In my previous post on IVR as E-Com Portal , I tried to explain how IVR can be used to generate revenue. In this post, I would try to list the some services, which should be interesting and likely to generate revenue. I think, it would be best if the IVR e-com portal is operated either on a toll free numbers or on a normal telephone number without any premium charging. Normally, voice portals provide the services free while charging premium for the call.

1. Direct Selling
One would be surprised to know that, many products, services could be sold on IVR. Few such products or services are :-
a. Music CD/Albums :
One can build a complete music store on IVR. The obvious advantage on operating a music store on IVR is ‘listening trailers’ on the fly! Callers would find it very easy to search any music number or album by language, genre, singer, films etc. There can be many options how caller pay, orders DVD etc.

b. Tickets
Most probably, many people are aware about buying tickets on IVR system. One can sell flight ticket, railway ticket, bus ticket, movie tickets on IVR e-com portal.

c. Books
Books could be sold on IVR e-com portal easily and some excerpt could be read out to the caller about new arrivals of books!

d. Food
If Domino’s can sell pizzas on phone, why not you ? One can sell foods on phone with home delivery facility!

e. Branded Products
Normally all branded products need not be touched or felt or inspected personally! There are many such products which one can buy on phone. For example, why should one need to check anything about LUX soap or 1KG of Basmati Rice ?

There must be many more items which can be sold directly on phone. All those which can be sold on phone could be automated on IVR e-com portal!

2. Services
There are many services which an intelligent IVR can provide to people which could be sold on IVR e-com portal. Some of them are :-

a. Distance education
Paid courses could be made available on IVR. Also lectures by eminent professors, teachers could be made available to registered students from distance.

b. Paid consultancy on phone
Doctors, astrologers could provide consultancy on IVR E-com portal. The main advantage of IVR consultancy is anonymity and many people can explain on phone without any inhibition. Of course surgery can not be done on IVR E-com portal, but some appointment with a surgeon could be surely sold on IVR e-com portal.

c. Notification Services
IVR can notify anyone by calling up! So IVR e-com portal may provide this service either for registered paid member or per usage basis.

d. Bulk outgoing call services/On demand outgoing call services
I am quite sure, this is one area which is picking up and likely to grow more in coming years. With increasing penetration of phones, people want to travel less for sending their messages quickly to many people!

e. Advertising
Voice advertising is one area which may sell on IVR e-com portal.

These are few services, products, which I believe, can be sold on IVR e-com portal. There are various tools to develop an IVR portal using which one may develop IVR E-com portal quickly and easily.

Like any other businesses, success of IVR e-com portal will depend on many things and those are outside scope of this article. But, IVR e-com portal can surely work and generate revenue.

I am trying to list out Industries that should and must use IVRS. Also this write-up can serve as list of target industries by an salesman working in a IVRS Company! I don’t have to repeat the importance of identifying your target market and finding out potential market in this article in a competitive market that we are living now a days! I have tried to accumulate as many industrial sectors as I could get by googling/yahooing, still I must have missed out some sectors. I would be very delighted and happy add them here with proper source!

Here goes the list:-

1. Customer Service

General Information – Provide General Information to Customers including Hours of Operations, Mailing Address, Driving Directions, Employee Directory, Services Information, etc
Reminders – Remind Customers of Appointments, Late Bills, upcoming events, fund raising efforts, general information
Order Processing – Allow Customers to place order over the telephone automated
Credit Card Processing – Allow Customers to pay bills via the telephone
Customer Survey – Survey Customers to provide better customer services
Bill Collection – Remind Residents of Late Payments due, and provide automated Payment service

2. Value Added Services
Ring Tone Services – Allow Callers to Download Ringtones to the Mobile Phone
Lottery – Allow Callers to play the lottery through their phone
Ring Back Services – Allow Callers to Choose their RingBack tone that will be used when callers dial their number
Horoscope – Allow Callers to listen to their Horoscope when they dial to IVR.
Music Messaging – Allow Callers to Dedicate a Music Message to their Loved Ones, Friends, etc
Dating – Allow Callers to Listen to Dating Profiles, and Chat Live with other People
Chatting – Allow One on One Chatting, or Conferencing amongst many people together(Sports Chat, Political Chat, Current Events Chat, etc)
News – Provide Up to date News to the Callers
Weather – Provide the Current Weather Service to Callers
Voice SMS – Provide a Facility for Callers to Record a Message and forward the Message to the Requested Party. This can be an interesting IVR application.
Quiz – Provide an Telephonic Quiz and give winners a prize

3. Airlines / Railways / Bus & other Transportation/Port
General Information – Provide Information about Services, Rates and Specials Offered
Schedule Information – Provide up to date Information about Train/Place/Bus Arrival And Departure Information
Bookings – Taking Ticket Bookings for Train/Plane/Bus
Complaint Booking – Allow Customers to File a Service/Billing Complaint so that it is Traceable and Accountable
Survey – Allows Customers to provide Service/Products/Suggestion Feedback
Call Routing – Route Calls to the proper person/department

4. Telephone Companies Both Mobile and Landline Operators
Bill Collection – Remind Residents of Late Payments due, and provide automated Payment service
New Number Notification – Notify Callers that the Phone Number has been changed, and play out the New Number
Number Change Notification – Notify Callers that a Phone Number has been changed
Complaint Booking – Allow Customers to File a Service/Billing Complaint so that it is Traceable and Accountable
Survey – Allows Customers to provide Service/Products/Suggestion Feedback

[ad#large-ad]

5. Police & Parking
Traffic ticket service – Allow Violators to pay Traffic Tickets over the phone
Parking – Allow Callers to pay Meter Parking through the Phone/Parking availability.
Notification – Notify Community of Suspicious Individuals or Warnings, Traffic Update.

6. Automotive Industry
Car Status – Provide Status of Car to Vehicle Owners, so they know if the vehicle is ready or not
Dealer Information – Provider Dealer Hours, pricing and other information
Payment – Allow Customers to pay bills over the telephone to reduce time when picking up the vehicle

7. Travel Industry
Special/Deals – Let Callers know about Special travel Deals and services
Hotel Booking – Provide ability to callers to Book their Hotel Reservations through the phone
Hotel Location Service – For a Multi-Chain of Hotels, provide the nearest hotel information based on the state/zip code

8. Emergency Services
Emergency Notification – Call Residents to inform them about an Emergency (Rioting, Traffic Jam, Bomb Blast, Snow, Tornado, storms etc.)
Ambulance – Accident Notification, Ambulance, Fire Brigade

9. Political Campaigns
Candidate Awareness – Broadcast Candidate Information to the community for name identification, and Voting Information. IVR will dial out numbers and announce about candidate.
Mailer Notification – Notify Recipients that Mailers have been sent out, and look out in the mail for it
Survey – Allows Voters to let candidates know what are the most important issues to them.

10. Education
Notice – Notify Parents for Child Absentees, School Closings, upcoming events
Student Information – Provide information on upcoming events, Homework info, School Closings, etc
Parent Information – Provide information on Upcoming Events, Child’s Homework, Leave messages for teachers, Student Grades, Test Schedules etc
Surveying – Provide Survey’s on the quality of the teachers, cafeteria, bus service, etc

11. Consumer Products
Recall Information – Allow Information about Product Recall
Shipment Status – Allow customer to find information about Shipments
Product Registration – Allow Automated Registration of Products

12. Human Resources
Employee Satisfaction – Provide Surveys to Employees to better motivate employees
Benefits – Provide Automated Benefit Information
Employee Time Clock – For Employees working on the go, allow them to clock in/out via telephone.
Employee Screening & Recruiting – Perform Initial Candidate Interviews for job screening

13. Call Center/Contact center
IVRS is the building block of a call center and contact center!
Provide Automated Account/Company Information to Callers to reduce calls to live Agents.
Call Center Routing – Route calls to the proper Call Center Agents based on Customer Requirements
Employee Screening – Perform Initial Candidate Interviews for job screening
Customer Satisfaction Surveys – Survey Patients for Quality Assesment and Increase Customer Satisfaction

14. Banking sector
Tele-Banking – Allow Customers to Securely access their Account Details, Transfer Funds, etc
Card Enablement – Allow Customers to Enable their Bank, Check, Credit Cards Securely and Automated
Bank Information – Provide Bank Information to Customers including Hours, Services Provided and Locations, etc
Call Routing – Route Calls to the proper person/department within a Bank/Office

15. Health care
Medical Transcription Services – Allows Doctors to Record Transcriptions, which can later be listened to and documented by a Medical Transcribe
Automated Prescription Filling – Allows Pharmacies to allow for automated prescription filling services for patients
Patient Reminders – Remind patients of upcoming appointments or to take their medicine on time
Off Hours Auto Attendant – Provide Emergency Information for Patients off hours when the office is closed.
Patient Surveys – Survey Patients for Quality Assesment and Increase Customer Satisfaction
Bill Collection – Remind Residents of Late Payments due, and provide automated Payment service

16. ISP/Cable TV Operators
Bill Collection – Remind Subscribers of Late Payments due, and provide automated Payment service
Complaint Booking – Allow Customers to File a Service/Billing Complaint so that it is Traceable and Accountable
Service Notice : Notifying subscribers of new services/schemes

17. FM Radio
- Allow Callers to Listen to the Radio through the Phone
- Surveys – Allow callers to participate in surveys and voting
-
18. Any Large Enterprise having large clientele
Complaint Booking – Allow Customers to File a Service/Billing Complaint so that it is Traceable and Accountable
Call Routing – Route Calls to the proper person/department