I just read a great article on the web, which talks about how an IVR (Integrated Voice Response) menu can cause frustration. The article is at: http://tinyurl.com/yayvpfp
The article’s author makes some great points about how badly designed IVR trees can frustrate your customers.
I’d like to add my own experience: I recently called my home phone provider to make a minor change. Their IVR system asked me to use voice prompts to enter my language preference (English), phone number, and the reason for my call. I did as they asked.
After that, I was then placed on hold for several minutes, listening to this company’s announcements and specials. Finally, I was routed to a live operator, only to have them ask me once again for my phone number and the reason I was calling!
As a telecom professional, I know the technical reasons why this happened (for example routing to different call centers, or agent skill sets.) But, the situation was still frustrating.
Persuasive Presentation Skills 