IVR systems are a communications technology that allow a computer to detect voice and touch tones during a normal phone call. An IVR system can respond with pre-recorded or dynamically generated audio to further direct callers on how to proceed with a customer service request. IVR systems can be used to control almost any function where the interface can be divided into a series of menu choices. IVR systems are typically used to service high call volumes, reduce cost and improve the customer experience. Examples of typical IVR applications include telephone banking and credit card transactions.
IVR systems may be monitored and updated for any of several reasons. For example, an IVR system may be updated to keep pace with changing business needs and changing customer service requests. Similarly, IVR systems may be updated in terms of improving an IVR system's performance. IVR system performance may be defined in any of several ways. For example, IVR system performance may relate to delivering better customer service by increasing customer satisfaction metrics. Similarly, IVR system performance may relate to improving customer containment within the IVR, thereby reducing the number of callers transferred to a live customer service representative (CSR). Regardless of the motivating factor, updating an IVR system to improve its performance may be referred to as tuning the IVR system.
Because IVR systems are computerized systems that address large call volumes and generate numerous data records, monitoring and analyzing such IVR systems may pose a challenge in terms of information management. Various analysis packages have been developed that allow an IVR system analyst to review data recorded from the IVR system and make decisions regarding where best to tune the IVR system. Some such analysis packages segment calls from an IVR system by category so that companies can see the most common types of calls and where they may need to correct or improve a current business practice. Other types of analysis packages may record audio files from caller interactions with the IVR for future playback by an IVR system analyst. Still other analysis packages may map calls to graphically show their sequence and where callers may be experiencing difficulty with an IVR system.
While several analysis packages do exist to help IVR system analysts review the performance of an IVR system, these analysis packages are limited because they perform analysis from the IVR system's or IVR system analyst's point of view. These approaches do not explicitly include the caller's experience with the IVR, which may indicate the caller's state of mind, his environment, and the caller's hidden requirements that are not explicitly stated in the IVR. Hence, from the IVR system's or IVR system analyst's point of view, a call may be perfect with no errors, but the caller may still be unsatisfied. Hence, the outputs of the prior art analysis packages do not always address the callers' needs. Certain embodiments described further herein are designed to provide a solution to one or more of the weaknesses in IVR tuning technology set forth above.