Best And Worst Of Phone Self-Service Design, 2008

Forrester applied its IVR Review methodology to the phone self-service experiences at 16 firms — four each of the largest airlines, banks, department stores, and MP3 player manufacturers. Among the generally weak phone self-service experiences delivered by the companies, American Airlines received the one passing score for its IVR. As a group, airlines outperformed other industries, while department stores fell to the bottom of the list. Despite the flaws we found, there were also a number of best practices, such as United Air Lines' advanced IVR functionality, Wells Fargo's error handling, and Macy's clear system feedback. To improve phone self-service experiences, firms should evaluate their own IVR experiences, fix problems like unclear menus, and take advantage of the strengths the channel offers to maximize self-service opportunities.