Best Practices for Writing IVRs

There are many things to consider when writing IVRs and designing a positive caller experience, which can seem daunting. We have broken down the process to help you identify the most important elements.

Tone of Voice

This is extremely important for your brand identity, and to ensure you are creating the right impression. How approachable or corporate do you wish to sound? Align the tone of voice to your customer profile. When you have written a prompt, read it aloud. You will be amazed how often something you can read fluently in your head leaves you tongue-tied when spoken.

Repetition

Too much repetition is an easy trap to fall into. A common example is the please press scenario:

Bad: Thanks for calling Acme Widgets; Please press 1 for Sales; Please press 2 for Accounts; Please press 3 for Technical Support; For anything else, please press 4.

Better: Thanks for calling Acme Widgets; For Sales, press 1; The Accounts team are on 2; If you need technical support, choose 3; And for everything else, it is 4.

This is much more engaging and less robotic. Describing the option before the selection also minimises internal transfers through clearer routing.

Minimise the IVR Options

Keep it simple and keep it clear. Review your call flow before you start writing prompts. Try to limit option choices to a maximum of 5, and position the most frequently chosen options first.

Call to Action

If you want your caller to do something specific, make sure it is the last thing they hear in any message, and that they understand why it is needed.

Web Address

Directing callers to your website is often useful, but be mindful that callers may have started their journey online. Ensure any deflection messages are benefit-led. Also, drop the www prefix as it is no longer needed.

To the Point

Keep your IVR messages clear and simple. Do not overload your callers with irrelevant information, and keep to one topic per message.

Calls are Recorded

The phrase calls are recorded for training and monitoring is old and cliched. If you record calls, use it as an opportunity to say something positive: To make sure we are always providing a great service, we record our calls.

We hope these tips help you improve your IVR recordings. Get in touch with the Module IT team to find out more about our voice solutions.