published in Call Center Times, November 28, 2011
It takes time and resources to listen to call recordings and identify those that need your attention. Speech-detection technology, also known as speech analytics, is the process of analyzing recorded calls for you to glean information that helps improve operations within the sales and customer service departments of a company. When in place, this powerful technology brings structure to customer interactions, and sheds light on business intelligence that is contained in telephone interactions, that is otherwise only accessible by listening to entire call recordings.
Until recently, the only businesses that could afford a speech-detection platform were large contact centers and government agencies. With the growing development of speech-detection technology, it is now more affordable and therefore available to businesses of all sizes.
Speech-detection software quickly searches large volumes of audio recordings for keywords and phrases. The ability to locate key phrases in customer calls provides a much more powerful benefit than the typical call recording service. A robust speech analytics system will also provide statistical and trending analyses, as well as ways to facilitate the sharing of those findings.
Today, businesses use speech-detection applications to improve operations efficiency by:
1. Discovering trends and assessing business-drivers
- Are customers not buying due to price or other concerns?
2. Automating quality assurance through script compliance
- Are sales and customer service employees taking a caller through the appropriate script?
3. Diminishing the number of at-risk customers
- Is customer service addressing the needs of a caller in order to build or retain a positive customer relationship?
4. Identifying employee training opportunities
- What areas within sales and customer service need to be addressed in order to strengthen the team and provide them with the skills they need to be successful?
5. Monitoring interactions that customers may have with competitors
- Is there a particular competitor threatening the success of your sales team?
Speech analytics is an efficient method to analyzing the conversations your employees are having with customers and prospects. It will provide you with the insights to answer these questions and put operational plans into place to improve efficiency within the company.
As businesses navigate increasingly competitive waters, customer service often arises as the key differentiator, making speech-detection applications increasingly useful for businesses to identify their niche and hone their sales and service techniques.
Overall, speech-detection software extends the opportunity for business intelligence gathering and provides the data necessary to make business decisions to keep the company in a growth pattern.
by Laura Noonan
Laura Noonan has 18 years of experience in the toll-free vanity 800 number and telecommunications industry. She coaches hundreds of clients each year on using toll-free vanity 800 phone numbers as direct marketing tools to increase advertising response rates. CallFinderTM is an innovative speech-detection technology, offered only by 800response that provides small to large companies with the ability to search for specific spoken phrases within call recordings in real-time. For more information, please contact Ms. Noonan at [email protected] or call 1-800-NEW-SALE.