U.S. companies under pressure to better align speech-based systems with consumer needs
Annual Dimension Data Survey Reveals Trends and Attitudes Regarding Speech-Based Customer Service
Dimension Data announced findings from its 2009 Alignment Index for Speech Self-Service report. The worldwide study, conducted in conjunction with Cisco and Microsoft subsidiary Tellme Networks Inc., reveals disturbing feedback regarding today’s speech-based customer service systems and serves as a wake-up call for organizations seeking to improve customer satisfaction. Results from the report will be formally presented at SpeechTEK 2009, which begins today in New York City.
The report, which compares and measures consumer, vendor and enterprise perceptions of speech-automated customer service systems, reveals that 40% of respondents — up from 36% in 2008 — avoid using speech systems “whenever possible.” Of more than 2,000 respondents, 42% said they use the Internet instead of the phone, and only 25% of consumers reported they would be happy to use a speech-based customer service option again — a significant drop from last year when the figure was more than one-third.
“While speech and other forms of self-service are great for an organization’s bottom line, the solutions need to align with consumer needs,” said Martin Dove, Dimension Data’s global managing director, Customer Interactive Solutions. “When designing customer service solutions, organizations should heavily consider consumer preferences and deploy solutions that provide choice, speed and accuracy. In today’s economy, customer satisfaction is a top priority — and luckily, self-service technology is improving to keep pace with customer expectations. Organizations should carefully evaluate their current and future self-service practices and implement solutions that are supported by the technology that will ensure high levels of customer satisfaction.”
To guide organizations in enhancing their speech self-service systems, Dimension Data’s survey also explored the common consumer frustrations with automated systems, behavior patterns among varied age groups, and preferences regarding touchtone versus speech self-service.
- U.S. Frustrations: When using automated systems, one-third of U.S. consumers polled are most frustrated when a human agent requests they repeat themselves after they’ve already provided information to the automated system. More than 20% of U.S. consumers reported that they are most annoyed when the system doesn’t recognize what they’ve said. And 16% are irritated when they can’t skip directly to what they’d like to do.
- Tomorrow’s Customers: Looking at consumer behaviors, the statistics indicate a difference in customer service preferences based on age. More than half of young consumers (ages 16 – 34) use the Internet as their first port of call when it comes to customer service, whereas just over a third of consumers over the age of 50 turn to the Internet first.
- Touchtone vs. Speech: The research indicates that 40% of consumers prefer to use traditional touchtone services rather than systems which require them to verbally answer a series of questions. Perhaps this is why 63% of U.S. companies only use touchtone self-service in their contact centers, rather than speech self-service.
- Drivers for Speech Self-Service: There is a disconnect between why companies install speech self-service solutions, and the way consumers perceive and value those solutions. There’s no doubt that organizations have turned to speech automation in an effort to save money. However, nearly half of the organizations surveyed said they also had a genuine desire to improve the service they provide to their customers, but only 15% of consumers believe improving service to be the real goal.
“To ensure a positive impact on customer satisfaction, organizations using speech recognition systems should take calculated measures to ensure their design delivers true value to their customers,” continued Dove. “In the end, our research found that in cases where the systems are designed with the customer in mind, satisfaction levels are high.”
Source: Dimension Data