Visual Self-Service

Video capability has long been a goal for telecommunications providers. From seamless video teleconferencing for business to more personal video chats between geographically distant family members, bandwidth has been the limiting factor. Those factors have since been overcome through the proliferation of T1 and fiber lines and with the introduction of low-cost and/or free applications such as Skype and Google Video. Now, we are seeing similar increases in transmission speeds and bandwidth associated with cellular data networks. An obvious application for this functionality is to offer visual customer-service in place of more traditional IVR self-service options.

This is not an entirely new concept as 2009 saw examples of the adoption of this technology for cellular video chats with customer service agents and for visual IVR menus designed for the hearing impaired. Australian cellular service provider Ovum recently announced a major increase in development in visual self-service solutions on their mobile devices. The reason for the development goes beyond the concept of simply improving customer service. According to estimates, the average cost for a customer self-service transaction through a mobile self-service application is 15 cents versus 50 cents spent on the same transaction conducted through a more traditional IVR system. As is usually the case, the development of this new technology will be a win for both the customer and service provider in the form of improved service for the customer and lower operational cost for the business.

IVR Overdose

In light of the current economic situation, companies are learning how to do more with less in order to survive. This impacts customer service as much, if not more than other segments of a business. Even before economics pushed companies to cut costs, many businesses began utilizing IVR systems as a way to reduce overhead and ask their customers to handle common issues through a self-service solution. Although some research indicates that consumers have accepted telephone-based self-service, there is also resentment when companies put additional burdens on their IVR systems and force customers to resolve more complex issues with little help from live operators.

Research from 2007 indicates that 91 percent of American consumers already feel that companies expect customers to handle too much on their own with IVR systems. This has a directly negative impact on customer satisfaction and drives consumers away. However, the same research indicates that consumers are willing to utilize other technologies for self-service such as web-based or text message-based systems. It is important for businesses to consider the the complexity of the self-service solution before deciding to implement it on a specific platform.

The ability for a customer to see a list of options increases the ease of navigating a complex self-service menu. This can be achieved more easily in a web-based or visual IVR environment than in a standard IVR system. Similarly, the option to speak to a live operator should not be perceived by a company as a last resort for helping a customer. Some people want to use self-service, while others will always desire help from a human being. It is important to design IVR systems to take that fact into account as most callers are very frustrated when they finally reach the elusive operator. As the economy improves, certain cost control measures will likely remain in place as a means of improving profits. It is of the utmost importance for companies to maintain useful but not overwhelming IVR customer self-service systems.

IVR for the Hearing and Speech Impaired

Although web-based customer service utilities are growing in popularity, telephone-based IVR systems are still the standard for a vast majority of companies. In the UK, more than 75% of customer service interactions are handled over the phone by automated systems. Although the systems operate relatively efficiently and effectively, an estimated nine million hearing and/or speech impaired customers are excluded from this type of services. The convenience of checking balances, paying bills or scheduling service visits simply isn't an option for speech and hearing impaired customers through traditional IVR systems.

Thanks to advances in mobile telephones and their networks, video IVR systems are finally a reality. Not only do they improve customer service experience in general, they allow hearing and speech impaired customers to enjoy the same self-service options that are available to non-impaired customers. Adoption of these types of systems will surely take time, but with the explosive growth of smartphones and the accompanying downloadable customer service applications, there is sure to be an exponential demand for telephone-based visual customer service interfaces. Traditional IVR systems are by no means a thing of the past however. Visual service is simply an augmentation of the existing service options for some customers while for others, it's an option that they can finally utilize.

Visual IVR Effectiveness

Video IVR continues to show promise as customer research conducted by Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories shows that visual IVRs used on mobile phones can reduce automated transaction times by as much as 56%. This not only translates to call-center resource savings, but also into increased customer satisfaction. Although most customers want to speak to a live operator when they have problems with a service, many people might prefer a self-service approach that includes both audio and visual components. Ultimately, customers hope to complete their transactions quickly and easily and research data suggests that this is more achievable with a user friendly visual menu.

As people become more familiar with using web-based utilities to report and resolve service issues, IVR appears to be following suit and progressing away from the standard audio interface that has been the norm in the industry. As discussed earlier this week, some companies have already begun to employ the video systems in place of more traditional IVR. Although the new element of the IVR system requires more time for development and implementation, the end benefits certainly outweigh the cost. As the use of video capable smart phones grows, there is undoubtedly a market for companies to improve their customer self-service menus to accommodate this emerging technology. The end result is most certainly reduced costs for staffed call-centers together with increased overall customer satisfaction.

Video IVR

Business communication around the world is evolving constantly due in no small part to rapid developments in technology. Although IVR systems for customer support have evolved in that time as well, a key feature that is missing in most service applications is a visual interface. Almost no home telephones are equipped with video capabilities so there has been no practical method for integrating video into IVR systems for most users. However, as mobile devices become more ubiquitous and increasingly capable of many applications besides DTMF dialing, there are many emerging opportunities to integrate video into IVR systems for customer service.

With the development of more powerful mobile networks and video equipped wireless hand-held devices, there will likely be an increase in the development of video IVR systems over time. Video IVR adds a new dimension to self-service menus by allowing customers to see all available menus in addition to hearing the standard recited list of options. A system recently implemented by Egypt's Etisalat even allows customers to connect face-to-face with a service agent through a video chat. These types of video enabled service products could increase overall usability and customer satisfaction of IVR systems in general. Consequently, video IVR could prove to be a major segment of the IVR production business in the future.