an efficient and cost effective way to contact customers with relevant and timely messages. It has become more widely used in the past few years for appointment confirmations, prescription renewal reminders, and feedback with an automated survey. Outbound IVR improves customer care and strengthens loyalty when implemented correctly. However, the wrong outbound IVR strategy can also turn off customers to the point that it damages a company’s reputation. VoltDelta’s services team has deployed outbound IVR in 53 languages, reaching 250 countries. Based on this experience, the team offers some practical advice on the best ways to leverage outbound IVR while avoiding the pitfalls that can hurt your business.
Dos
Do Use Outbound IVR as Part of a Multichannel Contact Strategy – Customers view proactive contact with outbound IVR as beneficial if it is initiated at the right time with the proper context. A history of interactions with your organization regardless of the channel used helps to predict when a customer may call. Proactively initiating a conversation with customers before they call you helps to improve loyalty and defers the more costly inbound contact.
Do Leverage the Cloud – If outbound IVR is a new channel, or your existing solution does not integrate with other channels of communication, consider deploying it in the cloud. A cloud solution does not require an upfront capital investment. Also, cloud vendors tend to keep up with the latest innovations and provide tight integration with other communication channels. For example, look for a vendor that converts automated outbound calling campaigns to inbound automation or call routing to available agents.
Do Keep it Simple – Executing an outbound IVR campaign should not require assistance from IT. Contact center managers or the marketing department should be able to upload pre-recorded audio and contact lists to the system. Web-based reporting pages should display real-time results of current campaigns as well as completed efforts.
Do Measure the Results – When measuring the results of your outbound campaigns, look at metrics that support your strategic and operational goals. Areas to measure include:
- Renewal or repurchase rates
- Satisfaction rates, including Net Promoter Scores
- Social media sentiment
- Reduced inbound contacts
- Increased revenue
Taboos
Don’t Call without Opt-in Permission – Calling customers without permission potentially angers the people you are trying to engage. You may also violate the law by calling someone on the National Do Not Call Registry. Companies need to be aware of all the regulations surrounding outbound calling campaigns. For example, changes to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) effective in January 2013 require that organizations provide an automated mechanism for consumers to opt out from receiving any further telemarketing calls by the seller or entity.
Don’t Treat All Customers the Same Way – One size doesn’t fit all and neither does one generic message. In order to be relevant, provide customers the information they need, when they need it. Here are some ideas on communicating effectively.
- Personalize the Interaction – Demonstrate you know who you are calling by using the name of the person you are trying to reach. If you are calling about a survey, don’t try to accomplish anything else but that task.
- Understand Customer Preferences – Ask about other preferences, such as language dialog or the time of day to call, when obtaining opt-in permission.
- Branded Number – Use a branded number so people don’t think you are just another telemarketer.
Don’t Ignore Frequency and Timing – Don’t ignore the importance of when and how often you attempt to reach customers. It is just as important as the message content. Making calls at dinner or too late in the evening will only alienate customers.
Monitor performance during the campaign and use call throttling to match agent availability with dial patterns. Make sure agents know about an outbound campaign and inform them of the reason why a customer may call. Take advantage of outbound dialing integrated with CRM systems to keep agents informed of inbound and proactive outreach to deliver more effective customer care.
About VoltDelta
VoltDelta is a global cloud-based contact center provider with 35 years of experience. We rapidly tailor and integrate our multichannel contact center solutions to enable you to increase revenue, boost retention, and reduce operating costs with proven scalability and reliability. 
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