Speech Technology has generated a significant amount of buzz among the telecommunications industry as self-service has increased in demand as consumers continue to want real-time information and solutions from the companies with which they do business.

Ifbyphone (News - Alert) recently highlighted a letter from the editor of Speech Technology Magazine that was featured on their website. Without getting into too much detail, the letter addressed the horrible IVR system that the magazine was using. In fact, the letter even invited suggestions on how to improve the system to make it better.

As Ifbyphone stated, you would think that the one company who could get their IVR completely right and sounding wonderful would be such a magazine. The opposite proved to be true – even as far as to fail to provide speech recognition.  

It was quickly acknowledged that the problem has since been fixed, and now the magazine actually practices what it preaches. Therein lays the crux of the story. It is not enough to merely think for your customers, you must be able to think like your customers for yourself.

If I were to make a purchase for a major corporation that included their telephony solution, one of the first things I would do during the investigation stage would be to call the vendors that I would be considering.

My experience with their speech technology, calling trees and customer service professionals should tell me a lot about whether or not I should schedule a conversation with the company.

One of the first things that raises a red flag is the announcement that the caller should “listen carefully as the menu options have changed.” Has it never occurred to anyone that if the caller was going to use an older extension, they would have already tried it and would not have waited to hear such a message?

If I am calling your business and I don’t know my extension, I will be listening until I get the information I need. It is not necessary to notify me when menu options have changed – in fact, this message is never necessary.

Think also about the other messages that you are communicating to your customers with your phone system. Is it valuable to tell your caller that the call is important? Does this message really hold any value when every company has the same message?

Think instead about what your system should provide to your customers to ensure that their experience really is satisfying and they really feel valued. If you can’t think like one of your customers to determine the best process to follow, ask someone who can.

Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMC (News - Alert) and has also written for eastbiz.com. To see more of her articles, please visit Susan J. Campbell’s columnist page.