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Adjust audio responses based on caller preferences and more
In a previous column (Speech Technolog magazine, April 2007, Voice Value), I mentioned how Speech-Cycle vastly improved on a virtual customer service representative's (CSR's) ability to perform unstructured problem-solving within complex transactions. Another area of voice application design aimed at improving automation results is adaptive interaction, which simply is the speech application adapting to the preferences of the callers, along with conditions of the call and caller, to personalize and improve upon the interaction. To explain and demonstrate the value of such technology, I chose Adaptive Audio, a patented technology developed by Interactive Digital, of Smithtown, N.Y. (www.interactive-digital.com).
Even with well-designed scripts and call flows, personalization from caller history, more accurate ASR, and better grammars, most speech applications are still static and don't adjust in real time to caller dynamics. Try as we might to design great systems, each individual has his own pattern of speaking, level of comprehension, and hand-eye coordination skills (used for entering touch tone responses). Each person...