ATLANTA - An increasing number of utilities are implementing or investigating speech recognition for their interactive voice response units, and advocates say the technology has the potential to revolutionize automated customer service, according to Chartwell's latest report, Speech-Enabled Customer Service Applications in the Utility Industry.
As many industries have moved to this type of customer self-service, Chartwell research shows that about 17% of utilities have speech recognition applications to serve customers at some level, while 14% were considering or planning to implement the technology. Many utilities offer a speech system for outage calls, but more are moving in the direction of offering the option as a means for conducting customer self-service such as billing, payments and updating account information.
"Offering multiple ways for customers to communicate with their utility has become integral for energy delivery companies," says Dennis Smith, Research Director & Manager of Chartwell's Customer Care Research Series. "Speech recognition is a progressive customer self-service tool that can be extremely valuable to a utility, provided it is designed correctly."
However, the report cautions utilities moving toward this technology to be wary of certain pitfalls, such as poorly designed systems or unfriendly self-help service menus.
The report includes two case studies on progressive utilities utilizing speech recognition technology. Pepco's recent implementation of its system has already shown an increase in usage by as much as 13% over its traditional touch-tone IVR. Through the system, customers can conduct almost every type of business that could be handled through a live agent. We Energies, after concluding that many of its incoming calls related to billing or payments, implemented a speech system in order to offer customers a more personal and prompt way to conduct business without the assistance of a customer service representative (CSR).
Speech-Enabled Customer Service Applications in the Utility Industry is part of the Chartwell Customer Care Research Series and is available to non-members for $350. For subscription or membership information, please contact us at (800) 432-5879 or (404) 237-9099.
Press contact: Dennis Smith, 404.237.9099, dsmith@chartwellinc.com.
