Sunco is partnering with internationally recognized voice talent Allison Smith to provide customers access to professionally voiced and produced IVR prompts which can help convey your all-important company brand message and impress your callers with world-class IVR prompts – affordably, and with same-day turnaround.
Allison Smith is one of the most prevalent telephony voice talents heard today. Having voiced platforms for Cisco, Meraki, Verizon, Mitel, Bell, and numerous clients such as PetSmart, 3M, Royal Caribbean, Samsung and NASA, Allison’s voice is instantly recognizable. Below, she shares her IVR expertise for clients to elevate their communication platforms to the next level.
When clients send me an IVR menu to voice, the scripts are typically already written, usually very methodically crafted, and debated over – even hotly contested among groups of decision makers within companies. In extreme cases, the script has even made its way through the legal department for final approval.
It’s a rare thing when prospective clients approach me before their phone IVR script is written – and when they do, I implore them to be clear on a few things before they even open a word document and start typing their phone tree.
Want to turn your IVR from Good to Great ? Get clear on these:
1. Who Are You?
Nailing down your company’s identity – the image your company strives for, the principles you represent, and the type of people you attract as staffers – will help in drafting a phone script that accurately tells callers the story of your company – and gives them a heads-up as to what it will be like to interact with you.
2. Who’s Calling, please?
Ever hear the saying: “don’t sell the product – sell the problem.” It applies not only to advertising – it’s essential to establish before you write your IVR script, as well. You need to be crystal-clear on who your customer base is, and why they’re calling.
Rather than just have “for this, press that” routine choices as your menu options, why not think about the top five reasons that anyone would call your company – and list those, in priority sequence, in your phone tree. Anticipating the caller’s needs goes a long towards relationship-building with the caller.
3. I Hear You.
For bonus points, if you can include some form of empathy to your caller’s situation, you’ll be well on your way to a fantastic IVR.
From the auto body shop who acknowledges that anyone who calls them is likely not having a great day (and adopts a “we’ll take care of you” attitude in their IVR) to a wedding photographer who imparts – through her carefully-crafted and relatable IVR — that your wedding day is pure magic – and this photographer will do nothing but add to the magic of that day – these are cases where the client really thought about the impact their IVR can make on the caller, and capitalized on that.
The days of a phone tree which merely “sorts” callers are happily gone. Clients of mine are getting more and more inventive about designing their IVRs; these are true gateways to companies, and they definitely tell callers what their company is all about. Build your call flow on this strong foundation, and I guarantee: you’ll have happier customers when they’re eventually connected to a live agent, and you will have created a memorable caller experience.
Customized voice prompts elevate a communications presence. Your brand is important enough to have a professional voice on your system. Contact Sunco to breathe new life into your platform with professional custom prompts through Allison’s company, The IVR Voice.com.
Allison Smith is a professional telephone voice, heard on platforms globally. www.theivrvoice.com. Twitter: @voicegal
