From Nuance

The Real Business Value Of Voice Biometrics Through Real Deployments

Andrea_Mocherman — Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:00 GMT

Security has long been the singular focus of voice biometrics applications. And for good reason. A voice print, is as unique to an individual as a fingerprint or iris scan. And since speaking is what we do naturally, voice is as user-friendly as it is secure. Voice biometrics implementations are on the rise, Nuance customers alone have surpassed 15 million voiceprint deployments, up nearly 90% from the previous year, which has been driven primarily by government legislation and corporations'...(read more)

The Impact Technology is Having on the Customer Service Experience

Andrea_Mocherman — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:14:00 GMT

Make Them An Offer They can't Refuse Thanks to the proliferation of connected devices - PCs, phones, smartphones, tablets, games consoles - consumers across all demographics now share a common trait: they are empowered. They now have the freedom to choose how they interact with companies, brands and each other. They readily switch between platforms and devices, tailoring their experiences to suit their needs. The impact on business is profound. A new report titled " A Biometric Day in the...(read more)

Why Companies Need to Modernize their IVR Systems

Andrea_Mocherman — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:01:00 GMT

In this business it's not uncommon to encounter customer care professionals that question the intelligence of making large improvements to their IVR applications. Many view themselves as visionaries, so investing in a twenty year old technology is not high on their priority list. Their attention is on consumer adoption of new self-service channels. After all, isn't making a phone call an outdated way for consumers to do business? Aren't mobile apps really the way consumers will get answers...(read more)

Maturing Mobile Strategies – How Enterprises are Preparing for Smartphone Users

Andrea_Mocherman — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:06:00 GMT

It's clear that today's company needs to be where their customers are, and a growing number of influential customers are highly mobile. Most enterprises today realize that mobile consumers are the most influential segment of their customer base, by income and by influence (through social media and their connected lifestyles). Driven by the need to reach these highly prized customers and competitive pressures, enterprises rushed into the mobile space, rolling out mobile apps in much the same...(read more)

Connected, informed, independent, self-reliant, and impatient - The Now Consumer

Andrea_Mocherman — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:25:00 GMT

Today's customers and the way they choose to gather information and interact has changed dramatically. The explosion of smartphones, social engagement and natural language assistants have permanently shifted consumer behavior and expectations. Regardless of the channel, one thing is clear: organizations must be ready to serve a new, empowered and self-sufficient customer - The Now Consumer. Consumers' personal productivity is climbing steeply with the proliferation of smartphones and the...(read more)

New Nuance Research Reveals Serious Mobile App Shortcomings; Banks Have Lots To Learn

Andrea_Mocherman — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:50:00 GMT

Written by Peggy Anne Salz - Follow on Twitter @mobilegroove What do we really want from our branded, self-service mobile apps? The numbers tell a mixed story. Usage data shows we appreciate instant access to the companies we do business with via mobile apps aimed at taking the heavy lifting out of resolving customer service issues and questions. Meantime, a raft of reports suggests the appeal of instantly downloading the latest apps is losing its luster. But rather than speculate about consumer...(read more)

Is the Contact Center Moving On-Device? Catching up with Ovum's Daniel Hong

Andrea_Mocherman — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:27:00 GMT

The advance of smartphones and the avalanche of mobile apps are forcing enterprises to rethink their customer care services. Where do mobile apps fit in? How can they complement contact centers to provide and user-friendly customer care, allowing customers to interact directly with the enterprise and find answers to service requests? Why should organizations bring everyone to the table NOW to create a cohesive customer care with mobile at the middle to boost loyalty and drive revenues? We catch up...(read more)

Infographic: A Fun Look at the Evolution of Self-Service

Andrea_Mocherman — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:15:00 GMT

Today’s consumers want access to information now – and armed with technology they get it. More than a century in training, coupled with major advancements in technology have made self-service the norm. Today’s " Now Consumer" is more empowered than ever to get what they want, when they want it. How did we get this far this fast and where is self-service going next? Take a step back in history through the attached Infographic to see how self-service has been transformed...(read more)

New Research Reveals What People REALLY Want In Customer Service Apps

Andrea_Mocherman — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:58:00 GMT

Mobile app downloads continue to grow from strength to strength, breaking records and exceeding analyst expectations. However, a raft of reports — including a recent survey by Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project — suggest the appeal of instantly downloading the latest apps is losing its luster. Specifically, the Pew report found the vast majority (68 percent) of smartphone users open only five or fewer apps at least once a week. This could spell trouble for...(read more)

Super Charging Contact Centers with the Cloud

Andrea_Mocherman — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 19:51:00 GMT

The Cloud is the one to watch, with surveys and reports ranking it high in the list of 2012 mega-trends. But the real story isn't about the unlimited storage the Cloud offers companies and consumers to stockpile their digital stuff. The Cloud is moving up the business agenda because it facilitates the easy deployment of advanced services and software. At one level, organizations are guaranteed access to the capabilities they need to function and thrive. More importantly, cloud-based services...(read more)

Mobile Customer Service Apps: How to Keep 'Em Coming Back

Andrea_Mocherman — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:30:00 GMT

If you're a consumer-facing organization hoping to use mobile to build a strong, long-lasting relationship with your customers, there’s some good news! A new survey shows that smartphone owners are increasingly downloading not just games but customer service apps - especially from their mobile carrier, bank and favorite retailers. In fact, 84% of consumers surveyed generally prefer to use a company’s mobile app for routine inquiries (checking balance, check flight status, etc.) rather...(read more)

For Turkcell, Voice Biometrics Makes Customer Service a Market Differentiator

Andrea_Mocherman — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:34:00 GMT

It’s rare for a telecom company to play up great customer service as a major market differentiator, but that’s exactly what Turkey’s largest mobile operator did — and with results impressive enough to make its competitors and peers sit up and pay attention. Turkcell created a TV commercial to show off “Voice Signature,” a cutting-edge service that uses a customer’s voice to verify her identity in just 5 seconds, eliminating the Q&A interrogation that’s...(read more)

Voice Recognition Apps Giving More of What you Need

Andrea_Mocherman — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:58:00 GMT

You’ve been talking to your cell phone for years, but it’s always been to the person on the other end. Thanks to a new breed of smartphone applications – or “apps” – there’s a good chance that some of your future conversations will be with the phone itself. You’re probably familiar with smartphone navigation apps, where you simply speak an address or business name instead of typing it in. Or maybe you’ve used an app that lets you compose and send...(read more)

Why are Companies Firing their Hosted IVR Provider?

Andrea_Mocherman — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:34:00 GMT

Hosted IVR is finally gaining momentum. Upwards of 50% of new IVR implementations this year will be hosted. Even though it’s new to many, a large number of leading enterprises actually adopted hosted IVR several years back. The attraction at that time was operational savings, OpEx pricing model, business agility, and scalability. Those are important hosting values that hold true today. But, the early adopters are just now beginning to truly understand the power of hosting. As they do, they...(read more)

The Holy Grail of getting the right answer, right away

Andrea_Mocherman — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:53:00 GMT

Smartphones are now the majority of mobile phones in countries such as the United States, and at the end of 2011, nearly 15% of U.S. consumers went online using a tablet, according to eMarketer . By 2014, more than one in three online consumers will use a tablet, the research company predicts. Those statistics increase the proportion of inbound sales and customer support queries coming from mobile devices. In the past, the majority of those mobile-originated queries were in the form of calls, but...(read more)

How Hosted IVR can Drive Performance Improvements of 20%-30%

Andrea_Mocherman — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:52:00 GMT

Hosted IVR is generating a ton of buzz these days because it's one of the fastest growing segments of the contact center hosting market. In North America alone, enterprises spent $606 million on hosted IVR in 2010, according to Frost & Sullivan. Come 2017, they'll spend $1.08 billion. But what really matters is what's behind those growth numbers - why is this area so hot and why enterprises are making the move to hosting. Not surprisingly, it's all about driving improvements in...(read more)

Five Reasons Not to Migrate Customer Service to the Cloud

Andrea_Mocherman — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:38:00 GMT

Imagine it's the early 1970s and you're a regional bank manager responsible for hundreds of branches and thousands of employees. Your boss asks that you consider installing brand-new automated teller machines (ATMs) so customers don't actually have to come into your branches for simple transactions. He explains that this new technology will provide customer convenience and that in the future, ATMs will be critical in evolving the way that banks interact with customers. You initially reject...(read more)

Enterprises: What's Your Mobile Strategy?

Andrea_Mocherman — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:37:00 GMT

Fifteen years ago, analysts and investors frequently asked enterprises, “What’s your Internet strategy?” The unspoken corollary was, “If you don’t have one, you’d better get one fast, or you’re toast.” Today the question is, “What’s your mobile strategy?” While 89% of business leaders say they have a mobile strategy in place according to Forrester Research, they are still in the early stages of development, and many lack the expertise...(read more)

Have you Heard from Your Utility Lately?

Andrea_Mocherman — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Smart Grid is causing a revolution in the way energy utilities provide service. With the rollout of Smart Grids picking up pace over the next few years, there will be more consumers needing more information which almost always equates to more budget needed for customer care. While data management costs will increase, there is an innovative technology available to energy utility companies to proactively cut costs for customer care over the course of Smart Grid rollouts: outbound Interactive Voice...(read more)

Voice Biometrics Goes Mainstream – and Mobile

Andrea_Mocherman — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:35:00 GMT

Banks, telcos and government agencies are just three examples of the organizations that are leveraging voice to streamline and enhance authentication, including on mobile devices A person's voice is one of a human being's most unique attributes, as individual as fingerprints and retinas. That distinctiveness makes voiceprints a powerful yet convenient way for enterprises and other organizations to authenticate employees and customers who want to access information or services remotely, while...(read more)

Voice Biometrics Nears its Tipping Point

Andrea_Mocherman — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:31:00 GMT

There are new reports about security breaches related to passwords on a weekly basis, making authentication processes more important than ever. People should be very concerned about using the same password for multiple accounts, because if just one of their accounts is breached, then it's highly likely that all of their accounts will be compromised. Nuance Communications recently conducted a Twitter survey focused on consumer perceptions of voice biometrics. The results of the survey found that...(read more)

Customer Service in the Cloud Takes Flight - Will you be in First Class or Coach?

Andrea_Mocherman — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:46:00 GMT

Dena Skrbina - Sr. Director, Solutions Marketing, Nuance Communications (Twitter - @dskrbina) If you have a contact center, small or large, chances are that you've already moved some of your customer care infrastructure to the cloud. It's no longer a new trend; it's an organizational standard. Frost & Sullivan forecasts hosted contact center revenues to grow at 34.1% annually from 2009 through 2013. Why are companies moving customer care to the cloud? In addition to the productivity...(read more)

Consumers Willingly use Multiple Channels to Interact with a Company - Does your Cross Channel Experience Stack Up?

Andrea_Mocherman — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:27:00 GMT

Since the emergence of multi-channel self-service, there is a growing disconnect between the typical strategy employed in telephone self-service design and what many customers actually need. This blog details the results of a survey that Nuance commissioned to uncover customer channel preferences for an array of banking tasks, including recommendations for optimizing the IVR to both accommodate those preferences and minimize the frustrations associated with today's multi-channel servicing climate...(read more)

Why 95% of Apps are Quickly Abandoned – and How to Avoid Becoming a Statistic

Andrea_Mocherman — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:01:00 GMT

First, the good news: Android and iOS users download an average of 10 apps per month. Add in Nielsen's prediction that in some markets - such as the United States - the installed base of smartphones will outnumber feature phones by the end of this year, and it's clear that the mobile channel has become one of the most powerful ways for companies to interact with consumers. Now for the bad news: Many apps are quickly abandoned, especially free ones. For example, less than five percent of Smartphone...(read more)

Bring on the Apple iPhone 4S

Christy Murfitt — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:00:00 GMT

Have you seen one yet? The new iPhone 4S ? If you aren’t one of the lucky few who got theirs today, then just wait. You are in for a treat. Today marks a milestone for natural, conversational interaction between consumers and their mobile devices. Apple’s Personal Assistant Siri marks a sea change in how consumers leverage voice technology. If you used the original Siri App or Nuance’s Dragon Go! You know that there are a few key ingredients to the interaction that can feel almost...(read more)