IVR Payment Processing Solutions

The hospitality sector’s business model differs from other businesses. They sell services directly, through branch locations and through a network of agents. Understandably the IVR is the first point of contact and this can be a make or break situation. It depends on the IVR solution and just how well-implemented it is into the hospitality ecosystem. Should you be considering an IVR system then these features could possibly fulfill the wish list. Distinct yet interconnected IVR channels Customer response quality is affected by quality of IVR response. If the IVR system is limited to only interaction with limited choices then it is not going to serve the purpose. What hospitality needs is an IVR that has distinct yet interconnected channels. To explain this, one channel relates to customer dialing in and hoping to find answers to queries that would lead to booking. The IVR should also have connectivity between customer and various branches or agents as may be require...

No, this is not a head to head comparison of IVR packages, free or otherwise, available in the USA and elsewhere or what makes them the best. What is best in IVR can be a subjective matter. Instead, take a look at what features are desirable in IVR solutions and help to improve IVR experience and performance in 2020 for businesses across the USA.  Convergence From being customer avoidance tools the IVR is graduating to becoming a full-fledged customer self service interactive solution. It converges effortlessly into call center solutions and IP PBX as well as social media channels. The original purpose was to handle inbound calls but with convergence with social media and CRM, the IVR finds more frequent use as an outbound messaging tool. Naturally when one considers outbound messaging the issue of customer preferences and profiling arises which brings in artificial intelligence and analytics to the package. With AI and chatbot going into the mix what we will ha...

Utilities, telecom companies and financial institutions are just a few examples of businesses with large customer bases where timely payments are of crucial importance for healthy cash flow. Payments of bills or loan instalments or outstandings can improve a lot with the simple inclusion of a real time pay now IVR payment solution .  Consider the normal scenario Consider a pre- IVR payment system scenario. The creditor sends out a printed reminder, en email or a phone call. The debtor makes it a point to send payment. A cheque may be the preferred method and this entails delay. It may take a day or two or longer for the individual to find time to write out the cheque and mail it. It takes time for the cheque to be processed and for money to show up in the account. Emails are likely to be ignored or set aside for action at a later time. Utilities or financial institutions may send someone in person to collect the cheque but this also introduces delay as well as a...

The concept of self service that IVR brings can be extended a step further and make it a tool for payment in what is known as an IVR payment system . It is a logical extension to an IVR solution that helps draw in leads to the point of conversion. A standard IVR would then require the caller who is ready to buy to make payment in some other way. This point is crucial since a customer ready to buy could suddenly decide it is not worth the effort and leave. The IVR payment keeps customers engaged right to the conclusion. This is just one thing an IVR payment system can do for you. There are other benefits for businesses and industries as well. Highest levels of security Customers understandably are chary about revealing card details or banking information and PIN to a human agent. There have been numerous instances of misuse since such confidential data can be hacked. When interacting with an agent the call may be recorded and such call records may be accessed. Thi...

Institutions and enterprises in Canada seek to reduce costs and dependence on manpower and yet provide an excellent customer experience. IVR is one way to provide self service but how it is designed and implemented can have direct bearing on the containment rate. Callers would like to resolve issues with this feature. At the same time, badly designed and implemented IVRs more often result in churn rather than satisfaction. Each business and institution’s needs are different and there is a need to customize IVR solutions for Canadian users. Different users, different needs Professionals: Primary purpose is to let callers fix appointments and for professionals to keep track of appointments made through the IVR solution in Canada . Hotels and hospitality: Requirements can be quite complex calling for custom IVR solution to handle everything from offering information on hotels and rooms to tariffs, bookings and then a variety of services for in-hotel ...

The hotel and hospitality sector in Canada is growing with 75% of visitors primarily from the US. People visit Canada for tourism and for business. The industry generates over $ 40 billion and employs 305000 people across 8253 establishments. Hotels in Canada need to stay on top and offer the best possible service with excellent communication infrastructure in order to deliver an above average customer experience. Hotel IVR solution for Canadian hospitality resolves quite a few challenges that hotels and customers face. The Ideal Hotel IVR solution The ideal Hotel IVR solution would be tailored to suit each hotel’s specific way of operating and customer expectations in self service. Customization that factors in expectations of customers leads to development of the best hotel IVR that includes all possible features at different points of the customer journey such as: The primary level : This is the stage at which a customer wants to know about rooms, loc...

It is easy to put an IVR system in place. You call in a vendor and explain your requirement. The IVR developer creates a menu for the system and that is that. Customers use the IVR, listen to a long-winded message and are offered choice of key presses. They press one key and that leads to another set of options. Customer rage and frustration mounts. His time is wasted and his problem remains unresolved. It is no wonder that IVRs can lead to customer churn. Smart enterprises optimize IVR all the time based on feedbacks and analytics. Otherwise, what is supposed to be a self service system can be potentially harmful. Analyze IVR to optimize it A generic IVR solution rarely works from the customer perspective. What does your customer want when he dials a number that leads to an IVR? You get the answer through constant, ongoing analytics of the customer journey. A few things one can do to optimize IVRs: Keep menu options short Offer backtracking to ...

Today, IVR solutions are in great demand. This one solution has made the life of a human operator easy and productive. No more stretching of work hours and lose the charm of their job. IVR is a voice prompt that automates the daily and repeated tasks of the end-user. For instance; pay utility bills, fetch information related to various product and its queries, it is used for every small task eliminating the daily long queues of customers and reducing their physical activities. No wonder, IVR is a bliss for various companies irrespective of their business size to improve customer experience. Not only it reduces the task of a human professional and increases his productivity but also provides a great satisfaction to customers with real time solution. IVR solution development has a wide array of enthralling features that pinpoint why companies should have this amazing automated machine. Call screening: It is enormously crucial to know who is calling ...

Are you scared of online transactions due to the increase in number of cyber attacks? If this is the case, the blissful technology has already put an end to your worry. Yes, it is the fact. The advanced technology has brought an amazing solution helping you pay your utility bills or make transactions through phone system. Asterisk Payment IVR helps you pay bills following the usual procedure and verifying your 16 digit number through one-time password. Not necessary you need a landline, you can also make your payments using smartphones.  For instance: While shopping online you opted to make payment via IVR. The automated attendant provides you a couple of payment options: debit card or credit card. On selecting either of the options, the voice prompt verifies the 16 digit number via OTP sent to your mobile number. Once the OTP is verified, the transaction process completes. This ensures a safe transaction to customers without worrying of cyber crimes or any m...