Although automated phone greetings are often the first interactions customers have with your company, many small business owners don’t take necessary steps to make sure they are making the correct first impression. Deciding what options to present and composing a concise and understandable greeting are difficult for many people. Thus selecting the right auto attendant/IVR to sound like a bigger company is a crucial step in presenting your business to the public. Here are suggestions on how you can set up your IVR to best meet customer needs.
State Important information Immediately
Automated greetings should provide callers with essential information or direct them to individuals who can meet their needs. Include your office hours and website URL. Some businesses may benefit from including the location of the company in the greeting. Before introducing options, let callers know that they can enter their party’s extension at any time. Forcing clientele to listen to a list of choices when they know who they want to reach is a sure way to displease them.
Keep Choices Easy to Understand
An exhaustive list of choices doesn’t make you look like a bigger company, but will end up frustrating your customers. Make sure you have a straightforward menu of options that makes it easy for callers to decide. Most smaller business simply need one level of options with several extensions. Also make sure to list options in numerical order.
List Most Requested Options First
Selecting your options will depend on your type of business. Think about frequently asked questions and design your prompts accordingly to avoid having callers select an option only to be immediately transferred to another individual.
Relay Detailed Information Through Separate Extensions
Auto attendant or IVR often offer extensions for information-only mailboxes that play pre-recorded information and allows callers to transfer back to the main menu or repeat information. Use these boxes to answer frequently asked questions such as directions to your business, or to convey additional information about sales and specials.
IVR and auto attendant systems may be configured and customized in different ways to make your company look bigger. Contact us to learn how your business can benefit from tailoring phone greeting and messaging systems to meet your needs.