itel’s IVR Enhancement Cut Call Volumes 50 Percent for a Leading Energy Provider 

Since 2015, we’ve had the privilege of partnering with a national energy provider, delivering a comprehensive range of essential CX services. As their exclusive partner for voice and chat support, we address a wide array of customer needs, from billing inquiries and technical support to customer care. Over time, we experienced a steady rise in call volumes, reaching approximately 20,000 calls per day. This increase presented an operational challenge to maintaining optimal response times in line with our key performance indicators (KPI). To tackle this issue, we collaborated closely with the client to overhaul their Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, adding key features that empower customers to self-serve, successfully reducing call volumes by 50%, and resulting in a substantial boost to the client’s overall customer experience. 

Challenge 

Service Level KPIs are essential metrics that evaluate a call center's responsiveness to incoming inquiries. One key metric, the Average Speed of Answer (ASA), reflects the average time customers wait before calls are addressed by an agent. When call volumes soar, the ASA can rise significantly, resulting in longer wait times and diminished customer satisfaction. In this case, our client faced rising call volumes, averaging around 20,000 calls per day, which resulted in excessive customer wait times, adversely affecting the overall customer experience and the customers’ perception of the brand. This persistent high volume also made it increasingly challenging for our CX teams to meet the established KPI of answering calls within 20 seconds. 

Solutions 

To address this challenge, we engaged in a collaborative process with the client to completely overhaul their Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, a crucial piece of technology that serves as a first point of contact, allowing customers to navigate to the information or service they need without having to wait for an available agent. 

Using data extracted from our AI systems and CRM tools, our team provided crucial input for the implementation of several key features and enhancements within the IVR system. These include enabling customers to check their bills and make payments online, report issues, and receive real-time updates on outages, among other essential tasks. This allowed us to address any CX challenges swiftly by empowering customers with self-service options, which not only helped reduce unnecessary calls, but also aligned with current industry practices that prioritize customer autonomy and convenience.  

We also implemented several strategies to improve the efficiency and responsiveness of our CX teams, so they are better equipped to handle complex inquiries and can provide exceptional support experiences. This includes enhancing the skills and knowledge of our agents through weekly team huddles and ongoing training sessions, which ensures that agents remain agile and well-prepared to adapt to new processes, including those introduced with the revamped IVR. This commitment to employee development not only boosts agent confidence, but also empowers them to resolve issues faster, which results in lower average handle times (AHT), allowing them to serve more customers, thus reducing overall customer wait times. 

Outcomes 

The impact of our collaborative efforts and interventions has been substantial and far-reaching. One of the most notable outcomes of these IVR enhancements is the reduction in call volume. The number of calls decreased by 50%, plummeting from approximately 20,000 calls per day to just 10,000. This dramatic decline in call volume alleviates pressure on our customer service team, allowing them to focus on delivering high-quality support to customers with more complex issues or those who wish to interact with a live agent.  

Following the overhaul of the IVR system, the average service level now exceeds 90%, with peak performance reaching an impressive 97%. This remarkable improvement indicates that most customer calls are being answered within the desired timeframe, significantly enhancing customer satisfaction. With the ASA now dropping as low as 7 seconds, customers experience minimal wait times, which is critical in a sector where timely support is essential. 

Our client was also ranked among utility companies as #1 for customer service among its competitors, reflecting not only the immediate results of the IVR enhancements, but also our ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional customer service. 

Conclusion 

Through strategic collaboration and innovative solutions, we successfully addressed the challenges faced by this leading national energy provider. Our proactive approach led to improved customer experience operations, with significant reductions in call volume and enhanced service levels, which contributed to the client’s ongoing success, while maintaining its top position among utility providers. 

The client has not only secured their reputation as a leader in customer service but has also established a strong foundation for continued growth and innovation. Moving forward, we continue to implement new strategies and enhancements to further optimize our service delivery, ensuring that we remain a reliable and dependable partner for our energy clients. 

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