Speech Recognition Technology Adoption Doesn't Have to Be Complex

Voice recognition technology is changing the face of consumer markets across the globe. Today, 25 percent of Google searches made on Android phones are being made via voice searches. People are becoming used to having the technology as part of their daily lives.

Voice recognition can also have huge benefits for businesses. One area in which voice recognition can have an especially large effect is call centers. With innovations such as automated compliance monitoring, emotion detection, and biometric security, call centers can make their existing processes more efficient.

Automated speech technology (ASR) can allow companies to do the following:

• Reduce costs: Automated speech technology helps minimize the time that specialist compliance teams spend monitoring calls. Call routing and automated confidentiality software also free up staff to focus on other tasks, meaning that agents can take more calls, reducing the cost per call.
• Improve Security: Call centers that rely on strong security features can use the biometric functions of automatic speech recognition technology to recognize unique features within a person's voice, reducing fraud and protecting customers.
• Improve accuracy: The quality of recorded calls improved dramatically in recent years. This means that solutions can recognize the content of audio easier than human ears, making them faster and more accurate than their human counterparts. Improved accuracy through automated speech recognition technology gives call centers an edge over competitors. Automated call screening also helps improve agent performance, as they can be mentored more effectively by managers.

Yet, call center managers and decision-makers often have reservations about automated speech recognition technology despite the benefits that it can bring. This is because voice recognition software in call centers is often seen as complex to install. This perception, however, centers around two main misconceptions about how the technology should interact with existing processes.

The first misconception is that speech recognition software requires a long and complex integration process that will have a negative impact on business efficiency during onboarding. However, for cloud-based applications, it can often be a simple diversion of certain calls to systems that can be made available from the start on their own cloud hosting.

The second misconception is that implementing speech recognition technology will change organizational processes. Again, this does not have to be the case. The key is to choose a provider who can bring a flexible approach to its offering and supports existing business processes, maintaining and then maximizing efficiency.

Speech recognition technology providers should possess the following four attributes:

1. Knowledge: Your enterprise has requirements that are unique to your industry. For example, a call center for banks will need solutions that can provide a high level of security. Therefore, it is essential to use providers that specialize in security innovations, such as biometric technology, that allow the call center to use automation in a secure way alongside existing processes.
2. Optimization: Automation technology should be able to install itself as part of current business processes and start to help agents without a huge lag. It should not cause the business to grind to a halt while it gets up to speed. The efficiency of the call center and the customer experience should be improved as soon as the technology is implemented.
3. Effectiveness: To see the most effective solution for your business, it is a good idea to compare the functionality of systems in relation to your business. It is important that the technology can perform necessary security functions. It is also worth thinking about other innovations the solution might bring to the table, such as automated compliance.
4. Scalability: Finally, it is essential that the solution can grow with your business. Any speech recognition technology you use must be able to keep up with plans for growth. Automated compliance technology, for example, should be able to increase the rate of transcription as your business grows.;

Implementing this four-step assessment of the technologies available will help guard against using the wrong system for you. Your contact center will be able to implement speech recognition technology that benefits the business effectively and immediately without causing disruption to current processes.

---

Gary Williams is director of sales and consultancy at Spitch.