Last but not least: Intelligent conversation
Yes, the machines are coming, and soon they will surpass humans in every field. Deep Fritz, the chess computer, has just defeated World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik 4-2. And now, according to a press release, voice-based computers are set to take over the field of telephone customer service.
Yes, the machines are coming and soon they will outdo humans in every field. Deep Fritz, the chess computer, has just beaten world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik 4:2. And now, according to a press release, voice computers are set to conquer the terrain of telephone customer service. Machines could soon play a more significant role in telemarketing in particular. At least if the various trend reporters have their way. Well, the problem with language programs is not new and still automatic translation programs do not really deliver useful results. We're talking about the written word here - but what about the spoken word?
The scenario from the sales brochure for call centers certainly sounds tempting: special software automatically converts telephone calls into text, filters out certain key words and also analyzes the caller's tone and voice pitch to determine the emotional state. The software is already in use, but the examples are still rather modest: The courier service FedEx, for example, filters all calls according to the word "Wow," because experience shows that customers are then either excited or annoyed. And the bank Sparda uses a voice computer in its customer service department that is supposed to be trained to recognize new business opportunities. When keywords such as "latest conditions" are mentioned, the system immediately puts the customer through to a human customer advisor.
According to experts, such "intelligent call guidance" should above all increase convenience and user-friendliness for callers. However, speech software does not yet work perfectly. With Dragon Naturally Speaking 9, for example, you have to read out a five-minute text so that the software gets used to your voice. But not all customers are ready for that yet. But anyone who has ever had close contact with the telephone customer service of Sunrise or Cablecom might still want such an innovation. And would perhaps be happy to read something to the software for five minutes. Afterwards, he can assume that the machine will respond to the keywords he utters.
The scenario from the sales brochure for call centers certainly sounds tempting: special software automatically converts telephone calls into text, filters out certain key words and also analyzes the caller's tone and voice pitch to determine the emotional state. The software is already in use, but the examples are still rather modest: The courier service FedEx, for example, filters all calls according to the word "Wow," because experience shows that customers are then either excited or annoyed. And the bank Sparda uses a voice computer in its customer service department that is supposed to be trained to recognize new business opportunities. When keywords such as "latest conditions" are mentioned, the system immediately puts the customer through to a human customer advisor.
According to experts, such "intelligent call guidance" should above all increase convenience and user-friendliness for callers. However, speech software does not yet work perfectly. With Dragon Naturally Speaking 9, for example, you have to read out a five-minute text so that the software gets used to your voice. But not all customers are ready for that yet. But anyone who has ever had close contact with the telephone customer service of Sunrise or Cablecom might still want such an innovation. And would perhaps be happy to read something to the software for five minutes. Afterwards, he can assume that the machine will respond to the keywords he utters.
