IBM Speech Recognition

IBM has a long pedigree with Speech Recognition and in fact invented this technology in the 1950s.

Integration Options

IBM Speech Recognition can integrate to provide a voice interface in the following IVR scenarios.

Proprietary IBM IVR systems using legacy REXX communication links. This means IBM Speech can be launched relatively easily in a legacy IBM IVR environment

Third Party Avaya, Cisco or Genesys IVRs, using MRCP protocol conversion to access these VXML-based systems

• Avaya Interactive Response, Release 1.3 or later
  
• Avaya Voice Platform version 2.0 or later
• Cisco AS5400 and AS5350 series Universal Gateways and Cisco 1751-V Multiservice Modular Access Router running Cisco IOS® Software version 12.3(10a) and the Cisco VoiceXML 2.0 Browser or later
  
• Genesys Voice Platform (GVP) for Windows 6.5.5 with Release Number 6.5.500.73 or later

Call Design successfully implements Speech Recognition application at a major Australian bank

"This is better than any other Speech Recognition I have heard in Australia - better than telcos, airlines and taxi companies", stated one happy customer.

Call Design has completed a successful implementation project at a St George Bank where Speech Recognition has proven to be an effective tool to better manage the bank's Automated Attendant function.

St George Direct had issues surrounding its Automated Attendant functions that were impacting on customers and on agents. IVR menu trees were growing.

• Call lengths were increasing as callers negotiated these menus.
• Callers became frustrated with the menu structure.
• Callers were exiting without completing menus meaning they arrived at the wrong agents and often had to be transferred.
• Callers were often annoyed with the interface, lowering satisfaction rates.
• Callers expressed this annoyance to agents, leading to negative experiences for them. The bank made the decision to add a Speech interface to better route calls. The major objectives of this project were:
  • To implement a project that would add tangible and measurable benefits
  • To build a persona or personality through the speech interface that reflected the St George brand.
  • To use, as much as possible, existing technology investments in platforms and in applications
  • To source the best technology and the best integration partner available
  • To implement a solution that could easily scale throughout the bank, as well as one that fitted into the banks overall technology strategy.
  • Add incremental benefit to all callers accessing the bank.
  • Consolidate St George's 'avant garde' reputation.

Call Design used IBM's Speech Recognition (SR) Engine, IBM WebSphere Voice Server, for this project. The project utilised IBM's Australian acoustic model and phonetic vocabulary recently released as part of its SR offering.

This is the first example of IBM's SR product being implemented in Australia, and the first time the Australian acoustic model and phonetic vocabulary has been used.

The St George implementation could not have had a successful outcome without the significant contribution Call Design was able to bring to the project.