Voice User Interface Design VUI

I recently read the story about how Netflix is using its call center agents as a strategic weapon and differentiator against their competition - particularly Blockbuster.

Could this finally indicate a tipping point in the way corporations view their “Cost Centers” “Call Center”? Not only are they eliminating the use of email to manage customer service inquiries but they are also implementing things no one would even consider in a customer service environment - live 24 hour service, prominently displaying their toll-free number on their Web site, removing requirements on call durations and empowering agent to make decisions that could make customers happy.

In my opinion, the next move in their strategy should be the use of automation but not as a replacement of that live interaction (which is what the email strategy was all about) but rather as a filter to handle the simple calls they seem to receive (for example, rearranging titles in the queue) so that more complicated and valuable calls (such as those dealing with possible cancellations) can be handled personally by agents.

Furthermore, their decision to set up the call center in the United States instead of outsourcing it to other countries seems to follow a recent trend in which callers are so disappointed by the service provided by non-native English speakers, that they’ve reported they would prefer automation than outsourced live agents.

Finally, one more interesting point in the article is how they decided to set up the call center in Portland instead of other cities where the costs would’ve been lower… simply because of the standard “politeness and empathy” that Oregonians show on their daily interaction with each other. Anyone know about any commercial “personas” from that area?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007 at 11:43 am and is filed under Speech Industry, Customer Experience. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.