From Nuance

Leading Organizations Tout Virtues of Voice Biometrics at VBC San Francisco

BBeranek — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:50:00 GMT

If I had to choose a single message that reverberated loud and clear at the Voice Biometrics Conference in San Francisco, it would be that financial institutions have derived significant and tangible benefits from the use of voice biometrics. This message was keenly delivered by Matt Smallman from Barclays Wealth. In his keynote presentation, Matt revealed that a voice biometrics solution sourced from Nuance enabled the British financial institution to significantly impact customer sat scores within...(read more)

Nina Web: the Next Generation of Customer Service – A Smarter Multi-Channel Nina That Speaks Your Language

BBeranek — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 03:20:00 GMT

We're excited to announce that Nina, the virtual assistant for customer service, has been expanded to the web, now adding text-based virtual assistant capabilities to enterprise web marketing, ecommerce and support applications. Nina has become smarter, with the ability to engage in customer service conversations and connect to existing enterprise back-office applications. And, Nuance has made Nina multi-lingual, with the ability to recognize and speak 38 languages. With these expanded capabilities...(read more)

Nuance Selected as Finalist in 2013 Stevie® Awards for Nina Mobile

BBeranek — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:27:00 GMT

Nuance has just been named a finalist in the seventh annual Stevie® Awards for Sales and Customer Service Technology Partner of the Year. Nina Mobile, the intelligent virtual assistant that is transforming the way enterprises can deliver mobile customer service, stole the spotlight as one of only a handful of finalists from more than 1100 companies nominated.

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Nuance Nina Goes International! Now Speaks and Understands 38 Languages

BBeranek — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:09:00 GMT

This morning, we shared some exciting news - Nina is going international! Nina Mobile, Nuance's virtual assistant for mobile customer service, now speaks and understands 38 languages, making it the first such solution to support such a broad range of languages.

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Real World Voice Biometrics Scenarios: Mobile App Authentication

BBeranek — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 16:37:00 GMT

A few weeks ago, we shared a real world scenario of how Voice Biometrics is being used in the contact center to lower costs, reduce fraud and deliver a great customer experience. Now let's take a look at how Nuance's Voice Biometric solution enables secure, yet convenient, authentication by users of a telecom provider's mobile customer care app. A telecom provider delivers wireline, wireless, high-speed Internet, digital TV, and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to consumers...(read more)

Four Best Practices for Ensuring a Successful Voice Biometrics Rollout

BBeranek — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:53:00 GMT

Voice biometrics is a fast, convenient and highly accurate way to authenticate customers. Those benefits are why banks, telcos and other organizations are enrolling voiceprints at an average rate of more than 1.2 million per month, Opus Research estimates. But voice biometrics isn't something that an organization can simply implement and assume success. Instead, four best practices are key for maximizing ROI and the customer experience: 1. Explain the technology and user benefits in easy-to-understand...(read more)

Why The Future of IVRs is Hosted

Dena Skrbina — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:50:00 GMT

If there's one undeniable trend in IVR, it's that enterprises, government agencies and other organizations are migrating to hosted solutions. In 2012, Ovum estimates that hosted and managed speech services will account for 60 percent of the total spending on IVR speech solutions in North America. This percentage is expected to grow through 2016 as more enterprises choose cloud and hybrid-cloud deployment models for voice self-service over that of premises-based solutions, Ovum says. Significant...(read more)

Voice Biometrics in Customer Care: Real World Scenarios

BBeranek — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 14:52:00 GMT

The need for secure interactions via an authentication process has often led to complex alphanumeric passwords that are challenging to remember and enter. Within the IVR, personal identification numbers (PINs) pose users with a similar challenge. For example, callers to a contact center are often subjected to an interrogation process by agents to verify the callers are who they say they are. Beyond an inconsistent and unpleasant experience for the customer, these authentication methods directly impact...(read more)

Hosted IVR Provides a Port in Any Storm

Dena Skrbina — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 20:59:00 GMT

Could your premises-based IVR handle a sudden, eightfold increase in daily call volumes? It's not a farfetched scenario. On the Sunday before Hurricane Sandy, one major U.S. airline fielded 400,000 calls, up from 50,000 on a typical Sunday. That kind of sharp increase isn't limited to storms, earthquakes and other natural disasters. It also occurs when, for example, a backhoe slices the fiber optic cable that's an ISP's backbone for several markets, or when a bad software update crashes...(read more)

Cloud-Based IVR Systems are a Win-Win for Customers and Organizations

Andrea_Mocherman — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 19:38:00 GMT

Some airlines are replacing their onboard entertainment systems with iPads to shave their planes' weight by a mere 7 percent , yet enough to save tens of millions of dollars annually as fuel costs soar. That's just one example of how companies are seeking every opportunity to protect their bottom line without surrendering any form of customer convenience. At US Airways , one found opportunity is centered on their customer care. The airline went through several mergers and acquisitions over...(read more)

With Cloud-Based Contact Centers, the Numbers Add Up

Andrea_Mocherman — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 22:00:00 GMT

When people call customer care, they typically hit zero because they want to talk to a human instead of serving themselves, right? Wrong. Recent surveys show that up to 76 percent of consumers believe that self-service is more convenient than other options. That preference is even higher among Gen Y consumers, at 82 percent. To accommodate that preference, enterprises, government agencies, contact centers and other organizations are increasing their Interactive Voice Response (IVR) investments. Many...(read more)

Why Speech is Key for a Great Mobile Customer Service Experience

Andrea_Mocherman — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:33:00 GMT

Fifteen years ago, analysts and investors routinely asked companies, “What’s your Internet strategy?” Today they ask, “What’s your mobile strategy?” The corollary to both questions was, “If you don’t have one, you’d better get one – fast.” Then and now, that advice is sound because it emphasizes the fact that consumers have new preferences for the way they interact with companies. Failure to accommodate those preferences often leads...(read more)

Cloud-Based IVR Gives Customers a Voice

Andrea_Mocherman — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:13:00 GMT

Ever press zero or say “operator” rather than enduring the maze of menu choices when calling your bank or airline? Every time a customer escapes an interactive voice response system, that organization’s bottom line takes a hit. At a mid-size bank, for example, even 1 percent of additional callers that bail out of IVR can raise customer care costs by $2-3 million. The good news is that IVR menu mazes are becoming a thing of the past. Companies are realizing that focusing on customer...(read more)

Five Keys to a Great Mobile Customer Service Experience

Andrea_Mocherman — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 19:24:00 GMT

Five Keys to a Great Mobile Customer Service Experience By Elizabeth Dykstra-Erickson M ore than 80 percent of today’s customer service calls originate from a mobile phone. Some Nuance customers say that more than half of their contact center interactions – voice and data – now involve a mobile device. Those trends are two reasons why so many organizations have made mobile customer service a priority this year. Meanwhile, consumers increasingly say they prefer self-service options...(read more)

All-Natural Customer Service is Key to a Healthy Business

Andrea_Mocherman — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 20:16:00 GMT

Your age says a lot about you, including how you interact with businesses. If you're in your 60s, you likely call customer service when you have a question. If you're thirty-something, you probably try a company's website first and then call if you can't find what you need online. If you're a teenager or twenty-something, calling a company may not occur to you at all. You are more likely to start with their website, download their mobile app or even use social networking to get...(read more)

Customer Service To-Go: The Rise of Voice-Enabled Mobile Assistants

Andrea_Mocherman — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:39:00 GMT

Smartphone adoption continues to skyrocket, with 78 percent of the U.S. adult population owning a smartphone according to the latest Flurry report . Meanwhile, consumers increasingly say that they prefer self-service options when interacting with a company. Put those two trends together, and they highlight the value of voice-powered customer service apps. Today, with nearly 80 percent of customer service calls originate from a mobile phone. But even when a smartphone has a big screen, a physical...(read more)

Meet Nina - A Q&A with Nuance's Robert Gary

Andrea_Mocherman — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 21:12:00 GMT

Mobile empowers us to manage our lives and get advice and information when we need it most. But it's voice that removes all the obstacles, allowing us to get more done, faster. Rather than scroll, click and use traditional search, people can ask their mobile virtual assistants to lend a helping hand. Clearly, the advent of personal assistants, like Dragon Go! has created a customer expectation for increased convenience. It turns up the pressure on all companies everywhere to follow suit. To help...(read more)

Removing Authentication Hurdles with Voice Biometrics

Andrea_Mocherman — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 18:25:00 GMT

When it comes to customer service, consumers are taking charge. When they pickup the phone they want to get answers - fast. But are consumers really getting the results they want the way they want them? A recent consumer survey of attitudes around present-day caller authentication systems shows this stage of the customer journey is neither quick nor convenient. To the contrary, the majority of respondents are frustrated with today's automated authentication approaches. But it's not all a...(read more)

Don't Overlook the Power of IVRs for Branding

Andrea_Mocherman — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 18:23:00 GMT

When merchants and other organizations strategize a brand makeover, their interactive voice response (IVR) system is often left out of the mix. With the IVR serving as the front door to the contact center and making an impression on millions of customers every year, that's a mistake. Evidence shows that the IVR can play a powerful role in defining an organization's brand. Just ask US Airways . The airline went through several mergers and acquisitions over the years, and one byproduct was...(read more)

The Art of Frictionless Customer Service

Andrea_Mocherman — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:25:00 GMT

If you haven't heard the term "frictionless" yet, it's time to add it to your customer service lexicon. The skyrocketing amount of inbound calls from mobile phones is a major reason. Some Nuance customers say that more half of their contact center interactions now involve a mobile device. That's why so many organizations have made mobile customer service a priority this year. In a frictionless environment, customer service channels are freed from their traditional silos and...(read more)

The Three C's that are Key for a Great Cross-Channel Customer Experience

Andrea_Mocherman — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 17:08:00 GMT

Imagine a person who signs up for cable TV and chooses autopay. A couple of weeks later, she calls to add HBO. The IVR greets her with a reminder that her next payment is due August 1. "Does that mean they'll automatically debit my account August 1?" she wonders. "Or did my autopay registration not go through?" What was supposed to be a positive customer service experience for her - signing up for HBO - and a lucrative experience for her cable company - a customer upgrading...(read more)

Going beyond Natural Language – Three Keys to Wowing Your Customers with Natural Experiences

Nuance Expert TIPS — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 23:04:00 GMT

This post was written by Eduardo Olivera -- Senior Principal UI Designer at Nuance The problem with buzzwords is that they lull people and organizations into assuming that they're a magical cure-all. Case in point: natural language . Sure, it's a proven way to accommodate customers' self-service preferences across multiple channels while reducing support costs. But its effectiveness - in terms of both the customer experience and the bottom line - varies dramatically based on how it's...(read more)

Five Common Misconceptions About Voice Biometrics

Andrea_Mocherman — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:59:00 GMT

In early 2011, Nuance predicted that within three years, our voice biometrics customers would have more than 20 million registered voiceprints. Turns out that we underestimated demand by a wide margin: One year later, our customers have already passed the 20 million mark. Voice biometrics wouldn't be that popular with Nuance customers and their customers if it didn't work - and work well. Yet skepticism abounds, so let's look at five common misconceptions about voice biometrics' effectiveness...(read more)

Five Questions That Every IVR RFP Should Have – But Typically Don’t

Andrea_Mocherman — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 19:35:00 GMT

Enterprises, government agencies and other organizations understand how hosted IVR systems automate calls to reduce support costs. They also understand the importance of inquiring about capacity, uptime and technical features when composing an RFP for a hosted IVR solution. But even the savviest of organizations overlook critical questions that can ensure they select the hosted IVR vendor that will help them stay current into the future, that truly differentiates them from their competition, and...(read more)

Another day, Another Voice Biometrics Deployment - this time in Hungary with Magyar Telekom

Andrea_Mocherman — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 21:37:00 GMT

The increased acceptance and adoption of the voice has led to another voice biometrics deployment by Magyar Telekom Plc., the leading telecommunication company in Hungary. With its recently announced deployment of Nuance's VocalPassword, Magyar Telekom is able to automatically authenticate customers calling into the customer service center with inquiries or transactions. The solution uses Nuance's industry-leading voice-biometrics technology to authenticate customers through the sound of...(read more)