Hosted IVR Systems Archives - Direct Numbers Blog

The new UK Wide non-geographic 03 numbers are a great choice for your business, charity or government organisation. These numbers are definitely here to stay and have become the number of choice. So why should my organisation switch to 03?

1) The EU Consumer Directive states that from 13^th June 2014, the majority of companies using 084 and 087 numbers for their customer service and complaint helpdesks will need to switch these numbers to a number that charges no more than a 01/02 geographic landline number. 03 numbers are the popular alternative to take over from 084 and 087 numbers.

2) 03 numbers are consumer friendly and the best number for your customers to use to contact you as callers are charged the same as calling an 01/02 number. Meaning that if you currently get free minutes to call a geographic landline then the 03 number will be included. So no high call costs on your landline and mobile phone bills.

3) 03 numbers are not fixed to any geographic location giving your customers a UK wide number to replace the more expensive to call 0845 number.

4) A number that is here to stay and that will grow with your business. 03 numbers are permanent and you can use them to divert your calls if changing office, telephone number or setting up further phone lines as your business expands. Like a mobile phone number you can take it with you!

5) Get more than just a number with Direct Numbers. All our numbers come packed with Call Handling features designed to professionalise your business. Use our portal to monitor your call stats, change where your number targets or set up advanced services like IVR (Interactive Voice Response) or Call Queuing.

Direct Number Customer Support Team

ivr-call-handling

IVR which stands for Interactive Voice Response has been around for a while now and is used extensively by businesses. It’s basically an automated menu tool on your phone which will route your customers to where they want to go.

Back in the day, a company would need to have a piece of kit in their office to make use of this IVR service. This would require technical know how and equipment costs which can be a daunting prospect for many businesses.

Hosted IVR has provided a breakthrough in that it is now an affordable facility that many small to medium sized businesses can now make use of. Hosted basically means the IVR platform is hosted in the ‘cloud’ and therefore no in-house kit is needed. A customer can simply design and manage their IVR on an online portal which requires little to no technical knowledge.

So why should a business use IVR technology? I would say it’s not for all businesses but if you do have a customer flow of calls coming in on a daily basis then you need to look at where they are terminating to, what your customers are calling about and can an IVR manage these calls better for you than say a receptionist.

I have highlighted below some of the key benefits an IVR can have for your business:-

1) Answering phone calls can take both time and money so let the IVR capture that initial call. Don’t lose your customer calls.

2) IVR will work for your business even when your business is closed. You can provide information to your customer and capture their messages even when you’re closed and there is no one to answer the call.

3) Your business can seem a lot bigger and have a professional front end even when you’re just a small ‘one man’ show.

4) Hosted IVR is easy to use and very affordable which means it’s a great choice for a start up company that wants to look at managing their calls.

5) Save time and money by getting the call to the correct department without having to send the call to a busy receptionist first.

6) Analyse your call stats and see what your customer calls are doing on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

7) Use automated key capture functionality which will allow your customers to check their balances, order over the phone or request information without having to speak to a representative.

Things to look out for if you do run an IVR for your business and common customer gripes are:-

1) Long IVR menus are a big no no – put yourself in your customer’s shoes – so keep menu options short and direct.

2) Make sure it works properly and voice activation technology works correctly without customers having to repeat their choices.

3) If you do have long call queues on your IVR then make sure you’re not charging too much for the call. This will really annoy your customers.

So keeping all of this in mind and deciding that you do need this for your business then you’ll need to look at a provider for this service. This is where you’ll need to speak to us at Direct Numbers whereby we always urge our customers to try a free demo of our hosted services to see how it can benefit your business.