Deflecting IVR Calls to WhatsApp

21 October 2021

You can deflect the IVR calls your company receives to WhatsApp. This will allow your clients to communicate with your company in a channel that is more convenient for them. This will also transfer a significant part of your company’s traffic to the most popular digital channel and considerably increase the contact center’s KPIs.

To deflect IVR to WhatsApp, you need to:

  1. Register a WhatsApp Business API account.
  2. Create and register a WhatsApp message template. See the recommended text for the template below.
  3. Integrate edna API with the IVR system to send a message based on the template. The interaction scheme is described below.
  4. Configure the IVR system so that when a client calls and presses a specific button in tone mode, the system sends a template message to WhatsApp.
  5. Test the deflection process.
  6. Deploy the integration into production.
  7. Follow our recommendations.

Interaction Scheme

  1. A client calls the company phone number.
  2. At some point, the IVR informs the client that they can ask their question in a WhatsApp chat with the company. To do that, in tone mode, they need to press a specific number (for example, 1).
  3. The client presses 1.
  4. The IVR requests the edna API to send the template message to the client’s WhatsApp.
  5. edna checks whether the client has a WhatsApp account.
  6. Then:
    • If yes, edna sends the sent status to the IVR and sends the message to the client. The IVR receives the status and finishes the call with the client.
    • If no, edna sends the no WhatsApp status to the IVR. The IVR receives the status and informs the client that the WhatsApp chat option is unavailable for them.
      Important: This is a rare case.

Template Recommendations

Text template:

Hello!

Thank you for choosing us. How can we help?

IVR voice message template:

We are now available in WhatsApp messenger. To ask your question in the chat there, press 1 and we will message you via WhatsApp.

Other Recommendations

  • Consider offering IVR deflection to WhatsApp to some of your clients (depending on their segment). For example, only to VIP clients.
  • Consider offering IVR deflection to WhatsApp to a part of the clients depending on their request, its subject, and urgency. For example, only to the clients that contact your company with basic requests.
  • Roll out the deflection process gradually to avoid overloading the employees of your contact center.
  • Consider assigning a higher priority to the clients who got to the WhatsApp chat through the IVR.
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