[LINK] IVR ?

[Chirgwin, Richard]

Jan --	

IVR uses touch pad number entry - the computer speaks, you respond via the
keypad.
Speech recognition eliminates the keypad - computer and customer speak.
General interest journos tend to use the two interchangably.

IVR is NOT unreliable -- that is spin-doctoring from speech recognition
vendors. The keypad is highly reliable; and it has the advantage - glossed
over in SR stories - of creating a digital audit trail. SR systems either
ignore the audit trail (*very* dangerous for financial applications), or
they need another layer of technology to prove what happened (more expensive
than people think).

Looking at this story, it is absolutely clear that the journalist doesn't
know sugar from shingles. Some quotes:
>the first company in Victoria and the second in Australia to introduce
interactive 
>voice recognition technology
[snip]
Absolute nonsense; regurgitated from the press release and completely
unsubstantiated; and the wrong interpretation of the acronym. Not a good
start...

>IVR has a reputation for being unreliable.
[snip]
>Transurban had been testing IVR for three months, and it would probably be 
>working by March.
[snip]
>a computer voice will ask the motorist what kind of product is required, 
>ask the customer to nominate the day of travel, and take credit card 
>numbers and account details over the phone. It will process details
automatically.

This collection gives a flavour of how badly this has been done. I'm happy
to offer a Technology 101 for journalists, but for the attitude that "good
journalism doesn't need specialist knowledge".

Now. If this is the "second in Australia" - a normal spin-doctor claim -
then I guess it's speech recognition, because that's what's being PR-ed to
the max by VeCommerce right now. But the claim that the US is "way ahead" is
just fluff. One of the most advanced companies in speech recognition is
Syrinx Speech Systems - and they're a ten-year-old local outfit, much of
whose income is derived from license fees to US-based vendors.

However, as I said, I would not trust my weight to this story: it's a
mishmash in which the author is tossing around acronyms he doesn't
understand.

Richard Chirgwin
-----Original Message-----
From: Jan Whitaker [mailto:jwhit@PrimeNet.Com]
Sent: Monday, 22 January 2001 8:26
To: link@www.anu.edu.au
Subject: [LINK] IVR ?


Does anyone know if IVR in these 'call centre' services is actually 
recognising voices or using touch pad number entry?  Why would anyone use a 
dodgy voice technology over a proven touch pad interface?

Jan

http://theage.com.au/news/2001/01/22/FFX6MNDL7IC.html

Talking computer to take its own
                   toll

                   By SUSHI DAS
                   TRANSPORT EDITOR
                   Monday 22 January 2001

                   Motorists will be able to buy City Link day
                   passes or top up their accounts through a
                   computer-phone link when the tollway's owner introduces
new
                   technology in March to reduce pressure on its call
centre.

                   Transurban is expected to become the first company in 
Victoria and
                   the second in Australia to introduce interactive voice 
recognition
                   technology to sell City Link products. IVR has a 
reputation for being
                   unreliable.

                   Managing director Kim Edwards said Transurban had been 
testing
                   IVR for three months, and it would probably be working 
by March.

                   Under the new system, a computer voice will ask the 
motorist what
                   kind of product is required, ask the customer to 
nominate the day of
                   travel, and take credit card numbers and account details 
over the
                   phone. It will process details automatically.

                   Motorists wanting to speak to a person to make a 
transaction will be
                   able to ring the City Link call centre as usual.

                   "They have had this in the United States for five years, 
but there's only
                   one company in Australia I think that's got the 
technology working,
                   and that's Tabcorp in Queensland," Mr Edwards said."It 
will save us
                   call-centre money but, more importantly, it will 
massively improve
                   customer service."

                   Transurban came under fire from the State Government 
last month
                   when the company failed to employ enough staff to handle 
the flood of
                   calls from motorists after the Burnley tunnel opening.

                   Transurban admitted its call centre had been overloaded 
with about
                   20,000 calls a day, causing anger and frustration for 
drivers trying to
                   pay by phone. It usually takes about 50,000 calls a week.

                   This is the second time in two years that Transurban's 
call centre has
                   been unable to manage calls from the public.

                   Transurban took over control of customer service 
functions from its
                   contractors, Translink Operations, after The Age 
revealed last year
                   that the company subcontracted to run the call centre 
had lost
                   accounts and overcharged customers.

                   The company, Data Connection, was dropped in March and 
replaced
                   by UCMF, which is running Transurban's call centre.

                   Since the call chaos in December last year, Transurban 
has increased
                   the number of people employed to handle calls.

                   Mr Edwards said customers wanting day passes were
receiving
                   priority, while customers wanting to speak to an 
operator were still
                   experiencing delays, which would probably continue until 
next week.

                   The RACV welcomed the use of IVR to handle calls, but 
said it
                   would take a wait-and-see approach before endorsing it.

                   "It certainly sounds like state-of-the-art technology," 
spokesman Ken
                   Ogden said. "Voice recognition is getting better and 
better all the time.

                   "As to whether we could endorse it, we will have to look 
at it.

                   "Full marks to them for trying. I really hope it works 
because they
                   certainly need to provide a better service for their 
members over the
                   telephone."