When your contact center is getting ready to apply speech analytics software, you are taking the first step towards a superior way of capturing the voice of your customers and converting those insights into informed strategic business decisions. After all, who better to tell you what your customers want than your customers, themselves? Speech analytics helps take the guesswork out of strategic planning, and allows your company to make each decision with confidence.
However, before you begin to using speech analytics, it is important you understand certain aspects of the software; aspects which can help ensure it is a success. Here are some things to be aware of:
Using Speech Analytics Software Requires Clear Directions
While speech analytics is capable of scanning thousands of contact center phone conversations for specific words and phrases within minutes, it cannot do it on its own. The success of speech analytics hinges on a strong and distinct strategy, with clearly set goals. For instance, let’s say you want to use speech analytics to determine why certain sales reps can’t seem to close a deal, or to improve your overall marketing strategies. Each phone conversation contains key performance indicators (KPIs) relevant to these goals, and speech analytics, while smart, is not clairvoyant. It needs you (or someone in your company) to tell it precisely which KPI’s should be identifying. Therefore, it is crucial to take the time to pinpoint which words and phrases you want it to find.
Speech Analytics Software Requires Patience and Know-How
It will take some time to set up your search goals with speech analytics (and you may find yourself having to repeat the process if you decide in the future to have it geared towards a different goal). And even once speech analytics is able to scan for and find your specific KPI’s, it is up to you to determine the next steps to take. You must be able to look at context, interpret results, and convert unstructured and unleveraged data into actionable business insights. Speech analytics can give you the information, but it is up to you to decide what do with it.
This all may seem like a lot, but the benefits speech analytics can bring to your contact center is well worth your time. You can also reach out to knowledgeable speech analytics specialists who want to ensure you get the most out of your investment. Think of them as your Speech Analytics analysts. The sooner you have a full understanding of speech analytics and how it works, the sooner you can begin reaping the rewards.
