7 Best Practice Suggestions for Customer Communications Within Your IVR

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The TFCC Client Management team has assembled a list of 7 IVR best practice suggestions for our utility clients. Our goal is to help you get the very most out of your High Volume Call Answering (HVCA) system.

1. Real-time Interface -  TFCC finds that the fastest and most accurate way to communicate with a customer and provide a positive caller experience is to have a real-time interface between the IVR and the CIS/OMS.
   
   This allows the utility to provide the most up to date and accurate outage information available. This increases the customer match rate in the utility database and also provides for a real time outage ticket to more quickly get a footprint of the outage at hand.
2. Recognize and Handle Shut-Off for Non-Pay in IVR - Recognizing that a customer is a shut-off for non-pay not only eliminates a truck getting dispatched to a shut-off location but also provides an opportunity to instruct the caller as to how they can get their service reconnected.   
   
   A shut-off for non-pay module can be completely automated or the call can be transferred to an agent so that payment can be made and service re-established without requiring the customer to make multiple calls.
3. Accurate Area Specific Messaging and ERT - When customers call they want to know WHY their power is out, and WHEN it will be restored. Providing this information in the IVR flow increases customer satisfaction and also reduces the number of times the caller will call back.
4. Up Front Messages- During a large outage or storm event a generic message at the beginning of the IVR script is an efficient way to communicate a consistent message to all callers.  We find that many callers are satisfied after hearing the message and hang up instead of moving through the IVR or transferring to a representative. 
   
   During a significant event, in which the utility already has a footprint of the outage and may not need more outage tickets, we recommend changing that message to communicate this fact. This helps build customer confidence that your best efforts are in place.
   
   Up Front Messages enhance the outage communication experience, improve customer satisfaction, and reduce data management & IVR call time. Up Front Messages can also provide emergency information in a severe event.
5. Repeat Caller Message with Time of Last Call - TFCC has long recommended that callers receive an acknowledgment that they have already called. Also, providing the time of the last call gives the caller assurance that the utility is paying attention and establishes trust. This reduces additional repeat caller scenarios during the current power outage as well as future outages.
6. Home and Alternate Phone in Database - TFCC has found that a utility match rate in the IVR can grow as much as 20% if there is more than one phone field to match on in the database. More and more people are becoming mobile and may not remember which phone number they used to set up their account. Storing more than one phone and making those phone numbers available during the account match process will increase the match rate, speed up the call and increase customer satisfaction.
7. Simple Main Menu with 3 or Less Selections - Giving too many options in the main menu can lead to confusion and frustration if the customer takes the wrong path. So simplify the main menu to include no more than three selections - including one selection for "outage update." For example, your main menu could read:  To report an electric outage condition, press 1.  For Outage update information, press 2, for a down wire press 3.   If the customer selects 1 for an outage condition,  the next menu could be used to drill down for additional detail such as flickering lights, partial outage or all out.