subject: Using Interactive Voice Messaging To Cost Effectively Improve Website Conversion Rate [print this page] Let us start by understanding what this marketing tool is all about. Interactive voice messaging, or IVM, is a computer based service that allows businesses to communicate with their clients through an exchange of voice messages. It simply involves an automated way of businesses sending out, to their clients, recorded voice messages, text to voice messages or a combination of the two. It also provides a way for the customers to get back to a business and offer valuable feedback.
Legal and ethical implications of using IVM
There have been concerns from some businesspeople about the legal and ethical implication of using interactive voice messaging as an online marketing tool. These people argue that it is not right to call clients or send them automated messages for purposes of convincing them to buy a given product. However, there is nothing illegal with the practice.
In addition, a customer who is not comfortable with a call from the company would not even provide their telephone number in the first place. The fact that the client provides their phone number during the check out process shows that they have no problem with the company using the number to get back to them.
How IVM is integrated in the marketing campaign
Interactive voice messaging is most effectively used with advanced shopping cart software. The shopping cart software is designed such that it is able to capture the clients contact information at the preliminary stages of the checkout process. This information is then used to send the customer voice messages for various marketing purposes.
How IVM improves website conversion rate
This powerful marketing strategy delivers information that is time sensitive, to the customer. With the right software package, the businessperson is alerted the moment a potential customer visits their website. The software can even automatically send a voice message or place a call to that client at that moment. This could be, for example, when a client leaves the business website without completing their purchasing process. In this case, the message is time sensitive since the customer can be contacted while still considering the purchase, in which case it is often a good time to handle any objections that the customer may have in order to get them closer to buying the product.
Customers often prefer buying from companies they consider to have good customer care. This is another way in which interactive voice messaging services come in handy. They help a business to welcome new visitors and constantly keep the existing ones informed about the companys products services and new offers. This builds a sense of trust in the customers towards the business, as they feel that the company cares for them.
There are cases where clients consider purchasing a product but become hesitant to pay for them as they have questions about the products which they would rather clarify first. This is a situation that can also be handled by interactive voice messaging services. With the right program for this service, the customer is usually put through to the companys call centre. That way, the companys customer care can respond live to the customers queries and could even close the sale over the phone.
The greatest advantage of using automated voice messaging services is that a company can reach out to thousands of potential and existing customers within a matter of a few minutes. This is something that would otherwise pose a huge challenge, if not become impossible altogether. The number of customers that the business reaches by using this marketing technology would call for a huge workforce if it chose the traditional customer agent way.
The good thing about todays voice messaging services is that they send out personalised messages. This also increases the chances that the potential customer will be turned into a paying one. This is because most people are likely to react positively to personalised messages.
Today, many business people know that you can greatly improve website conversion rate rates by using the right IVM services. Some problems that businesses have include identifying the right package for their business and the worry of having to run complex marketing projects. Some marketing software providers address these concerns by providing hosted IVM services, allowing clients to reduce abandoned shopping carts without the hassle of running an IVM service in-house.
