voice activation technologies for customer … 0910webinar.pdftelecom innovators web seminar series...

TelecomInnovators�

Web SeminarSeries

Voice Activation Technologies for Customer

Contact Centers

Steve ParsonsSr. Product ManagerNMS Communications Corp.

Kevin StoneCo-founder, Sr. Director, ProductsBeVocal, Inc.

www.nmscommunications.com


Web SeminarSeriesAgenda

! IP in the enterprise ! VoiceXML and e-commerce ! Speech recognition-enabled IVR vs. touchtone ! Natural language understanding! BeVocal overview ! Benefits of speech! Case study: water utility



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NMS at a Glance

! Founded in 1983, publicly traded since l994! $100M in 2002! 400+ employees

" 220+ in product development" 120+ in field, support

! Products deployed in 90 countries

Product Development

Sales & SE support

Channel Partners� Headquarters



Web SeminarSeriesNMS Communications Today

! Supplier of systems, system building blocks and services for next-generation communications solutions

! Partnering to create value for communications solution innovators � equipment suppliers, application developers, and service providers �based on" NMS-built technologies and services" Strategic relationships with technology partners" Industry-leading supply chain and integration

partnerships



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IP in the Enterprise � Before Convergence

! Two networks � phone and data" Separate and different wiring" Separate administration � people and equipment" Separate applications

! Datacom infrastructure in routers/switches! Telecom infrastructure is the PBX! Datacom applications

" E-mail; server-based" Internet access via WAN router

! Telecom applications" Auto attendant; IVR" Voice mail; contact centers



Web SeminarSeriesThe �All IP� Enterprise

! Phones and fax machines are replaced with IP phones and IP fax machines

! One network, not two! All PBX, CT and datacom applications are

software-based! Packet telephony gateway provides connection

to legacy phone networks (PBX and PSTN)



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Large Enterprise LAN Telephony Model

Voice GradeIP Network

H.323Terminal IP Phone

LegacyPBX

Gateway

ApplicationsServer

ApplicationsServer

ApplicationsServer

CallManager(Gatekeeper)WAN

Connection

PSTNConnection

Gateway



Web SeminarSeriesSIP � An IP Telephony Enabler

! Principal protocols include SIP, H.323, MGCP! SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)

" Governs the exchange of control information (e.g., to establish and terminate the call)

" Perfectly compatible with the Internet design" Being used to control two-party Internet telephone calls" Gaining widespread support

! From carriers, ASPs, ISPs, application developers" Potential for standardization in the IETF



Web SeminarSeriesAdvantages of an IP Enterprise

! Lower equipment costs" Low cost IP phones and fax machines are coming" PC can also be a phone

! Single wiring system � standard Ethernet! Distributed architecture

" No �fork-lift� upgrades" Easy to scale

! Single administration on same system! Phones and fax can be portable! Lower telephone bill-IP telephony



Web SeminarSeriesWhy VoiceXML?

! Exploits the web to simplify voice service creation and hosting

! Benefits:" Reuse existing web infrastructure" Domain-specific language simplifies programming" 3rd party programmability" Separate service logic from user interaction" Fits seamlessly into the IP network



Web SeminarSeriesVoiceXML

! Voice eXtensible Markup Language! High-level programming language

" Supports simple or complex speech dialogs" Control speech and telephony resources in uniform

manner! High level abstraction of platform capabilities

" Shield application programmers from platform details! No need to know ASR, TTS, telephony APIs

! Presently in the candidate recommendation phase (version 2.0) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)



Web SeminarSeriesScope

! Human-machine interaction" Audio output

! TYS! Prompts

" Audio input! Speech recording! Audio recording

" Character input! Touch tone

! Basic connection control" Disconnect" Transfer



Web SeminarSeriesDialog Features

! Menus, Forms, Sub-Dialogs" <menu>, <form>, <subdialog>

! Inputs" Speech Recognition <grammar>" Recording <record>" Keypad <dtmf>

! Outputs" Audio files <audio>" Text-to-Speech

! Events <nomatch>, <noinput>, <help>, <catch>, <throw>! Variables, Scripting <var>, <script>! Transition, Submission <goto>, <submit>



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ISP/

ASP

Ser

vice

s

Ente

rpris

eVoiceXML Platform

Wire

line

Cal

l Cen

ter

Wire

less

Aut

omot

ive

Oth

ers

VoiceXML for Multiple Verticals



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Driving Forces for Business Adoption of Speech Technology

! New, improved services increase:" Business efficiencies" Network efficiencies" Customer acquisition and retention (CRM)

! The evolution of speech technology" Improvement/ refinement of base recognition

algorithms" Increase in computer power " Becoming more cost-effective



Web SeminarSeriesNMS Speech Roadmap

! Media Resource Control Protocol (MRCP)! Tested audio provider from major speech

vendors ! Ongoing development and enhancement in full

duplex and echo cancellation and barge-in capability

! Enhanced support with on-board voice activity detection

! Continuing investigation and adoption of emerging standards



Web SeminarSeriesData Integration

! Applications can integrate to a variety of different non-voice technologies in order to provide multi modal capabilities for the end user" Can be used alone to provide such services as

! Notification and Alerts! Web Browsing

" Can be used in an integrated approach to provide such services as! Voice driven information access! Voice prompted text messaging creation



Web SeminarSeriesConclusion

! Full telephony and IP network integration provides a whole host of benefits to the enterprise

! Technology and standards adoption are primary drivers for the creation of next class applications



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Voice-Activated Solutions for Enterprises

Kevin StoneSr. Director of Products

BeVocal, Inc.



Web SeminarSeries

! Founded in March 1999! Based in Mountain View, CA! Products & Services

" BeVocal Café (cafe.bevocal.com) � voice application developer�s environment & tools

" BeVocal VoiceXML Hosting � outsourced infrastructure for 3rd

parties to run VoiceXML applications" VoComm� � enhanced voice application solutions for carriers" VoCare� � voice application solutions for customer care

! Over 25 enterprise and service provider customers! More than 40 successful commercial voice application

deployments! 26 patents pending in speech application and platform

technology

Upside Magazine Hot 100, Internet

Software

CT Labs#1 VoiceXMLDevelopment Environment

Wireless Review Best Wireless Voice

Vendor

Communications Outsourcing

Service of the YearVoice Dialer

Frost & Sullivan Product of the Year Foundation

Platform

Frost & SullivanStrategic Alliance

innovation

Upside Magazine Hot 100, Internet

Software

CT Labs#1 VoiceXMLDevelopment Environment

Wireless Review Best Wireless Voice

Vendor

Communications Outsourcing

Service of the YearVoice Dialer

Frost & Sullivan Product of the Year Foundation

Platform

Frost & SullivanStrategic Alliance

innovation

BeVocal Overview



Web SeminarSeries

CRMBeVocal Developers

Enterprises

Web-based VoiceXMLDevelopment Environment

VoComm

VoCare

WirelessCarriers

WirelineCarriers

Cable &Satellite

CatalogRetail

VAD, Entertainment, Content

Customer Care

Outsourced Application Solutions



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CRM3rd Party Developers

Enterprises


Human Resources

Entertainment (*MTV)

511 Traffic Information

Credit Card Activation

VoiceXML Hosting for Third-Party Applications

DelawareInternal Revenue Service



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CRMDevelopers

Enterprises


! No capital investment! Be deployed rapidly (new service <45 days, changes

complete in days)! Higher ROI due to low start-up costs and speed to market ! No maintenance costs and service headaches! Cost-effective peak volume management (7/24 service and

dynamic peak port allocation)! Architecture enables companies to retain control of their

business logic and ensure data security

Benefits of Outsourced Speech Solutions



Web SeminarSeries

Speech automation can increase customer satisfaction across the entire customer experienceSpeech automation can increase customer satisfaction across the entire customer experience

Speech Automation

High Availability & Low Queue

Time

Consistent Personality &

Natural Interface

Low Interaction

Time

connects� navigates�Customer calls�.

interacts� completes task

High Task Completion

Why Speech is Growing in Popularity



Web SeminarSeries

Revenue Generating� Voice-activated dialing� Voice-activated voicemail� Content (movies, weather,

stocks, etc.)� Email reader� Find-me follow-me service� Expert support� Ring-tone downloads

Cost Mitigating� Intelligent call routing / virtual

operator � Catalog/literature request� Account balance� Branch office locator� Feature instructor / FAQ� Name and change address� Order status� Outage reports & information� Appointment reminder

Revenue Impacting� Service activator� Order processing� Order refill� VoicePay� Late payment reminder� Price and availability check

Applications That Make Sense for Speech�



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Selected Customers Already Using Outsourced Speech Solutions



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Phase 1:Discovery & Definition

Phase 2:Design, Implementation & Testing

Phase 3:Deployment & Enhancement

! A rigorous process in delivering a high-quality speech solution that meets the customer�s business and technology requirements

Application Design Methodology



Web SeminarSeriesPhase 1:

Discovery & Definition





Discovery! Understand customer�s business processes! Seek out the best opportunities for speech-automation

(lowest human intervention required)

Definition! User requirements! Business logic! Integration points to back-end systems such as billing

databases, CRM and CTI systems




Web SeminarSeries


Design! Based on requirements, create dialog design specifications including

call flow design, prompt scripting

Implementation! VoiceXML coding! Grammar development! Casting/prompt recording, music/sound design! Backend integration � user provisioning and profile management, data

feeds, business logic integration

Testing! QA � functional and load testing performed against the user scenarios

and technical specifications! Initial tuning



Phase 2:Design,Implementation & Testing




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Principles of Intuitive Dialog Design! Focused and simple

" One idea in a sentence" Be specific & concrete" No fancy words

! Conversational" The way people talk and listen

! Directed vs. Natural" Directed for infrequent callers, wide open domains, required

high throughput" Natural for frequent callers, constrained domains, high

usability




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Deployment! Application is ready to be served to Hosting Network to

receive calls

Enhancement! Usability studies and analysis! Transcription and on-going recognition tuning! Applications� performance improvements! Ease of use / task completion improvements




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BeVocalVoice Platform

Local COCustomer

TelephonyNetwork

Water Utility Network

Notes(1) Customer dials toll-free number and is connected to automated customer care system at BeVocal.(2) VoiceXML application make SOAP/XML requests over HTTP to Enterprise�s IT systems for items like order status, returns info, account info, etc.(3) If needed, caller can be routed to an agent at the Enterprise�s call center.

(3)

(1)

Public Internetvia VPN or SSL

Water Utility Call Center

Water Utility IT Systems(2)

BeVocal Case Study: Water Utility Customer Care



Web SeminarSeriesConclusion

! VoiceXML-based speech applications are being deployed across all industries

! Leveraging VoiceXML technology enables robust speech applications to be developed faster, better, and cheaper than existing IVR solutions



Web SeminarSeries

Register nowwww.nmscommunications.com/nmsdevcon



Web SeminarSeries

Please take a moment now to complete our short survey,

while we start the Q & A



Web SeminarSeriesFor more information��

! Contact

" NMS � Steve Parsons+1 (508) 271-1475 [email protected]

" BeVocal, Inc. � Kevin Stone+1 (650) 641-1427 [email protected]

! October web seminar: �Next Generation Messaging �Part II: Video Messaging and Content Streaming�

" Register now at htttp://www.nmscommunications.com

voice activation technologies for customer … 0910webinar.pdftelecom innovators web seminar series...

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