By M Nair

Do you sound professional enough to your callers?

Before we dive in to answer this question, let me just ask you one first: If you are a soccer coach in the final match that will determine the winner of the league cup, would you rely on your star goalkeeper to make the saves or would you send in a fresh new player to do the job? Likewise, the same can be said for the telephone – would you have a professional record the voice prompts or leave the task to an employee with a ‘sexy voice’? I can guarantee you that your message will not be delivered in the way that your brand should sound.

What does it mean to professionally record your IVR?

Over the years I have met numerous clients who spend hundreds of thousands and sometimes millions on their technology platform and forget about the voice. Unfortunately when customers call your call centre or office they don’t care about how much the equipment cost, but they do get to experience the effort you have put into designing and recording a good telephone experience for them.

The ability to effectively project your voice and modulate the right tone for the message your brand is trying to deliver is a skill that is not easy to replicate. Having a ‘nice voice’ is not enough!

So here are some reasons as to why you should consider professionally recording your prompts:

1. Your brand has a voice – professionals can capture that – amateurs cannot
2. Professionally-recorded prompts in a studio can be cleaned up (edited) and the voice prepared for best projection over the telephone
3. The employee with the “nice voice” may change jobs. This can leave you in a lurch, having to look for a similar-sounding voice as replacement. A professional partner will ensure continuity of the voice quality for your IVR platform.
4. Professional voice talents are more efficient. They can do a read in one or two takes whereas an amateur will take many takes to get it right
5. Peace of mind – a “quality guarantee” will come with your professional recording

So next time you are considering whether to do or not to do a professional recording please remember and think about the points mentioned above. Is cutting corners in your recording budget worth the damage to your brand experience?