Hotline / IVR Experience
The project team wanted to reduce the cost per customer call on the hotline by providing a more efficient IVR (Interactive Voice Response) flow that can already address the customer concerns. The research goals included an evaluation of the current IVR options in terms of: clarity of the terminologies used, relevance, and acceptability of the X number of options. Before conducting the actual research, I recommended that I study the current experience first by looking at Hotline / IVR Analytics and Call Drivers to understand the typical concerns of customers. Understanding the motivation for using IVR & Hotline vs. other channels was also key in defining an ideal IVR experience for users.
2016
Lead UX Researcher
Exploratory
The Problem / Opportunity
How to provide a hotline & IVR experience that resolves customer concerns in a non-confusing and timely manner, thereby reducing cost per customer call, while improving after sales customer experience
Approach
Secondary Data Gathering:
Summarized the existing Hotline & IVR Call Drivers to set the landscape for current experience, followed by
Mini FGDs:
4 groups, 6 participants per group, with varying profile (prepaid, postpaid, across age groups, mix of hotline users)
Because there's a co-design activity for the IVR Menu Items, I recommended group sessions so that the participants can better brainstorm and challenge each other's suggestions.
Major Insights
Users actually do “self-service” means to resolve their concerns.
Users don’t call the hotline because they are lazy to use other channels. In fact, they want to avoid calling as much as possible since it’s considered a hassle because of the long hotline queue.
But they call the hotline because (1) they have tried self-service options and it did not work, (2) they are aware that they cannot resolve specific concerns using other channels, and (3) being able to talk to someone gives a “personal touch” and a bit of reassurance that their issue will be resolved, compared to digital channels.
There is a sense of urgency in resolving their concern because not doing so will impede them from using their Globe subscriptions (e.g. line disconnection, no internet, no mobile signal). Users therefore emphasized that they want to be able to talk to the agent immediately, without having to hear the IVR options.
But, user needs and business needs should both be weighed in. And a simplified IVR flow was co-designed with actual users.
Impact
Guided Decisions
The results guided the decisions of the project team regarding the acceptable number of IVR options (x number suggested by customers) and what relevant self-service concerns will be mentioned first, at the 1st and 2nd menu level, before showing the agent option.
Influenced Omnichannel Strategy
The study uncovered the motivation for using the hotline compared to other channels, and influenced another team assigned for an Omnichannel Strategy, to highlight channels used for self-service concerns, vis-à-vis, human-assisted channels.
Provided Inspiration for the latest app, GlobeOne
This study, along with succeeding studies I conducted related to Globe Channels and Account Management, eventually influenced key decision makers to make a unified app for Globe services (i.e. GlobeOne), and helped prioritized which features to highlight based on top user concerns.
Key Learnings
This project is probably what I consider as my ideal project in my 6 years of stay in Globe Telecom because of favorable timeline, budget, and stakeholders. It wasn't rushed compared to my other projects which resulted in tradeoffs when gathering insights in a shorter amount of time such as recruiting internal employees as participants when there's less budget for participant recruitment.
In instances like this, I just try to have a flexible mindset. Even though it's challenging, it's still workable. What's important as a UX Researcher, is to ensure insights are still valid, no matter the tradeoffs in the approach or method.