The IVR Clinic with Allison Smith
Allison Smith December 14th, 2010
The 15 Commandments of IVR
Commandment #12: “Read The Copy Out Loud”
I can almost *feel* the resistance to this concept – the latest installment in my 15-part-series: “The 15 Commandments of IVR”: Commandment #12: “Read The Copy Out Loud”.
You’ve written your IVR script. You’ve silently read it over and over – you may even have mouthed it or murmured it at your desk a few times. It’s been run past others on your team – it may even have made it through your legal department, if necessary. All good checks and balances. You’re missing one crucial aspect of making sure your IVR “sounds” logical and flows smoothly: you haven’t actually read it out loud.
There’s a huge difference between seeing your IVR prompts written on the page and actually having them “hit” your ear – either by you intoning them, or having them read out loud to you.
IVR prompts are, after all, an aural experience. Callers will *listen* to them. It’s surprising how many writers of IVR systems don’t have the opportunity – or don’t think it necessary – to hear the prompts in their *spoken* form. But I’m telling you – as someone who voices IVR systems every day – it’s a crucial and pivotal step to take – as much as it may drag you out of your comfort zone. Many neglect to hear what their prompts will actually sound like – and sometimes awkwardness and phrasing problems only come to light after I’ve recorded them and they’re being listened to by the team who sent me the prompts. *Hearing* what IVR prompts will sound like is a vastly different experience from eyeballing a script — so I urge all clients to lock themselves in their office or find an empty conference room and “hear” what the prompts will sound like – you’ll be surprised what alterations or changes will come to mind once you get the prompts “on their feet” and hear what your customers will hear.
In two week’s time, we’ll delve into a really critical aspect of this series – and one which set the tone for your company: Commandment #13: Be Clear on Your Company’s Vision/Image – And Be Able To Explain That to Me.
Thanks for reading!
