Improve your Smart IVR and Conversational AI

Number lookup tools that expose data associated with the phone numbers of incoming calls are a game-changer in providing customer context. These tools can give your sales team an unfair advantage in converting more leads, but they don’t just apply to traditional voice calls. You can also transform customer service performed by automated systems, like smart Interactive Voice Response (IVR), conversational AI, and even text chatbots.

The future of customer communication is automated

Smart IVR powered by conversational AI is the future of inbound customer communication. These systems have recently gained popularity as a replacement for aging automated attendant (“for sales, press 1…”) systems. This technology improves on customer experience by allowing customers to state their intentions by voice and interact more naturally with the complex internal routing systems underpinning the IVR menu. But smart IVR systems are not without their flaws, and there are many factors to be considered in implementing a smart IVR that effectively streamlines customer experience.

AI is critical for a truly smart IVR

Crucially, IVR solutions don’t stand a chance of improving customer experience if they can’t understand what customers are saying. This is where conversational AI comes into play. This technology actually encompasses a wide range of tools, like Natural Language Processing (NLP) to parse the sound of the user’s voice and transcribe it into text, alongside sophisticated machine learning algorithms to pair that transcribed text with context in order to ascertain the underlying intention of a voice command and execute the correct logic in response to that command.

Breakdowns in this process are what causes the frustrating customer experience of being asked to repeat basic information several times over before progressing through the IVR and speaking with a real human.

Customer context makes for conversational AI that ‘just works’

The most common root cause for any of the jarring natural language processing issues mentioned above is a lack of data. This lack of data leads to misunderstandings through ambiguities in language—think about how the letters “B” “D” and “V” all sound similar when spoken over the phone. By providing verifiable, up-to-date information on the incoming caller’s phone number and geography, number lookup tools feed your conversational AI with more data and allow it to operate more smoothly.

As such, number lookup tools reduce the number of questions your smart IVR must ask. And the AI can use context provided by number lookup to interpret customer responses, give fewer “I don’t understand” responses, and handle more customer service cases independently. That means that your smart IVR actually does what you want it to: reduce the stress and workloads on your customer service teams, while improving the customer experience.

Curious about how you can leverage number lookup to improve your smart IVR and your customer experience as a whole? Read our free eBook to learn more about these powerful tools.

Want to try it out for yourself? Talk to our experts to find out how you can get started with number lookup tools.