IVR Solutions for Marketing and Sales
The success of any business' marketing efforts depends upon how effectively they communicate with their potential customers at every point of the sales funnel. Thus, a business must provide the best experience possible customer experience through both online & offline communication.
According to a survey, about 60% of the customers don't complete their purchases because of poor customer experience.
One effective way to improve customer experience is to use Interactive Voice Response (IVR) solution. This solution enables customers to connect with your business as & when they need it. A cloud IVR solution is a type of software created for calls, which relies on voice recognition or keypads. This system doesn't need anyone to direct calls that save a lot of caller's time. It is a great tool for inbound as well as outbound calls. Customers always appreciate effective call routing.
Below we have mentioned the most significant reason on how IVR solutions can boost your marketing & sales process:
On-hold messages
This is one of the most prominent application areas, but it is important to mention "on-hold messages" because one should take them into account while implementing an IVR system for their business. People usually think that they need to choose either IVR system or on-hold messages, but the truth is, even though the IVR solution can reduce on-hold time, it doesn't eliminate it completely. And the remaining on-hold time should not be filled with silence.
When you include an on-hold message, your customers will spend more time staying on the line. Such messages help you to engage with your audience and reduce call drop rate. In these messages, you can tell them about your latest offers & promos, demonstrate that you care about their time, etc.
Generating leads for marketing campaigns
Many marketing professionals use IVR as call-to-action. Besides sending emails & using ads, you can encourage your potential customers to call on your IVR number & talk to you through IVR. For e.g., you can ask people to take a quick survey such as finding out whether they are using the most effective product/solution or need to switch to your product/solution.
Once the user calls on your IVR number & responds to the IVR menu, it will connect them to your sales representatives. Also, you can direct your callers to different departments/agents based on the campaign they came from. This will help you to streamline your entire lead generation & sales process. Whether your callers make a purchase or not, you will be able to collect their contact information and responses to your questions. The crux is: IVR marketing campaigns can be genuinely helpful.
Researching your audience preferences, needs, and habits
It is imperative for marketing professionals to research their target audience in order to determine their purchasing needs & preferences. Surveys are an invaluable source of insights into your customers' behaviour & preferences. You can ask your audience about your service or products or about the industry, as a whole. This will help you to understand what they consider important, interesting, or convenient. Thus, you'll find many growth opportunities.
Researching your audience through an IVR survey offers high response rate & great flexibility. You can easily get the feedback from your customers through automated IVR calls made through outbound calling solutions. Also, you can change any questions or adjust them according to your needs while being able to analyze responses immediately. Thus, using cloud IVR solution will save a lot of your costs compared to hiring a survey team that will be expensive.
Final thoughts
IVR solution benefits your marketing campaigns in a lot of ways. It provides a simple way to interact with your existing & potential customers while enabling you to automate many processes and save time. You can use IVR systems, not just for notifications & customer support but also get actionable insights into your audience's preferences & collect valuable feedback. Therefore, the IVR solution can help you attract leads & qualify them. Given that the IVR solution comes with many possible applications don't be afraid to experiment with those applications with different approaches. After all, experimenting is the key to find new opportunities & improve the effectiveness of your marketing efforts!