Telecom is Dialing in Voice Assistants for Superior Customer Service

Conversational AI is a natural interaction

Conversational voice AI can eliminate much of the frustration many people experience with legacy IVR systems by saving time and allowing callers to speak just as they would to another human. In some cases, speaking to a voice assistant may be more desirable as the experience could help eliminate embarrassment for callers. In fact, a report by Capgemini discovered that 42% of customers said they are more comfortable discussing personal details and issues with a voice assistant than with another person or friend. 

Let’s compare the same question poised to an IVR system and a conversational voice assistant. An IVR system interaction may look like this:

“Press 1 for billing

Press 2 for plan details

Press 3 to find a location”

Customer: Presses 1

“Please enter your account number followed by the pound sign.”

Customer: Enters account number.

“Thank you.

Press 1 for your latest statement

Press 2 to pay a bill”

Customer: Presses 2

“Your latest bill is $75.65. Please enter your credit card number.”

Here’s the same interaction with a conversational voice AI:

Voice AI: “How can I help you today, Sara?”

Customer: “I would like to pay my bill.”

Voice AI: “Sure! Your latest bill is $75.65. Would you like to pay with the card ending in 7650?”

Customer: “Yes please.”

The conversational voice AI is faster, more convenient, interactive, and gives the customer a better experience. What takes six steps in the IVR system, takes only two for the conversational voice AI. Through advancements in speech technology, such as Natural Language Understanding (NLU) and Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), voice AI is also able to understand complex queries and compound questions, providing a superior customer experience.

Houndify Telecom Infographic

Voice AI reduces telecom operational costs

Over 60% of multi-channel conversations between brands and their customers eventually involve telephones, according to Opus Research. While contact centers normally operate at a fairly high volume, The Los Angeles Times reported that during the pandemic, there was a significant increase in wait time due to approximately 25% fewer call center agents answering the phone, even though call volume remained steady. The negative impact of increased wait times can have lasting effects on customer satisfaction with a brand.

Conversational voice AI can decrease wait times and increase resolution rates by handling queries that don’t require a human operator, allowing contact center employees to spend their time on more valuable tasks. A report from Capgemini stated that 66% of businesses reported a greater than 20% reduction in the number of calls to customer service due to the implementation of voice assistants, proving that voice assistants can reduce operational costs and increase customer satisfaction.

Voice assistants enhance telecom security

Enhancing security measures through voice AI has become an imperative for brands, according to a Capgemini report, which lists telecom as among the most susceptible industries to cyber fraud. In fact, a Cyber-Telecom Crime Report 2019 reported that $32.7 billion is lost in telecom fraud annually. Conversational voice AI can help by monitoring and detecting irregular patterns in behavior and flagging alerts upon detection of such activity. 

Dan Miller, Lead Analyst & Founder of Opus Research, and Matt Smallman, Director of SymNex Consulting talked about the necessity of intelligent authentication for contact centers in the webinar “Getting Contact Center Authentication Right in 2021”. During the webinar, they discussed how voice assistants can help save time and decrease frustration by simply matching the phone number with the customer’s profile without the need for the customer to re-authenticate once they’ve logged in to a website or mobile app.

Recent advancements have made it possible for a customer’s voice to be used as a multifactor authentication method, avoiding knowledge-based authentication, which is more susceptible to fraud. The implementation of conversational voice assistants in the contact center is one way technology can make the telecom industry more secure and reduce the likelihood of fraud and security breaches—thereby increasing customer loyalty and revenue.

Telecom is poised for omnichannel experiences

With 96% of telecom leaders stating that customer service is the main business function of voice assistants, according to the Opus Research Study, the telecom industry should capitalize on as many channels as possible to serve their customers. In addition to contact centers, voice assistants can also be on smart speakers, mobile apps, and websites, meeting the customers where they are when they need it.