What is an IVR Contact Center?

An IVR (Interactive Voice Response) Contact Center is one that utilizes an IVR system to handle incoming calls from customers. IVR systems within a contact center are designed to provide self-service options to callers and/or route calls to live agents.

Some key features and benefits of an IVR Contact Center include:

1. Self-service options: IVR systems allow callers to access information and perform actions without the need for a live agent. This can include options such as checking account balances and/or making payments.
2. Customizable menus: IVR systems can be tailored to present callers with a menu of choices to help streamline the call experience and help customers find the information they need faster and easier.
3. Call routing: IVR systems can route calls to the appropriate agent within the contact center based on the information entered by the caller input in addition to other criteria such as agent availability or call volume. This will also reduce hold times, especially during peak calling hours by redirecting callers to the automated platform for those callers wishing to utilize this option.
4. Integration with business systems: IVR systems can be integrated with business systems such as CRM software, billing software and other enterprise management systems. 
5. Automated data collection: IVR systems can collect data on customer interactions and preferences, which can provide valuable intelligence to businesses seeking to better serve their customers by understanding their needs and preferences.
6. Reduced workload for agents: By providing self-service options to customers, IVR systems can reduce the workload on contact center agents and allow them to focus on more complex or personalized customer interactions.
7. 24/7 availability: IVR systems can operate 24/7, allowing customers to access their account information anytime, anywhere, outside regular business hours.
8. Improved customer experience: IVR systems can provide a more efficient and streamlined customer experience by reducing wait times and offering quicker access to information and services.
9. Cost savings: IVR systems can help to reduce the cost of running a contact center by automating everyday tasks previously performed by live agents.

These benefits and advantages that are features of the IVR Contact Center can be further enhanced by adding an IVR Payments component. An IVR Payments solution within an IVR contact center will enable customers to securely pay bills by phone 24/7 at their convenience. IVR Payments also present contact centers with a variety of options for streamlining their payment processes via automation, while improving their card data security and achieving PCI compliance.

When IVR Payments are added to an IVR Contact Center they guide customers through the payment process using voice touch-tone inputs on their phone so as to enable them to enter their payment information. The system will then verify the information and process the payment with the business’s payment processor. The customer will then receive a confirmation code, ensuring that the payment has been successful. 

IVR payments offer call centers a way to improve their operations, strengthen their card data security and achieve PCI compliance by automating the low-touch transactional work of accepting credit card payments by phone and completely removing your live staff from handling any credit card information.

Additional key benefits of adding IVR Payments to an IVR Contact Center include:

1. Your customers can pay 24/7 outside your regular office hours. The convenience of 24-7 self-serve IVR Payments allows your customers to pay right away, and without waiting on hold for an agent during business hours
2. Increased profitability through reduced labor cost as there will be a need for fewer live agents.
3. Improve your invoice to cash time by giving the customers the option of paying at a time of their convenience.
4. Reduce Call Handling Time – Since automated IVR Payment systems let you remove the task of accepting credit card information from agents this will shorten agent call handling times
5. In connection with (d) above, IVR Payments in contact centers reduce the number of abandoned calls. Callers who are simply calling in to pay a bill and have no need to speak with a live agent can avail themselves of the convenience of 24-7 self-serve IVR Payments to pay right away instead of growing frustrated and even dropping the call while waiting on hold for an agent. Now you can handle many concurrent payment calls without ever missing a payment
6. Improve Security and achieve PCI/HIPAA Compliance - Automated IVR Payment acceptance helps call centers reduce their PCI scope by removing their telephony platforms, IT systems, agents and agent desktops from the payment process. This results in shifting responsibility for cardholder information security to a third party and achieves PCI compliance both quickly and cost-effectively.
7. Reduces stress on your staff and make operations more efficient and responsive by not having to devote time to handling payment-related calls

In conclusion, an IVR contact center together with an IVR Payments system are powerful tools for organizations looking to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their contact center operations. By providing self-service options to callers, routing calls to the appropriate agent, collecting data on customer interactions, and accepting secure payments, IVR contact centers systems can help organizations reduce costs, improve the customer experience, and make more informed business decisions.

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