The Hindu Business Line : C. Mohan Ram, Managing Director, Lattice Bridge Infotech; Madha Engineering College, Kundrathur

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C. Mohan Ram, Managing Director, Lattice Bridge Infotech; Madha Engineering College, Kundrathur

Mr C. Mohan Ram (left), Managing Director, Lattice Bridge Infotech, with Dr S. Peter, Chairman, Madha Engineering College.

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Chennai, Dec. 30 Automated speech recognition (ASR) and speech biometrics can bring efficiency, transparency and process improvements to customer interactions (internal and external) which is the need of the hour, said Mr C. Mohan Ram, Managing Director, Lattice Bridge Infotech, pioneers in voice technology.

He was speaking to students of the Madha Engineering College at Kundrathur near here on trends in customer interactions management and the realities of the world of customer care. The lecture was organised as part of the BL Club lecture series presented by Indian Overseas Bank.

Empowering common man

According to him, the endgame for any company as a technologist was to be a partner in the business not simply an order-taker. True collaboration between business and IT could lower operating costs, increase capability, create a best-in-class talent base and spur innovation — sustainable business advantage.

In India, only 33 per cent of people can read and write, about 56 per cent can only read, while close to 100 per cent of people can speak. ASR is the most appropriate technology that provides information access anywhere, anytime and using any phone (any language is a possibility!), he said.

Speech enables the natural process of convergence among various technology options (GSM, WLL), thus empowering the common man through simplified technology!

According to Mr Ram, “anytime our customers see us doing something better, we win.” The message is that we should identify those parts of the processes that are visible to our customers and consider re-engineering them first, he said.

Customer experience

Quoting a survey, he said 71 per cent of senior business leaders see ‘customer experience’ as the next battleground which could lead to customer stickiness in today’s competitive world. Consumers want confirmation and resolution of issues and expect better customer service. Automation was a part of everyday life and consumers would use automated systems if convenient, fast and easy-to-use, he said.

Further, the survey revealed that 81 per cent of consumers sought confirmation that their issues were being resolved. “Remember overall satisfaction with resolution rates is low, so it is important to be ready to handle just about anything a customer may ask for,” he said.

A poll conducted during the study found that 43 per cent of consumers sought automation to avoid staying on hold for too long (an overall issue with customer service) and one-third found it a faster option for resolving issues.

He said, “When building any automated system, provide easy-to-follow options that guide your customers to the solution they need — do not lock them in the system. And that’s my takeaway here: Use automation as a guide, not a gatekeeper. Many companies are already doing this today and achieving improved levels of customer satisfaction.”

The takeaway here is that “speech technology is one of the tools we use to revamp how we care for customers. Get visibility into your customer’s service experience. Make every service improvement count,” he said.

Service strategy

Now, communication among consumers has reached an all-time high. The proliferation of social software — peer networks, blogs, online chats, public rating systems and more — combined with growing media interest in consumer issues has made it easier than ever before for consumers to share their experiences with a large audience and, as a result, consumers now have great influence over public opinion.

“Mobility is a growing trend, so keep it in mind as you grow and enhance customer service strategy,” he said.

Also present at the event were Dr S. Peter, Chairman, Madha Engineering College, Dr Kathir Viswalingam, Prinicipal, and Mr T.R. Joseph Callistus, Head of the MCA Department.

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