Nuance Will Now Provide Mobile Care for Android OS

If you're having a problem with your Android mobile phone operating system (OS), you might be able to fix the problem yourself without waiting for agent assistance while listening to muzak. Nuance Mobile care (NMC), which currently ships more than 12 million handsets, will now provide its on-device self-service care for the Android OS.

Nuance hopes to eliminate the time a customer would spend waiting for a customer service agent to handle a problem, which would be convenient for users and also reduce call center costs. The service should be able to handle billing, payments, plan changes, account settings, and diagnostics, which could all be accessed visually on the handset. Users can be connected for information requests or additional services.

The product is already available on a number of phones, including those with closed systems, according to Hetal Pandya, director of Nuance product management. "It offers carriers the ability to have consistant customer care accross all types devices however unique," she says. " I don't know of any other applications that run across all systems."

According to Pandya, the savings could be very significant to call centers, "We're starting to see that even IVR calls, which are quite expensive, are now being handled by the NMC system, saving the contact center a lot of money. For example, one of the customers has said to us if they get 1 percent extra out of automation, they could close down a call center."

Furthermore, Pandya asserts that the system was successful with customers, capturing many because, among other reasons, "NMC... is an easy interface and that captures even more people, and being visual allows us to offer applications beyond agents who are talking on the phone. This is the reason we can do even more automation than the current systems that are out there."

"Mobile operators around the world are discovering how Nuance Mobile Care can enable them to drive a branded customer experience to the mobile device while saving millions every month in reduced contact center costs," says Bob Wise, senior vice president and general manager of Nuance Mobile Care, in a statement. "Providing support for Android OS delivers a great opportunity to drive new and innovative ways to engage with customers through Nuance Mobile Care."