When it comes to testing IVR development projects, most companies that are testing manually will answer the latter. The amount of work required for manually testing IVR applications can vary greatly depending on the complexity of the IVR. And, there are other factors such as the cumulative amount of time it takes to set up and perform testing.
Many projects simply cannot allocate enough time in the project plan to thoroughly test every segment of code every time a new release comes out. That's why many organizations focus on manually testing the high-volume functions within the IVR. Those organizations are willing to take the risk that errors in less frequently used functions will have limited impact on production and are easier to fix when they do occur.
In addition to the time it takes to test manually, another significant factor here is the cost of testing. One recent example that I heard from a customer was about their conversion of a subsidiary's IVR into the parent company's system. This particular example was a fairly complex conversion, and the testing had to be very thorough since it was all new IVR code going into production. The testing team required for the project was around 20 full-time testers, and the costs ran into the range of three-quarters of a million dollars. The executive relating that story to me commented that he would never go through that type of effort to test again. There are alternatives. He can skip testing altogether, or he can automate!
Save Time and Shorten Development Projects
Automated testing instead of manual testing can save you a significant amount of time and effort. Cyara customers who have benefited from these savings have shared their stories. For example, a major retail energy leader in the United States was able to shave two months off of their project, making it possible for them to meet a very tight deadline.
Another benefit of automated testing is that it will likely shorten the overall IVR development project. The right testing solution should assist the project team throughout the innovation cycle rather than just within the QA step of the project. Automated testing also provides a superior level of consistency on the actual tests, and the information they produce is far more comprehensive and actionable than the best manual testing teams in the industry.
Better Test Coverage for Better Customer Experiences
The time savings, however, is only one of the benefits of automated testing, Automated testing also enables an organization to test every segment of code in every new release. It eliminates trying to balance manual effort and costs with the risk of testing only major segments of code. While errors in less frequently used functions may have a more limited impact, no error is "easy" or cheap to fix in production. Those errors also have a way of going undetected for long periods of time and lead to poor customer experiences.
All of this adds up. Automation provides a significant saving in time, people and, of course, costs. Yes, automated testing solutions carry with them an initial cost and setup, but the benefits over the life of the system will far exceed the costs, limited capacities and risks associated with manual testing. The upside is that these solutions can also significantly improve the customer experience.
Cyara, Your Answer for Testing and Monitoring
Cyara is the world's fastest growing provider of omni-channel (voice, chat, and e-mail) customer experience testing and monitoring solutions. The single platform allows customers to have a comprehensive suite that provides coverage for the entire innovation cycle. Installation is non-invasive and very fast. Cyara customers innovate faster and more predictably saving time and money in the process. These solutions have been proven to result in improved contact center performance at some of the largest companies in the world. For more information on how much your organization can save, visit cyara.com.
