Speech Continues to Advance in the Contact Center

Another issue is the quality of the audio input and the storage, retrieval, and processing of it.

“Most iPhones and Android devices send audio signals at a very high-quality rate. But the recording and storage of those calls are much lower due to system bandwidth, storage costs, and call volume,” notes Sachdev. “The system has to be smart enough to properly encode the voices on the call so they can be properly understood and stored without either losing the meaning or creating too large of files to be stored.”

Perfecting the language gap in IVR and speech technology is also difficult.

“Even if the default global trade language is English, that doesn’t mean that a non-U.S.-based organization would speak to their customers in English,” Aylarov says.

Setting the right goals and targeting the ideal areas for customer service automation isn’t easy, either.

“Your organization needs to understand how and where to deploy these technologies. Where will they have the greatest impact for the company? And what are the metrics you want to point the technology toward improving? If those are not clearly defined, it makes integration much more difficult for your team,” Malingo says.

Tasso Roumeliotis, CEO of Numa, an AI-powered virtual assistant and concierge platform provider, says his customers find IVRs frustrating.

“We use voice-enabled but heavily simplified bot technology. Customers are very finicky, and we need to get them to their most comfortable communication medium as fast as possible. Sometimes it’s talking to a human—who will call them back, and other times we migrate the discussion to text,” he states. “For our website, chat is the best mechanism, not speech. But on the phone, customers are in talking mode, and they expect voice communication. When a business isn’t available to answer, speech technology needs to take over.”

Getting issues like these ironed out is crucial.

“When companies misunderstand why a caller is contacting them, it burns expensive cycles. And when companies don’t support their agents with advanced intelligence tools, they quit, and hiring and training new agents is expensive,” Sachdev cautions. “Every time a live agent has to answer a routine question that could have been handled by a digital agent, it costs the organization money. Every time a customer calls and is redirected, mishandled, or put on hold, they become frustrated, and loyalty wanes.”

Eager to implement speech technology—or more of it—into your customer service interactions? Prepare to do your homework.

“First, be clear about what you are looking to improve, whether that’s customer retention, customer acquisition, or customer satisfaction,” Malingo recommends. “By identifying your priorities, you can more successfully vet vendors based on whether they can address these specific needs.”

Experts also recommend taking the time to review complete customer service systems and processes, not just individual problem areas.

“You may have a patchwork of technologies and products that you’ve added on piece by piece, resulting in a lot of silos and disconnected systems. But don’t just look to add to or optimize one piece of the system. For speech-enabled systems to be most effective, they need to integrate with external systems, like customer relationship management and other enterprise applications,” Sachdev suggests.

Remember, too, that the integration of voice must be smooth and frictionless for the consumer, while concurrently delivering tangible cost savings or benefits for the organization.

Got an outdated IVR system? Consider upgrading it pronto.

“IVAs can improve the effectiveness, quality, and engagement of your agents,” Fluss says. “But realize that the cost of these solutions, even if it’s cloud-based, can be significant.”

Prepare to start small and test out any new technology’s capabilities carefully.

“Implement it into a branch of the company and explore the feedback from that department’s team members,” Aylarov advises. “Also, consider trying a cloud-based vendor first. This way, it’s easier to switch to a different provider or platform if you’re not satisfied because you haven’t committed to a full overhaul or investment in major software or hardware.”

If you have multiple business domains, develop a strategy for the entire automation ecosystem.

“Say your company is a bank. A customer that has both a loan and checking account with your bank doesn’t care that these services are managed by different, siloed teams,” says Joe Ciuffo, product marketing director at Genesys. “An interaction with one domain is an interaction with your brand; your customers expect a similar experience each time they engage.”

Lastly, when it’s time to shop for and select solution providers, look for vendors that offer extensible platforms.

“This will ensure that your platform can grow where it needs to grow and go where you need it to go,” Malingo notes. 

Erik J. Martin is a Chicago area-based freelance writer and public relations expert whose articles have been featured in AARP The Magazine, Reader’s Digest, The Costco Connection, and other publications. He often writes on topics related to real estate, business, technology, healthcare, insurance, and entertainment. He also publishes several blogs, including martinspiration.com and cineversegroup.com.