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Speech Applications in Contact Centers - TCO Analysis
Frost & Sullivan, Jan 2008, Pages: 21
Automated speech applications in customer service and support environments have a reputation for being expensive and difficult to implement. In this whitepaper, we will discuss why a straightforward total cost of ownership calculation would not be appropriate for this technology—and, in fact, why it is not even truly possible. Additionally, we will cover the various models for creating automated speech applications, as well as the various models for delivering and managing those applications.
This Frost & Sullivan research service titled Speech Applications in Contact Centers - TCO Analysis provides an analysis of several of the major factors that determine the pricing of speech automation applications, including delivery model and development model, as well as an analysis of why standard total cost of ownership calculations are inadequate for these applications. In this research, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine speech automation solutions, including packaged and custom developed applications and on-premise as well as hosted deployments.
Market Sectors
Expert Frost & Sullivan analysts thoroughly examine the following market sector in this research:
- Contact centers
Technologies
The following technologies are covered in this research:
- Interactive voice response
- Speech automation applications
Market Overview
Cost Factor Challenging the Use of Automated Speech Technologies in Customer Self-service Applications
Companies are beginning to rely heavily on customer self-service technologies as a method for reducing the expense of providing customer service. While speech applications, built atop speech recognition engines, have been one the most prominent of these customer self-service technologies, these applications are widely seen as extraordinarily expensive and extremely difficult to implement. Companies are finding it tremendously hard to understand and predict the costs that go into designing, deploying, and maintaining speech applications. However, with an explosion in options for both creating and delivering these applications, enterprises are now exploring options trying to discern the best method for comparing the costs of the various options.
With regard to the various development models, Frost & Sullivan’s broad primary research did discover an overall feeling that, while custom developed applications are widely viewed as extremely pricy, the standardization on VoiceXML (VXML) tools has brought costs down over the past 18 months. 'Systems integration houses with speech practices and speech-focused consultancies have been constructing their own speech tool sets, as well as extensive code libraries,' notes the analyst of this research service. 'These toolsets range from wholly proprietary requiring integration with the enterprise’s platform to open-standard tools that operate seamlessly on any VXML compliant platform.'
Hosted Delivery Gaining Prominence
As for the delivery models, Frost & Sullivan expects to see a large jump in the percentage of enterprises considering a hosted, managed implementation of their speech self-service applications. Technology providers and outsourcers have been providing a good deal of anecdotal evidence that this model is now being considered by even very large enterprises. Additionally, technology providers are working hard to make the costs of this delivery model as predictable as possible. On the whole, most hosted speech applications providers do not try to recoup all of the actual set-up costs in the upfront fee. They expect to make it up in volume and per-minute fees, allowing for a shared risk approach.
Enterprises, as part of their evaluation of speech technologies, should also consider the impact of automated speech applications on traditional agent-assisted customer interactions. 'Any such impact would be indirect, soft, and essentially impossible to quantify into hard dollars or changes in the overall total cost of ownership,' says the analyst. 'Yet, such impacts are almost inevitable and bear serious consideration for any enterprise preparing to embark on a speech application implementation.'
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