An interactive voice response (IVR) is a technological design that receives user input through mobile keypad and delivers an interactive pre-recorded answer. It provides the user with the convenience of one-on-one conversation with no wait time.
With the IVR system, your customer service number is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the computer is always ready to meet your customers and transfer the call to you.
Another use case of the system is to collect quantitative data from customers using IVR survey questions.
This article will explore how you can script your survey in an IVR system and look through some of the best practices.
An IVR survey question includes a sequence of pre-recorded questions that invite customers to respond by tapping a number on their phone’s keypad or speaking if required. Responses are often supplied on a Likert scale, to make it easy for respondents to provide their preferred answers.
For example,
Following up with a customer who had ordered a product from an e-commerce shop but their order got delayed.
Hello, Welcome to XYZ company.
We are calling to make sure you have received the product you ordered 2 weeks ago. The order no. is 1234567.
Press 1 if you have received the product.
Press 2 if you still haven’t received the order.
Sorry for the delay in delivery. Our executive will contact you. Thank You.
Siena college conducted 3M phone calls & 96 polls in 2.5 months using Voxco Phone Surveys.
Here is a complete guide to creating an IVR survey script. An IVR survey script must have four components – introduction, instructions, questions, and thank you messages.
In the introduction, you make sure to identify your company and the reason for conducting the survey.
You should also add a screening question to only survey those who are willing to participate.
In the instruction, you must talk about how they can answer questions using their keypad. For example, on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 being poor and 5 being excellent. It is also better to mention how much time this survey is going to take.
In the question, use layman’s language. Don’t complicate things by using jargon, they might hang up. And use the same scale such as 1 to 5 throughout the survey.
If you use open-ended questions, always inform the respondent how they can record their answer – “After the tone, please explain why you chose this option. Please complete your answer by pressing the pound or hash key”.
Thank you messages, to express your gratitude to your customers. Record two thank you messages one for the respondents who don’t want to participate and one for those who complete the survey.
Let’s see this example to understand how to compose them.
Introduction
Instructions
Questions
Thank You message!
Skip logic is a survey feature that shows the next question based on the participant’s answer. This functionality can also be found in phone surveys.
Here’s an example of how you can apply skip logic in your IVR survey. It is important to ensure that the logic flow is perfect, so test your survey flow before conducting surveys.
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IVR has been recommended as a beneficial method for minimizing social desirability bias since it eliminates the requirement for a live person on the line to conduct an interview. Intuitively, it seems reasonable that in the absence of a real person on the line, respondents may provide more honest responses.
In an interactive voice response system, a variety of things might impact the respondent when using a live interviewer, whether the responder is hesitant to divulge a delicate viewpoint or piece of intimate information.
Interviewer effects should be less of an issue using an IVR system since respondents communicate with a machine rather than a real person. This is true for self-administered surveys in general.
Moreover, the use of IVR survey questions allows you to handle large-scale surveys cost-effectively. With the lesser need for human operators, you can direct company resources to optimize products and services, ultimately elevating customer satisfaction.
Now that we have learned how to compose a script for your IVR surveys, let’s take a look at some examples under various scenarios.
Company MNO Courier Service conducts a customer satisfaction survey after every month to gather CSAT data from their premium customers.
Often they hire human operators to gather data. But, this time they want to use IVR to conduct their surveys.
This is an example of the survey script they can use.
Hello, We are calling from MNO Courier Service. We want to understand your experience with our company so we can improve our services.
This survey will ensure your anonymity.
If you wish to continue with the survey Press 1. (Skip-condition: if 1 go to instructions)
If you don’t want to participate, Press 2. (If 2 go to Message 1)
Instruction: Answer the questions by pressing the keypad on your phone. Please rate us on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 being poor and 5 being excellent.
Q1. How easy is it to contact our customer support?
Q2. How was the attitude of our delivery agent?
Q3. How was your experience with our courier service?
Q4. How did our agent address your concern?
Q5. Would you like our manager to contact you personally?
If Yes Press 1. (If 1 go to Message 2)
If No Press 2. (If 2 go to Message 1)
Message 1: Thank you for your time. We value you as part of our company and would like to continue to serve you.
Message 2: Thank you for your time. Our manager will contact you shortly. We value your feedback. We strive to improve our services to deliver a better experience.
Company XYZ Pvt Ltd is conducting a customer satisfaction survey to collect data about their newly launched products.
They use IVR surveys to engage with the customers who make frequent purchases from their brand.
This is an example of how they can design the IVR survey questions.
Hello, We are calling from XYZ Pvt Ltd, we want to collect your feedback on our newly launched product so we can make improvements if needed. This survey will ensure your anonymity. Please follow the instructions to respond.
If you wish to continue with the survey Press 1. (Skip-condition: if 1 go to instructions)
If you don’t want to participate, Press 2. (If 2 go to Message 1)
Instruction: Answer the questions by pressing the keypad on your phone. Please rate us on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 being poor and 5 being excellent.
Q1. How satisfied are you with the recent purchase?
Q2. How would you rate the buying experience?
Q3. How difficult (1) or easy (5) was it to use the product?
Q4.How likely are you to recommend our products?
Q5.How was your overall experience with the product?
If you don’t want to respond please press 0. (If 0 go to Message 1)
After the chime please answer the question, we will record your response. To complete the answer press the hash key. ( Go to Message 2)
Message 1: Thank you for your time. We value you as a member of this company and look forward to serving you again. Goodbye.
Message 2: Thank you for providing your feedback. We value your effort and look forward to serving you. If you have any feedback, please call our customer support number. Thank You.
Company ABC Pvt Ltd is conducting a customer service survey to know what improvements can be made to enhance their performance and overall customer experience.
This is an example of the survey script they are using.
Hello, We are calling from ABC Pvt Ltd, we would like you to take our short survey to understand your experience with us, so we can cater well to your needs. This survey will ensure your anonymity.
Please follow the instruction to respond.
If you wish to continue with the survey Press 1. (Skip-condition: if 1 go to instructions)
If you don’t want to participate, Press 2. (If 2 go to Message 1)
Instruction: Answer the questions by pressing the keypad on your phone. Please rate us on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 being poor and 5 being excellent.
Q1. How happy are you with our customer support service?
Q2. How was the attitude of our agent connected with you over the call?
Q3. How would you evaluate the level of service you received?
Q4. How many phone calls did you have to make to get your problem resolved?
Press 1 for 1 call
Press 2 for 2 calls
Press 3 for 3 calls and more
Q5. Would you like our manager to contact you personally?
Press 1 for Yes (If 1 go to Message 2)
Press 2 for No (If 2 go to Message 1)
Message 1: Thank you for calling. We value you as a member of this company and look forward to serving you again.
Message 2: Thank you for your time. Our sales manager will contact you shortly. We value your feedback. We strive to improve our services to deliver a better experience.
Now let’s take a look at some of the questions you can use in IVR surveys for better insight generation.
Vox Opinion uses Voxco IVR to improve clients’ satisfaction ratings.
Here are some question types you can use in IVR customer satisfaction surveys.
The advantage of asking scale questions is that you will receive more information than a basic ‘Yes’ or ‘No,’ and this information may then be utilized to generate scores depending on the replies.
This is a simple question for the respondent to answer, and you may discover that this type of IVR customer satisfaction survey question has a higher response rate than others on our list.
Some of the scale questions; On a scale of 1 to 5
A Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) survey is the easiest approach to determine what your customers think about each engagement they have with your business.
With IVR, you can automate and simplify data collection for CSAT.
For example, after customers check out from a hotel, the management can use IVR to gather data on the satisfaction of their overall experience.
If you are satisfied with your stay press 1,
If not, press 2.
(Thank you for your input. Every day, we aim to provide better service to you. If you’d like to talk with our manager about your inquiry, press the hash key.)
Open-ended IVR survey questions can provide in-depth information regarding customer happiness. It should normally be utilized only with more devoted customers, as the time it takes to complete can lead to drop-offs.
However, it is important to give proper instructions on how respondents can share their answers to such questions.
For instance – After the tone, please explain why you chose this overall satisfaction rating option. Please complete your answer by pressing the hash key.
Now that we have learned what question types you can use in your IVR surveys, let’s look through some survey best practices.
IVR survey cannot be designed following similar survey best practices. Since a phone call is more intrusive you have to make it more interactive and engaging so your audience doesn’t drop off.
Five best practices you can follow to design your IVR surveys are –
Now let’s take a closer look at these IVR survey questions practices.
Callers may find it difficult to traverse a long and sophisticated IVR menu; it is typically advised to present up to 5 primary menu selections, ordered in order of relevance.
Always give participants the option to speak directly to the agents/departments after the survey. Specify the extension for better understanding.
They may not know which extension they need, but they do know which department they require – make sure they hear the option before the action (“For sales, press 1,” rather than “Press 1 for sales”).
Avoid using needless particular industry terminology, acronyms, and difficult phrases; instead, use language that is plain and easy to comprehend for everyone who may call your helpline.
Make sure to remind respondents of your callback service towards the end of the survey. Give them the option to book a call back if required.
Once the call flow has been mapped, check that the language used in the IVR survey questions is consistent with the brand and the language of the customer. The language that consumers understand and want to hear, whether official or casual, must be customized to the sort of firm.
This sums up how you can create scripts with IVR survey questions. IVR survey can be quite useful in measuring the overall success of your firm. It offers you a channel to make customer interaction more personalized.
If your existing phone system does not have phone survey capabilities, reach us today.
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