SpeechTek Outtakes

Crispin Reedy

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Current VUI IVR Design Guidelines• “Sorry” Doesn’t Cut It Anymore• Menu Design: Flat Not Deep

What I Didn’t Have Room For:• Zero Out Strategies• “Help” for the Helpless• Why You Should Bury Your Authentication• Grice’s Maxims and Error Messages

© 2014 Versay Solutions LLC

Website

These tips are

typically for

system-directed

apps

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Zero Out Strategies• When the caller can get to “a real human.”

4UniversalStudios.com

If you build it, they will use it!

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Zero Out Strategies

So how do we decide?• Business decision• Customer service

vs.• Too much call volume

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Zero Out Strategies• Example 1: “Aggressive Containment”

– Zero out is never / rarely prompted for– Zero may not even be enabled at all *NOT

RECOMMENDED*– Operator may be associated with a key other than

0 *ALSO NOT RECOMMENDED*– Upside: Lower call transfer out volumes– Downside: Lower caller satisfaction

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Zero Out Strategies• Example 2: “Super Serviceable”

– Zero out is enabled everywhere– Zero out is prominently advertised

• Main menu• First dialog state• Initial prompts

– Downside: Call volume coming out of the system– Upside: Caller satisfaction

• If you only have one call center group

– Downside: Caller dissatisfaction if they get to the wrong place and have to be transferred

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Zero Out Strategies• Example 3: “Goldilocks”

– Zero out is always enabled• Call center MUST provide “ultimate default bucket”

– Zero out is strategically advertised• Places where caller appears to be having difficulty• Second and/or third reprompt• After caller has already done some self-service

– “Backoff” menu may be employed to route callers whose final destination is unclear.

Zero Out Strategies: Backoff Menu• System: Welcome to

Acme Insurance. You can say, “Claims,” “Policy Information,” or “Sales.”

• Caller: Claims• System: Sure. Is that a

“new claim” or an “existing claim.”

• Caller: <presses 0>• System: One moment

while I transfer you to the claims department.

• System: Welcome to Acme Insurance. You can say, “Claims,” “Policy Information,” or “Sales”

• Caller: <presses 0>• System: Sure, I’ll transfer you

now. Just so I can get you to the right place, please say one of the following: “Claims.” “Policy Information, or “Sales.”

• Caller: Claims• System: One moment while I

transfer you to the claims department

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Zero Out Strategies• The right one for you?

– It depends!