D-I-Y- or B-U-Y

Bolstering your speech team also means keeping them up-to-date with developments within the industry. While Microsoft often points Speech Server users to training seminars by user interface designer Bruce Balantine, Hura instructs speech teams every year at the SpeechTEK conference through a program called Speech University. Even Microsoft, which preaches DIY as a means of freedom from vendors, says strong training is always important for strong deployments.

"[We] encourage people who build speech apps to take training in how to build a good VUI," Kooiman explains. "That doesn’t mean, however, that you cannot build a VUI without having gone to that training."

Why? Because, he says, programs like Speech Server, which retails at $699, are  easy to use out-of-the-box. There is one major component of successful IVR deployments, however, that can never be underestimated or replicated with software: usability testing.

Metrics Matter
Usability testing determines an IVR’s ease of use and effectiveness with real end users who put a system through its paces. While not a replacement for in-house or outside VUI expertise, usability testing can help a company find the cracks within its IVR’s dialogue flow and test for overall functionality. As Nuance’s Olvera explains, companies must first determine metrics before beginning the tests, which he suggests take place before deployment.

"Have a clear set of metrics in place; normally they leave those to the end," Olvera says. "When you’re starting something new, you need to measure the success of the application. It forces you to think of what you’re trying to achieve: higher automation rates, customer satisfaction, or reducing transfers. Each of those things can be designed in very different ways. [Testing] will guide your design in very critical places, such as how many layers of transfers you will offer."

The chances of running top-notch, in-house usability testing are somewhat unlikely, according to Hura. While metrics can be difficult to determine, even more trying is analyzing the data in a way that leads to tweaking the system to make it more efficient and effective based on user feedback.
"If you can measure your metrics accurately, I don’t see why you’d need to hire an expert," Hura says. "But I don’t think the chance of you, in-house, running an accurate and reliable usability test is likely."

Still Divided
With so many disagreements within the speech world regarding the best path for VUI design, it seems unlikely that there will be a middle-ground conclusion in coming years, if ever. Companies like Microsoft and Voxeo have opened the door for organizations that could not otherwise afford outsourcing both the technology and consultancy. But industry experts and human factors specialists worry that more sloppily designed IVRs will lead to continued user distrust and lack of faith in the systems. Some, like DTMF, remain straightforward and do not need the same level of attention as completely speech-enabled IVRs. But with increasing pressure to adopt natural language and directed dialogue, more complex IVRs call for more professional services.

Kooiman still stands by the belief that outside speech professionals aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. He points to sites like GetHuman.com, which rate IVRs based on ease of use, noting that many of these systems were designed by outside vendors and consultants.

"All those people who claim to be the experts, they still have a lot to learn as well," Kooiman explains. "[GetHuman-rated IVRs] are sometimes built by those high-paid professionals, and still there’s a lot of crap out there."

This type of view, however, is not legitimate today,  according to professionals like Olvera. Contact centers are no longer about just coding an IVR; they’re a tangible representation of the company’s philosophy and customer service abilities. And the phone is evolving. Today’s IVR could be tomorrow’s doorway into multimodal interactions, in which the Web and telephony further converge. And for that kind of sea change, early adopters better be ready to harness the resources of outside professionals.

"To me, there are a lot of things you need to be aware of—human factors, usability, linguistics, cultural settings, and localization, especially if you’re planning to deploy something in different regions or languages," Olvera states. "Marketing and branding—what sort of experience do you want to give those callers? As of late, in terms of how the Web and phone are merging, multimodal interactions are gaining popularity. That’s a whole new set of skills a VUI designer must have."