Entire payment systems like Venmo have grown up so these texters can send money and pay bills the same way: not by check, not by typing a card number into a website, but by texting funds as needed.
From pay-by-phone to pay-by-text
So why do I bring this up? As regular readers of my posts know, we've provided pay-by-phone services for many years: subscription payments, prescription refills ordered by phone, and outstanding balances on invoices after medical deductibles have been met.
As the demographics of our society shift, demand is growing to let people pay across channels. Most importantly, our clients want to offer their customers the ability to pay for products and services through whichever channel they prefer.
ITR and IVR, built together
That's why AcuCall has offered ITR (Interactive Text Response) for some time. ITR works in many of the same ways as IVR (Interactive Voice Response); in fact, we typically build them together. Because both use the same logic engine and the same agent interface, we can deploy payment options quickly and efficiently, and agents need very little extra training.
Same logic, same agent interface, two channels. Your customers pick the one they like.
Beyond payments
ITR can handle more than payments. It can run anything from a complex sales process to simple customer service questions: store hours, driving directions, fees, product availability and so on. All of it can be answered automatically, with no agent involved, in the messaging app already on your customer's phone. No phone call required.
If you'd like to extend your collections, or your automated sales and customer service, to a broader audience, see how SMS & ITR works, or get in touch with me directly.
