Guest post by Christine Ramsey, Head of Client Operations Klearcom
They say that “the worst type of problem is the one you can’t see.”
This is especially true when it comes to empowering and enhancing Customer Experience (CX). For a business, there are very few challenges more costly than a poor customer journey or a negative review. In fact, one bad review can cause significant damage to a brand.
As well as jeopardising customer retention, substandard CX can prevent referrals, undermine brand trust and hinder business growth. Given its impact on a company’s long-term success, it is therefore imperative that CX is both tested and trusted. This means uncovering and understanding any blind spots (those problems that are hard or impossible to see) which could affect customer service and confidence levels.
For multinational companies serving global customer bases, these undetected issues – such as poor call quality, communication errors and misrouted calls – across their Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems could not only be disruptive but also brand damaging.
IVR systems allow businesses to automate call interactions through the use of voice prompts and DTMF inputs. IVR systems are therefore intended to save businesses time and money, while seamlessly and successfully transferring the customer to the desired department or getting them to a resolution quickly through self-serve options.
However, if unchecked and untested, blind spots in IVR systems can have the opposite effect – causing delays, customer frustration, and in more serious cases, even system outages. Because they tend to fly under the radar, they often affect customers long before anyone on the client side realizes there’s a problem (which can be costly from a reputational and financial perspective.)
For example, a customer trying to reach their network provider’s service desk could be prompted by the IVR to state the desired department but then is misrouted to sales. Or there might be a customer service message during a holiday period which is incorrect, leading to confusion and dissatisfaction among large cohorts of customers.
CX blind spots can have various knock-on effects on a business, from reputational damage and reduced revenues to customer churn and compliance failures. In sectors which are highly regulated or during peak periods when demand is high, blind spots can potentially be catastrophic.
In addition, the aftermath of a blind spot or outage can negatively impact employee morale, with faults leading to more calls from frustrated customers, resulting in more pressure on staff. Testing IVR systems can ensure optimal performance and experience for all stakeholders.
By identifying and rectifying blind spots, IVR testing drives success for both customers and businesses – upholding quality, empowering customer journeys, and reducing the risk of outages. Furthermore, Call Detail Records (CDRs) can assist organisations with technical information to get resolution on blind spots faster as it enables them to pinpoint exactly where the issues are and reduce time to resolution (TTR.)
With tighter regulations and rising customer expectations, companies are feeling the pressure to deliver a standout customer experience. To keep up, they need to be proactively testing their systems to catch blind spots before they turn into outages or unhappy customers. At the end of the day, it’s not just the customer journey on the line but the future of the business.
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