Find out the difference between voice prompts and interactive voice response, and how they are used.
Voice prompts and interactive voice response (IVR) are two terms you’re likely to see or hear when looking into professional audio recordings. You may wonder what the two terms mean, and how they are different. Understanding how they differ helps you then recognise which service could be the right one for your upcoming project, or if perhaps you need to integrate both services for an efficient system.
The Difference Between IVR & A Voice Prompt
IVR is a type of technology which is commonly used in phone systems. It works by processing voice inputs by the caller and touch tones to give callers the right instructions and directions to give them the information they need.
You will likely have used an IVR system before in one of the following applications:
- Phone surveys
- Call forwarding
- Calling for utility service information
- Doctors surgeries or hospital switchboards
A voice prompt is an audio file of a pre-recorded human voice that gives a greeting or information within a phone technology that processes callers. A voice prompt can be just one word, or it can be entire sentences and blocks of audio information.
Interestingly voice prompts are often seen within an IVR system, which then uses a database, further phone technology, software and other structures, unlike voice prompts.
The Benefits Of Using Voice Prompt & IVR Systems
There are lots of benefits to using voice prompts and IVR for your business including:
- Boosting first call resolution to help the caller get to the right department or person straight away, without being bandied between departments
- Lowering transfer and hold time
- Boosting customer satisfaction
- Efficient company call handling
- Better customer retention
- Lower costs by using voice prompts and IVR instead of a reception team
The above benefits are very general and the likelihood is that your specific company may gain specific benefits from this kind of system.
What To Consider When Planning To Use Voice Prompts And/ Or IVR
It is important to utilise a professional voice over agency to record voice prompts. They will be able to offer a range of male and female voice over artists in a range of accents plus audio translation services into various languages, if necessary. Using human voices will have a positive impact on your callers, helping them connect with your business and feel engaged even if unable to speak to a real person in real time. You can use these prompts alone, as in an answering machine, or in combination with an IVR.
If you do opt for an IVR you should not accept anything less than a fantastic system to give your callers a great experience when they call your company. Statistics say that over 60% of customers are not keen on IVR, so it has to be a pretty fantastic system in place to bring them around.
The system should flow, should keep callers on hold for a minimal amount of time. It should work to keep your customers satisfied and to help reduce their feelings of annoyance or frustration at times they can’t get through to a call agent or receptionist.
Get Some Professional Advice Today To Get The right Phone System For Your Business
If you think you could benefit from an IVR or voice prompt system, consult a business with lots of experience in these areas for more advice. With the right voice over agency recordings and IVR system in place, your business could see cost-effective improvements really quickly, for a much-needed boost at a challenging time with the global economy.
