Although numerous studies have indicated that customers have become more accepting of IVR systems, there are still instances that can cause frustration, especially systems that employ sub-par voice recognition software. Frustrated and angry users will tend to emote their feelings in their speaking voice causing an already poor voice recognition system to have more trouble understanding the customer. This leads to a vicious cycle in which the user tends to become more frustrated while the IVR system becomes less likely to recognize menu choices and/or voice commands. Ultimately this can lead to a very negative customer experience which can effect a company's bottom line.
Yang Liu, a computer scientist at the University of Texas at Dallas, is conducting research that could change the face of voice recognition software as we know it. She and her graduate students have received a three-year grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to investigate emotion recognition and modeling in speech processing. Liu's research will focus on voice pitch, intonation patterns and word choice and their associations with a variety of emotions such as anger, sadness, happiness, surprise and frustration. If successful, her research could be applied to many applications including IVR systems that could quickly recognize a frustrated user and immediately transfer him or her to a human operator. This would lead to a better overall customer experience and likely improve customer retention.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Nashville Flooding and Tennessee 511
As most of America knows by now, the South was pounded by strong storms over the weekend causing a swath of tornadoes and flooding across the state of Tennessee. A record amount of rainfall created flash floods that have claimed lives, washed out portions of roads and left Nashville under several feet of water in some areas. As Music City and it's people wait for the waters to recede so that rebuilding and recovery can begin, everyone at the Universal Digital family would like to remind residents, and anyone travelling to state, to consult the Department of Transportation's Tennessee 511 system. To access the Interactive Voice Response system recorded at the Universal Digital Production studios on Music Row, simply dial 511 on any cell or landline telephone. The system provides travellers with specific information about road conditions and closures throughout the state. In times of disaster, information is key to a quick and safe recovery and IVR is a powerful tool to disseminate such information.
To help with the relief efforts, visit http://www.redcross.org/ or text the word "Redcross" to 90999 on your cell phone to add a $10 donation to your next bill.
To help with the relief efforts, visit http://www.redcross.org/ or text the word "Redcross" to 90999 on your cell phone to add a $10 donation to your next bill.
Improving IVR Through Analytics
Customer feedback is certainly the most useful data in determining where process improvement can be made in any system including IVR. Customer surveys are a good method for data collection, however since such data is merely a snapshot of customer experience they can be deceiving. In addition, customer surveys are completed on a voluntary basis potentially skewing the data towards users who are biased against using an IVR system. The bottom line is that in today's fast paced world, most people have very little time or motivation to complete a brief customer experience survey for the many IVR systems they encounter on a daily basis. Angel.com has recently released the Caller First Analytics service which is designed to gather more specific data about customer experience in the background during customer interactions.
The Caller First Analytics software gathers data about call volumes, voice interactions and most importantly, specific IVR pathways that lead users to dial out to a live operator. Visual reports can be generated that display graphical illustrations of various call center metrics. More importantly, the software can also show pathways that customers have taken through the IVR system and where they broke off the path. Knowledge of this kind of information is key to analyzing potential issues with trouble areas along the pathway and how the system can be improved to prevent such break-offs from occurring. Break-offs result in higher call volumes for live operators in a call center thus costing a company more money for customer service. Rapid identification of trouble areas could potentially result in large savings when appropriate improvements are implemented. Applications like Caller First Analytics could be an excellent tool for analyzing customer data and suggesting improvements for IVR systems.
The Caller First Analytics software gathers data about call volumes, voice interactions and most importantly, specific IVR pathways that lead users to dial out to a live operator. Visual reports can be generated that display graphical illustrations of various call center metrics. More importantly, the software can also show pathways that customers have taken through the IVR system and where they broke off the path. Knowledge of this kind of information is key to analyzing potential issues with trouble areas along the pathway and how the system can be improved to prevent such break-offs from occurring. Break-offs result in higher call volumes for live operators in a call center thus costing a company more money for customer service. Rapid identification of trouble areas could potentially result in large savings when appropriate improvements are implemented. Applications like Caller First Analytics could be an excellent tool for analyzing customer data and suggesting improvements for IVR systems.
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