IVR Where Does It Really Work? In Field Employee Safety

For the past few years, IVR (Interactive Voice Response) has been getting a really bad wrap for mediocre implementation results, as organizations push the technology to the limit, on unfulfilled promises from vendors, and, in efforts to cut costs from handling calls from customers.

However prior to this trend, IVR was perceived an exceptional technology; it played a role where there was a balance between efficiency, customer satisfaction and return on investment. I’m sure many recall the days, when the way to get to the right place meant remembering to press 1…, 4, 3 and you were where you wanted to be. It wasn’t all that bad, customers were happy, business managed their costs, and the technology did its job as advertised.

Most of the attention, has been focused on IVR’s application in call centers, however IVR plays a significant role in other industry applications, providing both businesses and callers with significant benefits, a positive experience, and return on investment.

Where IVR Really Does Work” is an ongoing review of IVR applications across a multitude of industries and disciplines. Where IVR brings significant value to callers, organizations and businesses alike. Where there is a demonstrable balance between efficiency, user satisfaction and return on investment. You can access the complete series at:

http://www.datatel-systems.com/Articles/WhereIVRReallyDoesWork

Where Does IVR Really Work? In Field Employee Safety

For over 30 years, the Algoma Health Unit (AHU) has provided public health services to citizens of the Algoma district. With offices in Blind River, Elliot Lake, Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa, AHU has a large geographical area in which to provide service coverage. Case managers, public health nurses, family support workers, health practitioners and public health inspectors work in these areas servicing a very broad constituency. Like many health organizations across North America, AHU was facing the need to continuously communicate with staff in the district, and have the ability to respond quickly and efficiently to any situation where there could be a potential public health or staff safety risk.

To address the problem, AHU embarked on a process of redesigning their communication and response processes and policies. This initiative resulted in the revision of policies and procedures and the use of automation for employee tracking, communications and response processes.

The new process required an “off-hours” call center to track and communicate with staff - a manual solution that created operational bottlenecks and increased costs.

After careful review of the manual solution by health unit management, which included consultation with the Health and Safety Committee, a decision was made to evaluate a computerized solution utilizing IVR.

A team, led by Suzanne Irwin, System/Records Manager, examined multiple employee tracking and response requirements. It was important that a staff tracking system did more than just collect data and document safety issues. Immediate alerts, notifications to management and responses to situations where an “out-call” professional may be in a precarious position, were a priority.

While it was clear that moving from a manual/people intensive system to track staff electronically when responding to potential safety situations was crucial, management felt strongly that attention needed to be paid to the work processes surrounding the solutions as well. Working closely with the Health and Safety Committee plus employees, their input ensured that the solution selection, as well as the timing of implementation, would meet the immediate need to track employees with the ability to respond quickly and efficiently to potential risk situations.

The agency appreciated that with the selected IVR solution there was continuous, open, two-way channel of communication with staff. Information was tracked in real-time, thus eliminating the need for dedicated human resources’ personnel to manually monitor, and all that was required was the standard issue, field employee mobile phone.

Today, when staff are leaving on a visit request, all they do is pick-up their mobile phone, and in less than 60 seconds they provide key information though a self-service IVR Telephone portal. When they have completed the visit, the practitioner will simply call-in and sign-out, with the option to set the parameters for the next visit. In the event a practitioner forgets to sign-out, the IVR will place an automated reminder call, with the option to postpone the sign-out time. In the event that an employee fails to respond to the reminder call, then the IVR will automatically issue alerts to the field safety coordinators on call.



Program Directors and coordinators can monitor who is in the field and where. Safety officers can review the logs on an historical or real-time basis and assess the effectiveness of safety policies, subsequently making improvements where required, based on “objective” data.

After the IVR solution was implemented, AHU reduced administrative costs associated with Employee Safety Tracking and Response processes by over 80%. “Our IVR solution allows us to manage by exception, eliminate the need for a dispatcher, and eliminate the need for after-hours call center support by 95% - resulting in significant operational savings.” reported AHU. “With access to field employee information 24/7 over the web or via telephone, Program Directors and safety coordinators can make decisions in real time.”

The IVR solution’s Embedded Audit Trail and management reporting allows AHU to focus on strategy, ensure compliance, and execute their safety policy.

In addition AHU chose a Software-as-Service Model, which provides AHU operations expertise with no overhead. With no need for additional infrastructure, AHU’s IVR implementation and deployment took days not months.

IVR does work, does deliver on its promises, and there is a balance between efficiency, user satisfaction and return on investment. The management of Field Employee Safety and Health Care is just one of many applications Where IVR Does Really Work.

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This article can be freely published in a web site as long as its not modified in any way including authors bylines, plus the hyperlink must be active just as bellow. Barnard L. Crespi, is CEO and head of professional services of Datatel Communications Inc, a firm that helps businesses and organizations successfully execute their IVR strategies, by delivering superior know-how, hosting and support services. . He is the author of many leading industry reports, including A Quick Guide to IVR Surveys, How To Successfully Execute your IVR Project and Select The Right Vendor for the Job "Getting it Right the First Time", The Complete Guide to Generating Sales Leads with IVR and A Quick Guide to Measuring Customer Satisfaction with IVR Surveys "For Call Centers" , Where IVR Really Does Work, as well as dozen other case studies and application specific papers. You can access many of his guides for Free at: IVR
www.datatel-systems.com

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