IVR Testing, the Vanguard in Automated Call Quality Issue Resolution

What Is It and How Do You Test It?

Interactive voice response, or IVR, is an automated enterprise telephony system that uses pre-recorded messages and/or text-to-speech technology to interact with a combination of voice telephone inputs and touch-tone keypad selection. If you’ve ever had to ‘say or press one for English’ then you already have experience with IVR.

We offer a comprehensive suite of IVR Testing solutions to enable you to track call and data flows to your agents irrespective of location, and receive full Call Detail Records (CDRs) and a fully transcribed and mapped MP3 recording of each call, which you can easily access on your personalized dashboard.

Before we get to the nitty gritty of a suite of IVR Testing Services, let’s take a whistle-stop tour of IVR through the last 30+ years.

Hellooo and Welcome to Moviefone!

How many of you remember Moviefone? Co-founder, Russ Leatherman provided his oft parodied voice for the well known automated movie-listing and information service in 1989 and while, sadly, consigned to history in 2014, the central premise of Moviefone’s automation technology survives to this day.

Nowadays, the IVR system is an integral part of the daily customer journey. Natural language processing (NLP) technology has supercharged IVR systems even further, expanding the potential avenues for customer interactions over the phone.

Automation Gains

Thoughtful, well conceived and developed IVR systems have a myriad of benefits, some of which include;

• Efficient call routing
  • Reduced wait times
  • Increased first contact resolutions.
• Cost-effectiveness
  • Reduced call volumes for customer service representatives
  • Extended access beyond business hours
  • No need to hire dedicated testers
• Increased security
  • Some IVR systems incorporate voice recognition technology to verify the identity of an individual.
• Error Reduction
  • IVR systems can eliminate the potential for human error.
• Increased customer satisfaction.
  • Engaging, prompt IVRs with minimal redirection routes boost customer experience.

Benefits notwithstanding, IVRs do have some potential pitfalls that require careful negotiation. Unsuccessful call connections, overly complex or outdated menu options, erroneous redirection, subpar audio quality, and inaccurate information will result in high abandonment rates and ultimately damage faith in your service and your brand.

Chances are callers are already frustrated with some issue and a less than optimal IVR system is going to make matters worse.

That’s the bad news. Now on to the good news.

Game of Phones

When you play the game of phones, you win or you die! Well, ok, you won’t die, but your reputation might. However, with a comprehensive suite of IVR testing solutions, you uncover the dangers before your callers do.

How do we do it? Let’s take a look at some of the features of testing tools.

IVR Mapping

IVR mapping features initiates automated calls that trawl through every possible IVR interaction route, providing a clear outline of all potential journeys and endpoints so there’s no need to manually call and examine each stage of an IVR.

IVR mapping helps you to spot areas for improvement or to migrate interactive voice response flows from one system to another if you are moving to a new provider.

IVR Transcription

IVR transcription features automatically transcribes all audio and presents it on a complete map illustrating the point at which each IVR prompt was present. This means you can repair any problems before they impact the customer.

Audio Capture

IVR testing solutions capture audio from each node of the IVR and present it in a complete map illustrating at which point each audio prompt occurred.

• Sharpness
• Volume
• Background noise
• Variable latency or lag
• Clipping
• Interference

Global Coverage

A robust in-country testing infrastructure means callers receive the right IVR options and localisation messages. This feature puts callers at their ease, making the interaction an easier and more pleasant experience, thus driving brand integrity.

Tailored Test Scheduling

A customizable scheduling feature tests your IVR quality at whatever times suit your service; inside or outside of regular working hours, according to cadence or call flow. Run multiple tests at once if you wish, the choice is yours.

Personalized Dashboard

Maps of every IVR and every possible IVR journey are made available to you through your own personalized and highly visual interactive dashboard.

Automated Incident Management

Spearline issues real-time alerts directly to you based on your chosen alerting policy.  Alerts include CDRs (call detail records) of failed calls which expedites troubleshooting and issue resolution. Use our handy integrations to make the process even easier.

Hold the Line

The exponential growth in IVR system adoption means that callers are becoming more accustomed to IVR interactions and therefore more discriminating about what makes a good IVR service.

Spearline’s IVR testing solutions are the vanguard in the fight to ensure digital transformation success, holding the line no matter the issue or event.

At the forefront of our thinking is the primacy of early detection. Through scheduled testing and comprehensive mapping you can reduce MTRS/MTTR times and ensure your callers receive the correct information, promptly and sequenced correctly.

An automated, installation-free, and cost-effective IVR call testing campaign represents a proactive, global approach to IVR call quality issue resolution; try our demo today and learn for yourself.

Author: Guest Author