How to Write an Effective IVR Script

How to Write an Effective IVR Script

 

IVR stands for interactive voice response, and it’s the first thing that people hear when they call a company. The IVR’s function is to efficiently guide the caller to the appropriate information or department. Unfortunately, quite a few companies don’t really know enough about writing scripts for phone menu systems. As a result, they get frustrated callers who end up having a negative impression of the business they just called.

If you want to write an effective IVR script, here are a few tips to remember:

  1. Keep in mind that an effective phone menu script is something that callers HEAR. And if there’s one tip you need to remember when writing an effective auto attendant IVR message, it’s this one. So, when writing your script, think about how your caller will feel while listening to the message.
  2. Start with a polite greeting. A basic greeting would be “Thank you for calling [name of your company]”. First of all, it assures the caller that they’ve called the right company. And the politeness also sets the tone for the rest of the call.
  3. Keep the messages short. Callers don’t want to be on the phone listening to recorded messages longer than they have to. So keep your script short as much as possible. So, don’t say “If you like to talk to a member of the tech support department, please press 3 to talk to an available representative.” “For tech support, press 3,” will do.
  4. Numbers should be mentioned at the end of the sentence. For example, don’t say press 3 for tech support. People are on the alert for the department they want, and then they keep track of what number to press.
  5. Put the most popular option ahead of all others. This allows more callers to press a number ahead and progress without having to hear about other options they don’t really care about.
  6. Limit your options. Keep it to just three. Research suggests that three is the ideal number for options. If you include more, people will forget the first options you’ve mentioned.
  7. Stop saying “please” (or “thank you”) all the time. There’s a difference between being courteous and being annoying. Having to hear the word “please” not only lengthens the time your callers spend on the phone, but it can get irksome after a while.
  8. Avoid potential miscommunication problems. When you write phone menu scripts, don’t include things that you don’t intend the speaker to record such as “press #1.” This may cause the speaker to think that you want the caller to press pound then 1. Also, make sure that your message when read by the voice person doesn’t say “O” as in one-oh-one when you meant ‘zero’.

Even if they’re just recorded messages, your phone auto attendant scripts represent your business. They don’t just offer a service by routing callers to the right department or person efficiently. They also give your business a professional image. That’s why it’s really important that you know how to write an effective IVR script.

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