IVR Deconstructed

Utilities, including power and telephone companies, are using IVR for a range of beneficial applications. This has decreased the cost of communicating with customers and allowed for more efficient responses to service interruptions. Read on to learn about some of IVR’s applications for utilities…

A. Outages: Power utilities can apply an IVR application to inform customers of planned outages by telephone. This will prevent a flood of calls to notify the company of such outages. It may also be used by customers to report electric or cable TV outages.

B. Making Payment: Using IVR, utilities of any type can give customers the means to make payment over the phone at all hours of the day. The system may collect checking account or credit/debit card details for use in processing payment.

C. Service: Utilities may use an IVR application to let customers automatically request and schedule a visit by service personnel. This reduces the amount of time customer service representatives must spend on such requests, and prevents callers from being put on hold.

D. Work Orders: Service technicians can routinely report back on work order data with an IVR application, entering the current status of different orders. Such information may be used to inform customers of progress in responding to an outage or other problem.

E. Sales: A cable TV, telephone, or internet service provider can supply prices and details on their different “plans” or “packages” through IVR applications. Potential subscribers may enter their zip codes to confirm availability and pricing before speaking with a representative.

Each of these IVR applications makes it easier for utilities to provide callers with information and other services throughout the day and week. They also save time both for the utility and its customers. Such applications can be additionally streamlined by using an IVR system which automatically detects the caller’s phone number.