Voice survey design considerations
Designing IVR (Interactive Voice Response) surveys requires careful planning to ensure a smooth customer experience and reliable data collection. Here are essential considerations and best practices for IVR survey design:
Technical and Design Considerations
Voice Prompts
1Clarity and Tone
Ensure voice prompts are clear, concise, and professional. Choose a tone (friendly, formal, etc.) that aligns with your brand image.
2Script Quality
Craft scripts that are easily understandable, avoiding complex language or jargon. Test to ensure natural flow and comprehension.
Survey Length
1Keep It Short
Aim for brevity to respect customers' time and minimize drop-off rates. Ideally, target a completion time of 3-5 minutes, focusing on the most critical questions.
Survey Triggers
1Timing
Decide whether surveys will be triggered automatically at the end of a call, upon customer hang-up, or through an opt-in mechanism during the call.
2Opt-In Processes
Allow customers a simple way to opt into the survey, such as pressing a key, ensuring it doesn't disrupt the call flow.
Branching & Skipping
1End of Interaction
Implement logical branching to guide respondents through relevant questions based on their previous answers, enhancing the relevance and efficiency of the survey.
Response Input Methods
Speech Recognition vs. DTMF
Decide if users will respond via speech recognition or Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) input (keypad entry). Consider your audience's preferences and technological capabilities. Speech recognition offers a natural interaction but can be error-prone, whereas DTMF is precise but less engaging.
Operational and Strategic Considerations
Survey Invitation Process
1Avoiding Bias
Implement random selection processes to prevent agents from cherry-picking customers for surveys. Consider using automated algorithms to select survey participants at random.
2Transparency
Ensure agents understand and support the survey process as part of quality assurance, without exerting influence over who gets surveyed.
Data Collection & Analysis
1Real-Time Monitoring
Enable systems to monitor responses in real-time for immediate feedback or customer follow-up if necessary.
2Data Management
Ensure you have robust systems for collecting and analyzing survey data to drive insights and improvements.
Privacy & Compliance
1Consent
Ensure compliance with data protection regulations by obtaining explicit consent from customers to participate in surveys and clearly stating the purpose of data collection.
2Anonymity
Consider whether surveys need to be anonymous to encourage honest feedback, and communicate this to respondents.
Feedback Utilization
1Actionable Insights
Plan how feedback will be used to improve customer service, products, or processes. Ensure there's a feedback loop where insights are shared with relevant teams for action.
Continuous Improvement
1Iterative Testing
Regularly review and refine survey questions, prompts, and processes based on customer feedback and response patterns to improve effectiveness and satisfaction.
By carefully addressing these considerations, you can design IVR surveys that maximize response rates, provide meaningful insights, and contribute positively to overall customer experience and service improvement.
Trigger mechanisms
Voice (Including IVR)
1Opt-In at the Start
Customers can be given the option to participate in a survey at the beginning of the call.
2Manual Trigger by Agent
An agent can initiate the survey manually during or after the call, typically as the call is being wrapped up.
3Automatic Trigger at End
The call can automatically, without agent intervention, transfer to a survey at the end of the interaction.
4Scheduled/Random Sampling
Calls that meet certain criteria, or a random sample of calls, are directed to a survey automatically.
IVR (Interactive Voice Response)
1Automatic Post-Call Surveys
At the end of the IVR interaction, callers are automatically transferred to a survey.
2Selection during IVR Menu
Customers can select the option to participate in a survey during the IVR interaction.
3Trigger Based on Interaction Outcome
Surveys may be triggered based on specific outcomes, such as unresolved issues.
