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The Golden Rule, IVR, and You
Back when I was a game developer, the key tenet my team lived by was "Would we play the game we are making?". Not surprisingly, this was also the most common question others would ask when they would first hear about our new projects. People don't want to buy games when the people who developed them wouldn't buy them. I think this test is just as relevant for IVR developers.
Step back from your project for a moment, and ask yourself, "Would I like to call into this IVR?" Not "Would this IVR be painful?" or "Will people try to skip the IVR and get to an operator?", instead "Would I like to call into this IVR?". When I first heard Audium's tagline about empowering developers to create voice applications that callers actually want to use, it first sounded like marketing-speak. But there is truth in that simple concept. Callers (who are ultimately customers) will not interact with an IVR that they do not enjoy.
If customers choose to skip your IVR, someone (your company perhaps?) is paying money for an operator to spend time with the customer, and the benefits of the IVR are lost.
It's common to see lists of how to bypass infamously bad IVR systems on the net. Sit down and make a mental list of the IVR systems you've personally dealt with (outside of work) that you actually enjoyed using. It may not be apparent at first; it's much easier to think of the negative experiences. But which IVRs served you what you needed efficiently and in a friendly manner?
One example I can think of is my cell phone carrier's customer service line. I have called this number many times over the years -- questions, complaints, services changes, seeking highly technical advice (ever use your cell phone for GPRS Internet and try to get help with some of the advanced software settings?). I have never once been put-off by their IVR routing app, and I always end the call satisfied. This is what keeps me with this carrier, they don't offer any special prices or services I couldn't get elsewhere, but it's very easy to get help from them.
Imagine you are calling into the IVR app you are developing. Can you say the same thing about it?
