To better support clients` call centre implementation needs, Unisys has created a Natural Language Understanding (NLU) services organisation that will focus specifically on consulting and application development for customer interaction.
"Customer care is quickly becoming the critical differentiator in the battle for securing profitable and meaningful relationships with customers," says Keith Bothma, programme sales manager at Unisys SA. "With more customers demanding service across a variety of channels, and expectations continuing to rise, companies face ever-increasing pressure to leverage customer contact technologies to handle the volume and complexity of calls.
"The service group will enable clients to successfully navigate the myriad of business and technical issues associated with applying natural language solutions across a range of customer contact channels, including telephone, e-mail and Web chat," he says.
Companies that use natural language applications allow their customers to interact with them in a natural, comfortable manner rather than through a predefined interactive voice response menu maze or a multi-layered Web site. Using natural language, customers receive automated responses to questions and information about products and services more quickly and efficiently.
Companies offering speech and natural language customer services solutions will benefit from efficiencies that can be realised through enhanced technology while maintaining a high level of personal service. In addition, with customers being able to access information more conveniently using natural language tools, fewer direct customer interactions will be required in the company`s call centre.
"This reduction in call volume results in more time for customer service representatives to deal effectively with more complex - and possibly more opportunistic - customer inquiries."
A key component of NLU Services is the Unisys Natural Language Speech Assistant (NLSA) software, a development toolkit that has eliminated much of the time, risk and expense once associated with deploying speech-based applications.
"The NLSA Toolkit enables developers to design and create speech applications, as well as manage the application development process, independent of the voice recognition, interactive voice recognition or natural language platform on which it will be deployed," Bothma concludes.
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