19 Tips to Make Your IVR System Less Annoying
Interactive Voice Response (IVR): Best Practices for a Better Caller Experience
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is usually the first line of communication for a customer when calling a company. There are countless articles and guides on setting up your PBX IVR in the most optimal way. However, customers still tend to find menus and recorded messages extremely frustrating.
Auto-attendants and IVRs are standard features across both on-premise and hosted PBX systems (and are also available as third-party add-ons). While IVR configurations vary from system to system, there are some common-sense guidelines worth following:
1. Keep IVR menus simple and shallow
Avoid making the IVR menu too deep or complex—no one wants to sit through a long list of instructions. Jason Stephen Ali, Marketing Director at BroadConnect, recommends limiting the menu levels (also known as a phone tree) to a maximum of three levels. Any more complexity than that, and customers may feel trapped in IVR hell.
2. Inject some humanity
After listening to a series of menu prompts from a robotic voice, “people want to actually have someone answer the phone,” says Aaron Charlesworth, VP of UCaaS at Vonage. Which also means…
3. Avoid voicemail dead-ends
Nothing frustrates customers more than navigating menu prompts only to land in someone’s voicemail. If live assistance isn’t available, route them directly to the voicemail of the most relevant person who can help.
4. Make menu prompts intuitive
Avoid confusing prompts like “Press 1 for support” followed by “Press 9 for sales.” The menu structure and call routing should make clear, logical sense to the caller.
5. Ensure messages are clear and well-paced
If using custom messages, make sure the speaker is articulate and speaks at a comfortable pace—not too fast, not too slow.
6. Choose IVRs with robust, easy-to-navigate configuration options
Some IVR pain points stem from poor system design. Ali notes that “customers and users can’t find the right options” in some systems. Choose an IVR that offers a clear, web-based admin interface with intuitive settings.
For more help, check out: “10 Questions to Ask When Comparing IVR Systems.”
7. Offer a call-back option
Nobody likes being on hold. Many IVRs now offer a call-back feature, allowing the caller to leave their number and receive a return call when someone becomes available.