2011_ContactBabel - Syntellect

SUITABILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF SELF-SERVICE
Self-evidently, many calls are not suitable for self-service, as they may require multiple requests within the same
call, be of a complex nature or be from a caller who feels that they need to speak with a human agent.
Additionally, some small businesses may have such a low volume of calls that it is not cost-effective to implement
self-service.
It’s no use trying to shift every customer service interaction onto IVR self-service, as if customers don’t want to use
IVR, they will “zero-out” (press 0 for a live agent) straightaway. And if you don’t offer a live agent option to an irate
and frustrated caller, you won’t need to worry about providing customer service to them in the future. It is worth
reiterating that if callers agree to try a company’s self-service system rather than insisting upon talking to an agent,
there is an implied understanding that if the self-service session is unsuitable, the caller should be allowed to speak
with an agent. Few things can frustrate callers more than being hectored into using an unhelpful and irrelevant
self-service system.
Overall, a mean average of 26% of calls that go into the self-service option are “zeroed-out”: instances where the
customer decides that they in fact wish to speak with an operator, which is a deterioration on recent years, and is
a sign that self-service applications need to be reconsidered from the point of view of the customer. This figure
would possibly become lower with the increasing use of speech recognition, which is usually quicker and more
powerful than touchtone IVR, as well as having experienced significant recent improvements in word recognition
and usability. (NB, 1 st quartile performance for 'zeroing-out' is 2%, the median is 11% and the 3 rd quartile is 45%,
which indicates that there are a substantial number of contact centers where self-service failure rates are very
high).
The tracking of this metric in future years will provide an insight into to uptake and effectiveness of speech
recognition functionality (and of course, customer acceptance, which is vital). ContactBabel expects speech
recognition to become a vital component in major contact centers’ plans in the medium-to-long term.
Cost differentials in self-service and live voice support
• The average cost of a live telephone call varies considerably, but has a mean average of $5.90.
• Respondents state that the average cost of a telephony self-service session is 98c.
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