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PCI Newsletter Winter 2003 |
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IVR Trends
PCI is an IVR application developer. We also sell our own IVR system, called VRS-3. PCI has developed over 40 IVR applications in the last 5 years. Our IVR applications are running in a wide cross section of industries. PCI’s experience includes,
PCI has been evaluating the direction where Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system development is heading based on customer demand. We see a clear direction that is confirmed by key IVR vendors. The trends includes:
VXML (Voice Extensible Markup Language) is a World Wide Web Consortium (WWC) standard. The WWC is an international industry consortium of over 450 companies. This telephony standard provides an alternative to proprietary software systems and allows enterprises to open their Web applications to telephone users. In addition, VXML considerably decreases development costs, simplifies integration, and reduces delivery time of new capabilities and applications for traditional phone users.
VoiceXML is designed for creating audio dialogs that feature synthesized speech, digitized audio, recognition of spoken and DTMF key input, recording of spoken input, telephony, and mixed-initiative conversations. Its major goal is to bring the advantages of web-based development and content delivery to interactive voice response applications. VoiceXML is intended to bring the advantages of Web-based development and content delivery to interactive voice response, or IVR, applications.
Speech Recognition enables callers to speak IVR selections rather than choosing numerical options. The recognized speech is then converted to digital signals which can be processed by IVR systems. Speech enabled IVR systems are slowly becoming the standard for high-end IVR systems and then will be required for even smaller IVR systems. The evolution is slow but the direction is clear. The slow pace of introducing Speech Recognition is due to the current economy and to the expensive licensing and development efforts. The economy will get better and the cost of Speech Recognition tools, licenses and software development will improve.
Forms of speech recognition include; Small Vocabulary Recognition, Large Vocabulary Recognition, Natural Language Understanding, Speaker Verification and Text to Speech. Natural Language Speech Recognition (NLSR) is the ability of an IVR to understand continuous, fluid speech. Callers interact with the automated system by speaking in a normal conversational manner. The caller uses complete sentences as commands rather than going through a series of one word responses.
Non-proprietary system components refers to both hardware and software tools only available from a single product vendor. International standards have been available and are being used for IVR software (VXML) and hardware. This trend toward standard components will continue and eventually dominate the marketplace.
Vertical Applications in the IVR world refers to tool kits for developing applications in a market segment (e.g. banking). The vertical application toolkits allow IVR applications to be built quickly, reliability, and at less cost. IVR Vendors, such as PCI, have started developing toolkits. We see a greater effort in this area by IVR vendors. PCI is currently evaluating IVR vertical market applications for MS-CRM.
Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) allows information gathered by an IVR system to be displayed for a customer representative. CTI avoids the caller repeating everything that was entered during the IVR session. Large IVR installations utilize CTI and the trend is toward smaller installations. Additional information, such as the customers account, may be retrieved at the same time that the caller entered information is displayed.
Hosted systems are IVR systems that are located and managed by a hosting service. This is similar to Web Site and ASP hosting. The systems and telephone lines are provided by the hosting company. Refer to the article in this Newsletter, "PCI and XO Strategic Relationship". PCI develops the application and XO provides IVR hosting.
The advantages of IVR Hosting include,
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Copyright 2003 (C) Programming Concepts, Inc. |
