How well does Microsoft Tellme deliver?

White paper explains secret of success for IVR

First off, as a veteran journalist, I wince at use of the term “white paper” to describe a document created by a company to discuss the business it’s in. To me a white paper is historically defined as a report that is balanced and unbiased, but by its very nature, a “white paper” created by or on behalf of a particular vested interest is, ipso facto, neither.

Okay, I’ve made my case. Now about this white paper created for Microsoft’s Tellme business about how to gauge the effectiveness of interactive voice response (IVR) systems, which arrived in my inbox today.

IVR systems from Tellme and Nuance, among other providers, use the VoiceXML standard to develop voice-recognition applications that allow a user to interact with a computer using their voice. Although IVR technology has improved over the years, it’s not perfect and many of you can likely share maddening experiences trying to interact with an IVR system to check your bank balance, buy an airline ticket or obtain any other type of customer service. IVR systems can also be maddening for businesses trying to get them to work for their customers and their bottom line.

The Tellme white paper, “Measuring IVR Performance,” tries to get to the bottom of the subject, too, by arguing that the best way to determine if the IVR system is working is to determine the TCR, or “task completion rate.” What percentage of customers succeeded in learning their bank balance, buying that airline ticket or ordering that pizza?

TCR is “the one metric that matters,” reads the report, produced by the Technology Marketing Corp. “TCR allows businesses to monitor and measure the success of user interactions with IVR applications. It helps to highlight problem areas and opportunities for improvement, while also indicating alignment with business objectives.”

To be sure, the task completion rate for any particular system depends on the business. Using IVR to determine a checking account balance is a fairly straightforward task, but using IVR to schedule an airline flight can be infinitely more complicated given the variations in airlines, flight options, times and dates, the report states. Still, the report explains how the TCR can provide the analytics for a business to determine how well their IVR is working and whether it’s satisfying customers or infuriating them.

Tellme Networks was founded in 1999 in Mountain View, Calif., and acquired by Microsoft in 2007. Tellme systems power the voice recognition services of the travel Web site Orbitz, the financial trading firm E-Trade, the Spanish-language ordering service for Domino’s pizza and the Sync system in Fords.

Two other Silicon Valley IVR startups include BeVocal and Nuance; Nuance acquired BeVocal in 2007. But while Microsoft, with Tellme, is finding new markets for IVR and helping businesses meet the needs for improved customer service at lower costs, the technology still has its problems.

The Call Centre Management Association (a UK group given the spelling of “centre”) warns of “The Deadly Sins of IVR.” Among them; No option to speak to a live person; a bad hand-off to a live person where the customer has to repeat information: a poor menu prompt structure; accuracy of the voice recognition; and inadequate testing of an IVR application before it is deployed.

Yes, the search for relief from “voice tree hell” continues.

• Microsoft
• interactive voice response
• Nuance
• Tellme