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Overview

• Over 60% of all new telephone systems are provided with some form of voice processing.
• Voice processing can significantly improve call handling efficiency.
• Voicemail is more than a message answering service.
• Packages vary in size and sophistication.
• Auto attendant can direct calls automatically to key staff and departments.
• Interactive Voice Response automates routing information transactions.

Modern telephone systems can be specified with a variety of processing functions, including voicemail, auto attendant and Interactive Voice Response (IVR).

When used correctly such systems can greatly improve call handling to the benefit of callers and businesses alike. In particular, they reduce the company's reliance on telephone operators to transfer calls and eliminate much of the message taking staff are required to do.

If not used properly they can alienate callers and lose potential customers, so it is vital to train individuals in all aspects of the system.

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Voice processing breaks down into three main areas:

• Voicemail
• Auto attendant
• IVR (interactive voice response).

We'll look at each in turn.

The most widely used application is voicemail. The use of voicemail has grown dramatically in the last few years, driven in part by the take-up of DDI (direct dial in). Because DDI enables callers to dial chosen extensions or departments directly without going through the switchboard, it is important to have some form of answering system in place so that the call can be taken even if the person called is away from his or her desk.

The ability to leave messages in personal mailboxes, even outside office hours, reduces demands on telephone system operators and minimises interruptions to co-workers.

It improves customer service by giving callers the assurance that their message will be heard and eliminates unanswered, lost or misdirected customer phone calls.

Voicemail, though, is much more than a glorified answering machine. It can also take a message when you are on the phone, alert you when you receive an urgent message, send a single message to a group of people and forward a message to a colleague. It is also possible to record different greetings for internal and external calls and by time of day.

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Most systems allow you to pick up all of your messages remotely wherever you may be, though it is important that this facility is password protected.

Voicemail packages vary in both capacity (the number of voice boxes the system can support) and sophistication. Phone system manufacturers normally offer fully integrated voicemail options for their own phone systems that are designed to be very easy to use, with extended functionality and sophistication. A number of specialist companies also offer voicemail packages that are compatible with telephone systems from the major manufacturers.

Voicemail is often installed as the prelude to going over to a fully integrated messaging system such as a Unified Messaging platform where all messages (voice, fax and e-mail) can be received to one desktop mailbox.

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Auto Attendants

Auto attendant systems are designed to improve customer service by directing calls to the correct individual or department without the need for a human operator. Callers benefit from being answered promptly with their calls being directed correctly, using recorded prompts such as “for sales please press 1, for accounts press 2, for delivery press 3”, and so on.

It should be remembered that some callers are uncomfortable using auto attendant services, so the option to speak to a human operator should always be made available by any customer- facing organisation.

Using auto attendant an insurance broker is able to maintain a “no more than four rings before answer” policy. The auto attendant asks the caller to select from motor, home, travel and other insurance options so that the call can be transferred to the correct department, without the need for a dedicated operator.

Interactive Voice Response

• Brochure and literature requests or for order-taking, where a caller is prompted to leave their contact details and account information.
• Systems are also available with fax integration, so, for example, a price list can be faxed back automatically in response to a customer request.

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Short Case Study

Disney Mobile wanted an advanced self-service IVR solution to enable their mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) customers to obtain as much account information as possible without needing to speak to a customer service agent. The solution needed to integrate seamlessly within an Avaya media server environment and facilitate their Citrix farm CTI distribution. They chose Encoded, based in West Sussex, to provide this key system.Encoded designed and developed a bespoke customer self-service solution and combined this with their advanced queuing and call-back systems.

The solution was deployed on Encoded’s Titan Voice Switches and installed within two data centres to offer real-time, independent redundancy. Customers were able to retrieve balance information, top up their credit and speak to customer service operators, and the solution featured CTI screen pops and live radio hold music.

Disney Mobile has a cost-effective, highly resilient automated customer service platform that delights callers and will provide a return on investment within 9 months.

What does this mean for business

When voice processing systems were first available there was a reluctance to use them or even leave messages. Users had the same aversion to voicemail and voice processing as they did within the residential market to leaving messages on answering machines at home. Nowadays, it is rare to come across a company without voicemail and the ability to leave a message on an automated system.

Voice processing in business is as commonplace as handing out business cards. Irrespective of a business owner’s reticence to implement voicemail, auto attendant or IVR for fear that customer will be greeted by an impersonal machine, it is the perception of the customer that is important and there is nothing more impersonal than an unanswered phone or a delay in fulfilment of the customer's expectations.

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