IVR best practices include proper implementation of IVR sales leveraging techniques, as described in this article by hosted IVR services provider USAN.

Implementing IVR sales leveraging techniques may seem like a complicated endeavor. You have multiple offers, a plethora of customers to offer them to and several IVR sales leveraging techniques to choose from. Here are some straightforward dos and don’ts for implementing IVR sales leveraging techniques.

DO begin using IVR sales leveraging techniques, even if you have to take baby steps. Every additional cross-sell or upsell you generate through the IVR system improves your bottom line.

DON’T assume that an expensive upgrade is necessary to take advantage of IVR sales leveraging techniques. Hosted IVR services are affordable and come with the expertise many organizations lack.

DO prompt callers to accept or decline offers whenever it makes sense to do so (usually, scriptable and routable offers).

DO track offers presented, offers accepted and offers declined so that you can make educated decisions about future offers while providing an enhanced customer experience.

DO create a sales palette for your customers. This will help your IVR system intelligently select the best offer to present to callers.

DON’T overwhelm frequent callers with sales offers. Throttle offers to individuals so that repeat callers are only provided a sales offer once every few calls or days.

DO expect an increased ROI on your IVR system when you implement sales leveraging techniques. Tracking the offers accepted and declined will help you quantify how your IVR system is operating as a profit center.

DO change your offers frequently. Offers should change as frequently as business needs change, such as when new products or services become available or prices change.

DO carefully consider where to present offers in the call flow. Your IVR system should allow you to control where offers are presented to improve the chances of making a sale.

DON’T limit your sales leveraging efforts. If you know your organization lacks the resources to implement sales leveraging techniques, seek the help of a hosted IVR services provider.