Just a quick example of how an IVR can make a huge difference in customer support—I’m going to use something from my own life…
I live in Colorado and do a lot of mountain biking, like many people here. I ride mostly along the Front Range—the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where people in Denver, Boulder, Golden, et cetera ride.
There’s a variety of trails along the Front Range, but mostly they’re just straight up (with a couple thousand feet of elevation gain) and straight back down. And the trails can be pretty technical (they don’t call them the Rocky Mountains for nothing).
Anyway, a little over a week ago I noticed my left foot coming unclipped from my pedal (they clip in kind of like ski bindings—your foot’s locked into the pedal with a little cleat on the bottom of your shoe and doesn’t come out unless you twist your foot a certain way).
So anyway, my left foot kept coming out—sometimes while I was climbing but also (and not just annoyingly but dangerously) while I was descending. Not good. Then the right one started coming out too. Then I couldn’t keep either foot in at all hardly.
I called the manufacturer (I won’t mention any names) to send the pedals back. I got a voicemail. It told me to leave a message with my contact info, and someone would call me back within 24 hours.
I took the pedals off my bike and waited for the call. It didn’t come within 24 hours. It didn’t come within 48 hours. In fact, it didn’t come until almost a week later.
When it did come, it was a guy in tech support. He said I just needed a return number so I could send the pedals in for replacement parts. I waited a week just for a number. And he didn’t give it to me. He told me I actually had to call another customer service line to get it.
So I can’t help thinking how much better this whole thing would have been if the manufacturer had an IVR system. The IVR could have simply given me a return number the first time I called. Done. I might even have my pedals back by now.
As it is, I still don’t have the stupid number. I’m waiting on a return call from customer service. I wonder how long I’ll have to wait. It’s funny, but still…
