Why use IVR greetings on your phone system

When putting together messages for our IVR phone system, you may think it doesn’t matter WHO we get to record them.

While it might seem easy to read a script into a microphone.. voice acting is a skilled job that requires experience to get right.

The wrong inflection on a single syllable can completely change the meaning of a sentence.

An Interactive Voice Response (IVR) greeting is likely the first thing a new customer will hear when calling your organisation.

We all know that first impressions count.

A lot.

So it’s critical to get the tone and the messaging right from the outset.
And that’s not the only reason to use professional IVR greetings on your phone system.

Far from a simple answerphone message, your IVR greeting can carry out lots of tasks, resulting in happier customers, less stressed staff and a better bottom line for your organisation.

But only if it’s designed that way.

 

 

WHAT IS AN INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE GREETING?

Your IVR greeting is the first point of contact your customer has when they call your organisation.

Often the scripted voiceover track guides your caller to where you’d like them to be eg. “Press 1 for Sales“.

More than a message that’s played to your customers when they call, an IVR greeting may include background , music so that they know the call is still awaiting attendance.

With a well designed IVR greeting, you can deliver answers to questions such as your opening hours and website address.
And you can keep your callers engaged so that they don’t hang up.

 

 

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN CREATING AN IVR GREETING

Because your IVR greeting is the audio face of your business, it’s vital that it reflects the brand image you’d like to project.

There are several parts to any Interactive Voice Response greeting.
The background music sets the tone for the call, such provides a signal to your caller that the call is still active and keeps them entertained. Your callers will have a very different experience when the background music is upbeat compared to when it is calming.

The voiceover artist that you choose also helps to set the impression. It’s important to choose one who will resonate with your target audience. They’re representing your brand, so as with the background music, you’ll want them to project your brand image.

Next, think about what you want your callers to do. What do they typically call you about? Are there questions that can be answered by a message just as easily as by a human?

A proper script for an IVR greeting will deliver this information to your callers while they’re on hold.

Timing is critical in keeping your callers engaged. If your script delivers information to them non-stop when they call, it can feel like listening to a commercial.

When that happens, the end result is often that your callers disengage and stop listening or even hang up. Spacing out the information amongst bits of music, can help to resolve this, while keeping your callers engaged.

 

 

BENEFITS OF IVR GREETINGS ON YOUR PHONE SYSTEM

Your Interactive Voice Response phone system can be set up to perform useful tasks when your callers would otherwise have been on hold.

 

THE VOICE OF YOUR BUSINESS

Did you know that people pay more attention to the way something is presented than to its content?

When you have a well designed IVR greeting, it can convey the nature of your organisation to your callers without ever stating it. The callers who are a match for your organisation are likely to stick around.

A professional voice actor knows how to set the tone for your business, and is trained in pronouncing words clearly. This tends to make it much easier for your callers to understand what they’re saying. And because there are so many voice actors available of all accents, ages and genders, it’s easy to find one who resonates with your target audience.

When the background music, the voice actor, and your message all resonate with your target audience, they likely to remain on the line.

Beyond that, a properly designed IVR greeting on your support line can help to calm callers who may be agitated. This leads to a better experience for both your customers and your staff.

 

SELLING INSIDE AN IVR GREETING

Your caller has taken the time to call you, so you can be certain that they think you can help to solve at least one of their problems.

While a full commercial script may not be the best idea in every circumstance, IVR greetings can be designed to engage the caller, and then help THEM to see how YOU can help THEM.

In turn, this can smooth and simplify the sales process. Depending on your product or service, it may even be possible to make the sale directly within the greeting.

 

HAVE YOUR CUSTOMER DO SOMETHING

When your customer’s waiting on the phone, it’s the ideal time to give them something to do while they wait. With the right scripting, your callers can be led into doing just about anything that’s compatible with a phone call, including redirecting them to your website or asking them to retrieve their customer number if they have one.
This saves time for both your customer and your staff.

 

 

HOW TO HAVE YOUR IVR GREETING CREATED FOR YOU

Despite how short they can be, there are a lot of things that go into the creation of an effective Interactive Voice Response greeting.

Your IVR greeting is the very first thing your callers hear when they call you, so it’s critical that it conveys who you are and what you can do for them, while keeping them engaged and projecting a positive impression of your organisation.

Rather than worry about sorting out all the details, why not let us handle that for you?

If that sounds like something you’d be interested in pursuing, we’ve put together some IVR greeting samples so that you can decide whether it’s right for you.

Check out our audio samples here.

Then by filling out a few details get a quote here and we’ll get onto it right away.