For most business owners, making the decision to implement an IVR or voice response software is easy. Figuring out how to choose among platforms and providers is the hard part. Here are some tips for choosing IVRs and providers that will benefit you the most.
Choosing a Voice Response Operating Environment or System(s)
The first step in choosing a voice response operating environment or system(s) is to consider what sort of equipment you have on hand. This is important because some vendors consider eliminating your outdated or "inferior" voice response software to be a significant selling point. There are some fairly big drawbacks to this mentality, though. For instance, you pretty much have to accept the idea that you'll be replacing IVRs from now until you retire.
Obviously, the biggest problem with that is using IVRs like this will never actually save you any expenses in the longterm. If you're like most business owners, part of the lure of installing an IVR is to save on costs. There's simply no way that buying IVRs every 5-6 years is going to allow you to do that.
Choosing hosted IVR services is an excellent way to avoid the inevitable problems associated with advances in technology. Companies that provide these services maintain, or host, the operating systems on their end and spare you from the rapid pace of improvements in voice response. An added benefit to IVR hosting is that you can typically avoid making any system updates on your own.
A better way of choosing a stable voice response solution is to consider an environment that runs on artificial intelligence (A.I.). To date, Nuance is the only speech IVR technology on the market that relies on this sort of natural language engines. Other available technologies are either powered by proprietary systems which are rigid and particularly difficult to integrate with newer telecom services, or can only operate with a limited level of sophistication.
Comparing Different Voice Response Providers and Suppliers
A comparison of different voice response providers and suppliers should always include an evaluation of their degree of user-friendliness. This will be a little tricky if you don't know a lot about IVR software but can be achieved by reviewing any online documentation or support tickets that are posted on their site. The Speech Talk blog also provides a list of speech partners which should give you idea of which providers to start comparing.
Clearly, you want to make sure the IVR client doesn't require an understanding of speech recognition technology and standards beyond your skill level. A good rule of thumb for deciding which provider will work for you is to consider what kind of IT staff you have on hand. It's much better to avoid providers that ask you to create your own voicexml coding if you don't have sufficient resources for this.
Comparing providers and suppliers for IVRs might seem more like herding cats than you'd like. There are a number of providers on the web, all seeming to offer specialized services for every possible business niche from call centers to debt collection. Ideally, you should try to narrow your focus to a company that matches your own target consumers. Once you've done that, the hardest part is done.
After you've found a provider that has demonstrated a reputation in your field, a better way of comparing IVR service providers is to spend some time reviewing their site for what makes them different. You should look for a clear description of the technology, savings, and implementation hassles so you can start comparing them to the others on your list.
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