If you’re anything like me you deal with an IVR system most days. IVR, or Interactive Voice Response, technology is that oft annoying computer that answers your call when you want to speak to someone at the Bank / utility company / company x.

Now, professionally I have had experience putting together the options people can choose, making sure that callers are directed to the appropriate people and the relevant actions are taken. Outside of work, I have clearly used a plethora of these systems in my day to day life.

In all that experience, though, I never really stopped to think about the thoughts around the delicate little areas that were outside of my own little bubble. I’m going to think about it now, though.

To talk or not to talk

Do we make our customers use their touch tone phone to elect an option, or do we make them speak their choice? Interesting question, this, because, believe it or not, both have advantages.

Speaking means that the handset doesn’t need to move up and down from earshot to eyeshot every time a user makes a choice, and also adds a degree of intimacy in the faked conversation world of the IVR. If you have a strange accent (Birmingham, for example), then you’re pretty much screwed because if people can’t understand you, why would a computer?! When machines get it wrong repeatedly, users become very frustrated.

Touch tone means you can do away with the potential for error there. The problem here is that you are limited to 10 options at a time (the numbers 0 to 9 on the keypad), meaning that poorly designed IVR systems (like BT’s) can take an age to navigate.

Even though I’m not a massive fan of Egg, their IVR system is pretty good. Give it a call and have a listen: 08451 233 233. The style is very, very conversational and the options are few and simple. Say nothing and you will be put through to a real person relatively quickly, too.

Here [s]he is..

If you decided to call Egg and have a go at the speech recognition software they use, did you notice that the voice you were presented with was that of a bloke and not a laydee?

The decision to have either a male or a female voice on the line is an interesting one, as is the style that voice uses once you have chosen it.

ChildLine, for example, would be no good if an upset 10 year old called in and Brian Blessed boomed down the phone. “HELLO CHILD! I AM TRANSFERING YOUR CALL!”

If you have ever called the debt collection wing of your bank or a company you deal with, the voice you get on the phone can tell you a lot about their outlook as far as dealing with your debt is concerned. Well spoken male? We mean business. Softly spoken woman? We’re here to help. You can probably take the piss with the latter, and do business with the former.

Thinking about it

Having thought about it I tend to think practically about what the company is trying to tell me with the voice it chooses to represent its contact centre(s). It is naive to presume that there is no motive in choosing one voice and style over another, so next time you’re on the phone have a think about what they’re trying to tell you / sell to you