Closing the Dialog -- Part IV

11. Reassure users of success

If the main purpose of the call was to execute a transaction and the transaction was successfully completed, repeat to the user that the transaction was successful, and if possible, let them know that a follow-up confirmation will reach them. Ideally, an email detailing the transaction should be sent. This email will serve as a reassuring, visible, warm-and fuzzy and will go a long way towards reducing the number of calls from people who just want to make sure that the stupid IVR system did do what they wanted it to do.

System: Great! We are done! You should receive an email shortly detailing your transaction. Thanks for calling. Goodbye.

12. Don’t provide any crucial new information

Whether the call termination was initiated by the user or the system, try to avoid announcing anything new or important at the call-closing prompt. After the user says, "Goodbye", their attention to what the system is saying is minimal. At most, repeat some piece of information before closing with "Goodbye": e.g., "Remember, your coupon is valid only through June 30th, 2008."

13. Turn barge-in off

Since information will be flowing only one way – from the system to the user -- during the closing of a dialog, turn barge-in off to ensure that the closing prompt is not interrupted.

14. Give the user a quick tip

If the user had to traverse a deep menu to reach the option they selected, the system should tip the user on how, next time they call, they can make their selection with an easy to remember simple shortcut. The shortcut could be a DTMF sequence or a simple, easy-to-remember phrase. It is important, however, that the tip be provided quickly, at the very beginning of the closing sequence, before the user stops listening.

15. Offer to call back

If the system determines that the user needs to wait 3 minutes or more to speak with an agent, then offer the user the option to be called back by the system when an agent is freed up to speak with the user.

16. Explicitly mark that the dialog is over

Once the dialog termination sequence has been initiated, the system should explicitly inform the user that the dialog is over. The system should never simply hang up.

System: Great! We are done! Thanks for calling. Goodbye.

Closing the Dialog -- Part II

4. Provide the option to cancel a transfer to an agent

After providing the user with an estimate of how long it will take them to reach an agent, provide the user with the option to cancel the transfer and to either return to the self-service dialog or to leave a voice mail.

5. Keep the “while you wait” recording relevant

Users hate to be placed on hold. But what they hate more is being forced to listen to marketing pitches that are not relevant to their needs. Recordings that you play while the user is waiting need to be geared towards helping the user solve the problem they called about – or at the very least, they need to be relevant in some way to who the user is. For instance, if the user is the user has a dangerously low checking balance and the system determines that they are in danger of bouncing checks, the system can suggest to the user to request from the agent information about the overdraft protection plan.

6. Keep the user’s state of mind when you play the “while you wait” recording

Make sure your system is sensitive to the emotional state of the user. If the user is likely to be frustrated or angry (for instance, they are opening a new ticket or want to get the latest status of a ticket they opened), having the system boast about how the company had just won an industry award is likely to trigger a sarcastic sneer from the user.

Closing the Dialog -- Part I

Dialogs with IVR systems end in one of five ways: (1) the user hangs up, (2) the user requests to end the dialog, (3) the user requests to be directed to a human agent, (4) the system determines that the dialog has reached its end and decides to end the call, or (5) the system determines that the user needs to be directed to an agent.

There is little that the system can do in reaction to case (1). For the other scenarios, we provide in the next few posts some guidelines that should be kept in mind on how to design the closing of a dialog.

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1. Allow the users to explicitly end the dialog

In a dialog contexts where a valid user option is for the user to simply hang up (e.g., after they have successfully executed a transfer and are back to the main menu), let the user know that they can say, “goodbye” or simply hang up. Make sure you include the option of saying “goodbye,” since many users find it unnatural (and impolite) to end a conversation by simply hanging up.

System: Main menu. You can say, “Check balance”, “Withdraw funds”, or “Transfer funds.” If you are done, you can say “Goodbye” or simply hang up.

2. Allow the user to request a human agent

You should let users know, especially when they are having trouble using the system, that they have the option to be connected to an agent.

3. When transferring and the user has to be queued, provide a waiting time estimate

If transferring to an agent, provide the user with an estimate of the time the user will need to wait prior to talking to a human.

Outrage Triggers

Here is a short list of IVR failures that trigger in callers a feeling of outrage -- or at least loathing and contempt!

1. You are forced to start all over after giving the IVR several pieces of information. That's right: nothing can make a person's day like having them emulate Sisyphus while trying to reach customer support. Nice!

2. You are made to listen to several minutes of declamations, instructions, warnings, and general statements before you are offered anything that you care about. That's because we all love to hear other people thump their chest about how they are the best and the brightest and the loveliest, and how maybe we should check their web site next time, and that our call is so important to them that they can't stand it, and so forth. We all love to hear that stuff, especially when we are calling because we are pissed off and need help with their crappy product.

3. You are made to wait a long time only to be routed to voice mail. This is my favorite by far. OK -- we thought about it and... we don't think you are worth speaking with. So sorry. After the tone, start speaking or whatever.... Beeeep.

4. You are made to wait a long time, finally get to an agent, but you never get your problem resolved. This is worse than #3, because you force yourself to waste 10 minutes of your existence on earth talking to someone who wouldn't know how to help you if your hair got caught on fire before you start feeling ashamed of yourself for indulging in such bottomless self-delusion.

5. You are asked by the agent to repeat information that you already provided to the IVR. This is of course the all time classic. (Once, an agent pretended that she needed me to repeat the information "just to make sure". I smiled and repeated it. At least she cared enough to make the effort...)

6. You are transferred from one IVR system to another IVR system. This always makes me smile: if people are able to launch businesses and make a healthy living with this kind of utter thoughtlessness, I too will become rich and famous one day....

7. The IVR system asks you to call at a later time and then hangs up on you. You gotta respect a machine that can detect a meat head, swiftly decides that it has no tolerance for such density, and then cuts its losses and moves on. When you get your act together, buddy, give me a call and we can talk....

CP Wire picks up opening prompt tips

The article is at: http://www.contactprofessional.com/cpwire/cpw041608.htm

The story was also picked up by Inside ARM.

Closing the Dialog -- Part III

7. Never say, “Your call is important to us”

Another non-negotiable rule. The expression is overused and will only elicit snickers of derision from the user.

8. Don’t make the user repeat information they provided to the IVR

One of the biggest complaints that users have about IVR systems is the notorious practice of forcing users to repeat to agents information that they had just provided to the IVR. There are three ways to address this failure in usability: (1) Pass to the agent whatever information that was collected – whether by a screen pop or an audio whisper to the agent prior to connecting; (2) if the system can’t pass information to the agent, then don’t ask in the IVR for information that you know the agent will need; or (3) at the very least, have the agent apologize for making the caller repeat themselves, and have the agent ask only for the very minimum to accomplish the task.

In the case where no information is being passed from the IVR to the agent, at the very least, make sure that the agent is alerted that the call they are receiving is a call transferred from the IVR. The agent can then adjust their behavior accordingly (e.g., sympathize with the user if they know that usually users transferred from the IVR are frustrated or angry).

9. Avoid transferring users from one IVR system to another IVR system

Unless the VUIs of the two IVR systems are designed as units of a common whole (with identical personas, with information collected from the first system passed to the second, etc.), don’t transfer users from one system to the other.

10. Don’t play phone rings unless you are transferring directly to a human

The sound of phone rings after an interaction with an IVR is a signal to the user that they are about to speak to a human being. Never play phone rings and then present the user with yet another IVR system.