November 2007 Archives

If you cover the contact center industry, you’ve probably heard about how today’s speech analytics solutions -- software which is used to search and find trends in recorded conversation -- has the ability to detect the emotional state of a caller using advanced speech algorithms. Some of today’s speech analytics solutions let contact center managers be alerted in near real time when a customer or agent’s voice gets “stressed,” indicating that there is a problem. Then the manager can intervene, either by silently “coaching” the agent on what to do next (using screen pops, IM, or through “whisper coaching”) or by actually barging in on the call.

Even if you’re not aware of this technological feat, you’ve no doubt been witnessing how voice recognition is finding new application in everything from IVRs, to security systems, to “smart homes,” to children’s toys.

But did you know that speech technology has advanced to the point where it can also be used as a crime fighting tool?

The Computer Voice Stress Analyzer (CVSA), made by West Palm Beach, Fla.-based NITV, is a “voice-based investigative truth verification tool” which basically performs the same job as a polygraph. The company claims the CVSA, when combined with its FACT Scoring Algorithm (Final Analysis Confirmation Tool), creates a highly accurate truth verification system which is now in use by more than 1,700 law enforcement agencies, including U.S. military special operations and intelligence units.

Like the polygraph, results of the CVSA are not normally used in court. Rather the tool is used to guide investigations by helping police eliminate individuals as suspects. The company goes on to say, however, that the CVSA “is not well known outside of the law enforcement community,” and that there is currently a campaign, or at least agenda, underway on the part of the polygraph technology community, which asserts that CVSA is not as accurate as a polygraph test.

However, in a recent survey of law enforcement users from the U.S. Department of Defense, 86 percent said the CVSA was either “very” or “extremely” accurate. The DoD survey also found that 75 percent of deceptive results were validated by obtaining a confession with “a very small error rate” utilizing the CVSA. So, the NITV – the sole provider of the CVSA technology -- is trying to reverse this perception.

The NITV states in a recent press release that its founder, Charles Humble, was recently granted a U.S. Patent for an automated scoring algorithm which is used in the Final Analysis Confirmation Tool, which uses “advanced mathematical algorithms and a built-in learning feature to recognize, evaluate, categorize and quantify the output from the CVSA.” According to the release, “Humble was the first to quantify voice patterns and also discovered delayed stress reaction in voice stress analysis.”

NITV is now on the second generation of it product, the CVSA II, which was introduced in early 2007. The company claims it has shipped more than 650 CVSA IIs since this version came out.

“From the Atlanta P.D. to the Nashville P.D. to the St. Louis P.D., this is an investigative tool that has proven itself as invaluable in the field” said John Slater, a former Captain with the White Co. Sheriff’s Dept. (Ariz.) and current Coordinator of Law Enforcement and Training for the NITV, in the press release. “Once restricted for sale only to law enforcement, the CVSA is now available for some commercial applications.

The press release includes powerful testimonials form law enforcement officials who used CVSA to solve crimes. Perhaps the most well known of these cases is the recent investigation into the shocking murder of nine-year-old Rowan Ford, whose body was recovered in remote McDonald County, Mo. on Nov. 9. According to the release, prior to the recovery of Ford’s body, the girl’s stepfather, David Speares, 25, and his friend, Chris Collings, 32, agreed to take polygraph examinations.

“Both of their polygraph examinations, conducted by the FBI, were determined to be ‘Inconclusive,’” the press release states. “In addition to the polygraph examinations, both underwent CVSA examinations.”

According to the release, the results of the CVSA “clearly demonstrated both subjects were deceptive.”

“Because of the precise results of the CVSA examinations, both were interrogated, confessed and led detectives to the body,” it states. “Both were charged with first-degree murder and forcible rape.”

Detective Jason Baird of the Noesho P.D. stated “The CVSA examinations were directly responsible for quickly clearing this case.” And Captain Richard Levins of the Newton Co. Sheriff’s Dept. said the results “were right on the money.”

Who knows ... if speech technology keeps advancing along these lines, and if we keep improving the quality of IP communications, it could be that one day the agents working in collections centers or other contact centers – or just about anybody for that matter -- will have the ability to detect whether a caller is being truthful or not …

To learn more about NITV and the CVSA, visit www.nitv1.com.

Here’s some news that will come as no surprise to those of us who are at or below the “average salary” mark in our respective U.S. regions:

Enterprise Feedback Management (EFM) solutions provider Allegiance has released the results of a survey showing that bank customers in the U.S. don’t feel they are valued or respected by the banks they do business with.

According to the results of the monthly online survey with 500 bank customers (the banks, of course, are not named) only 10 percent reported “neutrality” or worse when considering whether they will discontinue their relationship with their bank within a year. At the same time, only 26 percent of customers think their banks services are the best compared with others.

The survey suggests that although banking customers are exceptionally loyal, they are not unaware of what other banks are doing. Thus banks could be doing a lot more to build customer loyalty -- as any customer could end up suddenly defecting at a given moment. The survey finds that correlation between a customer’s emotional engagement and a bank relationship that makes them feel respected is a positive 32%, which is significant.

I recently had an experience with my own bank -- which is one of the largest in the U.S. -- that only affirms what this study reveals. Now, keep in mind that I’m an editor and writer, and I’ll admit that I’m among the many Americans who basically live check to check, week to week. Therefore it’s not like I have a lot of money sitting around in various accounts. I have checking and savings, and that’s pretty much it.

A few years back I signed up for what is called a “service-free” checking account – which is where I can use ATMs for deposits and withdraws, but if I need to use a teller’s services inside the bank, I have to pay a small fee each time I do that (sort of like a “penalty” for having to use a teller). Well, recently I ran into a series of mix ups with my checking account – which were not really the bank’s fault, it’s just that the information being provided through the ATM made things unclear to me, due to a change in the way the information was being presented (i.e. the timing of the posts). So I ended up having to use a teller – and then I was charged. Feeling sort of gypped, I went in a few weeks later and spoke with a rep, who explained the details of the type of banking “product” I had signed up for when I selected my particular checking account. I got kind of miffed and told her I wanted to close out my account and take my business elsewhere.

“OK that’s fine,” she said, and proceeded to start the process.

As I sat there I thought, “Wow, this is kind of weird – don’t I matter to them at all, as a customer?” I mean, it’s not like I was being rude or unreasonable – I just simply didn’t like what I was being told. I wasn’t outwardly angry – in fact, I was totally polite to the rep. In a way, I was kind of hoping that some alternative would be presented, like an option to switch to a different kind of account that would work more to my liking. Instead I was met with indifference. When I asked the rep whether it mattered at all to the bank that I was closing my account, she basically said no, not at all, that people closed out their accounts all the time and it was a pretty routine thing to do …

Then I changed my mind and told her to hold off until I had more time to make a decision which bank I wanted to do business with next. So I kept my account open.

Later that day I was talking to friend of mine who used to be a retail bank manager. He told me that basically banks measure your worth by how much money is in your account(s). He basically said if you’re just some schmuck who lives paycheck to paycheck, they really don’t value you as a customer, as they really can’t make much money from your money.

“You’re just a minnow to them, in a giant sea of fish …,” he said.

Although its not an ideal comparison, he said in a way the major gas station chains do more to keep customers like me coming back than the major banks do – the irony there being that most people don’t have much loyalty to any particular brand of gas. So, for people like me, choosing whatever bank I use might as well be the same thing as which gas station I stop off at when my tank is near empty: No allegiance, no brand loyalty, who cares, it’s all based on who has the best location, right? And if I decide to go across the street, “whatever, there will be others who will come to my station, so I really don’t need you.”

It’s interesting to me that, in covering the call center industry, I write so much about the importance of customer service and customer loyalty, yet when it comes to the banking industry, people like me (and there are millions of us) don’t seem to matter much in the grand scheme of things. Is this a national trend or just a manifestation of the fact that I live in such a highly affluent area? I dunno ...

So I’ve decided to stay with my bank for now, because at this point I think I’ll just get the same cold attitude anywhere else I’ll go. They’re all pretty much just after whatever little money they can wring out of me in the form of monthly fees, including out of network ATM fees and the super high cost of those plain check books I buy from them quarterly. There doesn’t seem to be much I can do. I wish there was a bank out there that would say “Hey Patrick, we have some great ways for you to increase your savings which won’t affect your monthly budget that much … plus we offer free checking and a slew of other features which are free” … and then treated me as if they really cared when I happened to need to stop in.

Interestingly, the Allegiance survey reveals that Hispanic customers, in particular, have more negative views of bank service. Hispanics want their bank to be a true partner and help grow their money, yet many of them don’t feel this is currently happening. One respondent exemplified this sentiment by saying, “I haven’t been given any advice or opinions from my bank that would make me any smarter about handling my money.”

Man, I can relate.

So here’s what the real point of the survey is: There’s no way for banks to know what their customers really think of them unless they ask. That’s where EFM solutions provider Allegiance could play a role. You see, EFM is a new business discipline which entails using electronic surveys and other feedback systems to gather opinions from customers and employees, and then using the responses to drive key business decisions. In some ways it is like Customer Relationship Management (CRM), however, while CRM is uses mostly quantitative data to reveal the “who,” “what,” “where” and “when” about your customers, based on their past interactions, EFM is used to discover the “why” based on your customers’ emotional responses to survey questions, which are typically delivered post-transaction on the Web or on the phone. And by better understanding the emotional reasons why your customers want to stay with you -- or leave you -- you can improve customer loyalty. Allegiance’s EFM solution, the Engage Platform, is the first system to link employee and customer loyalty and “engagement” to business success. This hosted solution helps high customer touch companies – such as retail banks -- gather, analyze, and respond in real-time to customer complaints, comments and suggestions. Then they can react, quickly, before customers begin to defect in droves.

“Banks and other organizations need to go beyond customer satisfaction to understand engagement, which is how they connect with customers on an emotional level,” said Adam Edmunds, CEO of Allegiance, in a press release. “Our survey shows that, although banks are doing well in providing basic services to customers, they are not doing as well at making customers feel respected. Respect is an important emotion that impacts customer loyalty, which has a direct affect on profits.”

To learn more, visit www.allegiance.com.

Well, I asked for it -- a lo and behold, look at what happened a few days later.

In my blog post about Web-based VoIP provider Jajah teaming up with Web-based VoIP provider Jangl on Thursday I wrote:

“Maybe it isn't part of the plan, but I hope that Jajah and Jangl will team to deliver a USB phone that plugs into one’s computer or perhaps even a router enabling a home phone network via one’s PC to help accelerate adoption of their Web-based services. I think letting users also use a regular handset, in addition to their computer, would go a long way to accelerate adoption of the two companies’ Internet phone services.”

This was based on my opinion that in order to really drive consumer adoption of Web-based VoIP, you have to make the experience as close as possible to using traditional phone service. That means you have to be able to use a regular handset – and without having to punch in numbers on a Web site via your computer in order to connect calls.

Well, yesterday, Jajah launched Jajah Direct, a new VoIP service letting users make low cost long distance calls over a regular telephone. No, it’s not a USB phone that plugs into your computer – in fact you don’t even need a computer – or a broadband connection!

Here’s how it works: First you have to dial an access number given to you by Jajah (or visit the Jajah Web site) and then you select a local number that you “assign” to a particular person you call with some regularity. After you select the “local number” of the person you want to call, you can continue to use that number to connect to that same person each time you call them. According to Jajah “this number can be stored in a phone or address book like any other contact number.” And you can select as many numbers as you wish – to connect to as many people as you wish -- you just need to sign up for a Jajah account.

“Taking Internet access away from Internet telephony is a revolutionary step: dropping the need to be online allows everyone who owns a phone -- regardless of make or model -- to enjoy international calls for free, or at local rates,” a press release from the company states.

The service can be used to call anyone at anytime in 122 countries worldwide.

Jajah promised that it would be delivering new and innovative telephony solutions, and it is making good on this promise. They are now, in my view, entering the realm of the big-time pure-play VoIP providers such as Skype and Vonage. With the launch of this new service, it is probably just a matter for time before they become as big and as well known as those guys …

For more information, visit www.jajah.com.

In deal which will no doubt spur the Internet’s transformation into a giant voice network, VoIP provider Jajah and “social communications” company Jangl have teamed up to make IP telephony a standard and integral part of the Web.

This deal is huge, as these two companies have already done much to make VoIP a familiar term to millions of Web users. Jajah specializes in “click-to-call” VoIP for online advertising and retail Web sites, in addition to offering its popular Web-based telephony service via its Web site, Jajah.com, which connects users all over the globe. Meanwhile, Jangl offers a similar service (using your email address) and also specializes in bringing click-to-call VoIP and text messaging to social Web sites, including technology that lets members communicate via their Web-enabled mobile phones. This partnership will combine the strengths of the two companies and promises to bring new, innovative and low-cost text and VoIP services to consumers, thus making Web-based voice communications to become practically ubiquitous. The two companies will work together to market their combined solutions and bring new solutions to the fore.

"The goal of this partnership is to create several natural synergies for both Jajah and Jangl, and has the potential to strengthen both companies' positions going forward," said Rebecca Swensen, research analyst, VoIP Services for IDC, Inc., in a press release. "Anytime two companies collaborate at an integral level -- on product development, marketing and more -- additional opportunities invariably arise. This is one of the first major collaborations we've seen in the 'Voice 2.0' market and, to the extent that both companies execute well, this could have some very interesting ramifications for others in this space, as well."

Both companies are reportedly working on new initiatives which they will make public soon. Jajah claims it has become the Web telephony platform of choice worldwide, while Jangl reports that it is developing services for several new partners. In addition, Jangl is working with Google on its OpenSocial initiative.

As per the terms of the deal, Jangl will leverage Jajah's telephony infrastructure to deliver phone services in 122 countries, further speeding Jangl's growth as it continues to forge partnerships with top online personals and social networking communities, where it already powers in-context calling capabilities in more than 40 million online profiles. In addition, the two companies will collaborate in serving voice advertising (also known as in-call media, or ad supported telephony) for mobile and landline calls. Jangl will become a publisher of ads and will use Jajah’s in-call advertising appliance to overlay audio advertising on Jangl calls.

"More and more, Jajah is becoming the platform of choice, and we are delighted to work with Jangl," said Trevor Healy, Jajah CEO, in the press release. "It shows the great leaps we have made since opening our platform. Thanks to Jangl's position within the online community and Jajah's new advertising services, both companies significantly expand our advertising capabilities and monetization potential."

"Jangl has always been about bridging the phone and the Web," said Michael Cerda, Jangl co-founder and CEO. "By giving people the same level of control with their phones, as they have with IM and email, we're proving out our strategy. By contrast, Jajah has excelled at providing low-priced, high-quality international phone calling, and they've established a stellar back end operation along the way. Our partnership is about leveraging our complements and strengths, which will manifest in new initiatives and products in the very near future."

A few things to consider in this deal are: How long will it be before consumers are really ready to start making Internet-based phone calls via their PCs, laptops and mobile devices? For example, one of the hindrances to consumer adoption of “softphone”-based VoIP, which has been around for a while, is the fact the users typically have to don a headset with microphone in order to make phone calls. This is often viewed as an inconvenience compared to making calls via a regular handset. Jajah’s Web-based service lets a user use a regular phone, but it requires the user to enter the destination/origin number on a Web page, click “call” and then the user's phone rings back when the call is connected. This is certainly not the same level of convenience afforded through the VoIP services currently offered through cable or telco or other stand alone VoIP providers such as Vonage, which allow users to make calls directly from their handsets. Maybe it isn't part of the plan, but I hope that Jajah and Jangl will team to deliver a USB phone that plugs into one’s computer or perhaps even a router enabling a home phone network via one’s PC to help accelerate adoption of their Web-based services. I think letting users also use a regular handset, in addition to their computer, would go a long way to accelerate adoption of the two companies’ Internet phone services.

And then there’s the ad-supported telephony phenomenon, which is still in its infancy. This is where advertisements are injected into call streams to off-set the cost of the call for the user and to generate new revenue streams for telephony providers. I’m not sure many consumers are ready to embrace this model, particularly since for years VoIP has been marketed on the promise that this new technology would enable a better call experience for less money. To ask consumers to sit through brief advertisements in order to get free calls may or may not work (and it will probably depend largely on the type of ads, i.e. the content). Perhaps success for ad-supported telephony will only be realized as the generations now using the Web as a social networking tool mature and come to accept such business models as the “norm.”

Regardless, this deal is huge and obviously these two companies are a great fit for each other. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.

I was watching TV with my 7-year-old daughter recently when this ad for “Amazing Amanda” came on. I’ve always had an interest in speech recognition technology so this particular doll really caught my attention:

You see, Amazing Amanda “is a doll like no other. In fact, she's the closest thing to a real child that a young ‘pretend mommy’ can have. By responding to voices, recognizing objects and showing emotions with realistic facial expressions, Amazing Amanda establishes an interactive mother-daughter bond that is unparalleled among children's toys.”

This doll is like an android. Through a combination of advanced voice recognition, sensory response and animatronics technologies, this thing is as close to a real child as you can get… or might want to get … I mean it’s almost spooky … in an almost “Chucky” kind of way.

According to the promo on Target’s Web site, Amazing Amanda not only learns to recognize her “mommy's” voice, she also “recognizes objects such as her outfits, toothbrush, sippy cup, various foods and her potty. She expresses real emotions, such as smiling when happy or pouting when told ‘no.’”

“She engages in two-way communication with realistic facial expressions and toddler-speak. She can go ‘potty’ and can even be used to promote potty training. She keeps track of date and time, and offers reminders of upcoming holidays. She has an internal clock which can be used as a lovable alarm clock, and may help establish a normal sleeping and waking schedule for your child.”

All of this is powered by four "C" batteries (not included).

I know there have been slews of toys incorporating voice recognition over the years … in fact, they go all the way back to “Speak and Spell,” which was first introduced in 1978 and included one of the very first voice processor ships developed by TI (the TI TMC0280)

But Amanda is rather … amazing.

But what is really amazing the vast array of different applications we’re finding for speech recognition technology: From “smart homes” where all appliances and communications can be voice activated to “smart cars” featuring voice activated controls to “smartphones” sporting advanced speech recognition processors -- it really is fascinating all the different places where this technology has uses.

And I think this is only the beginning …

VoIP service provider Jajah has teamed up with online advertising solutions provider Oridian to deliver a jointly-developed in-call advertising solution.

The deal means advertisers who use Oridian’s privately owned ad network will have the opportunity to inject audio advertisements into the call streams of Jajah users.

However, today’s press release does not explain a lot of the details, so I’ll take my best shot at explaining this:

Most people are already aware of the power of online advertising when it is coupled with VoIP. Many websites are now hosting advertisements with built-in click-to-call capabilities. These enable a user to simply click on a button in the advertisement to launch a VoIP session which connects them directly to the advertising company’s representatives (i.e. call center). Under most models, the click, in effect, pays for the call, and should the user opt to purchase a product or service, the company hosting the online ad on its website gets a small cut. There are a few variations to this model but in general it has worked like a charm for most of the companies which have tried it out. Jajah is a leader in click-to-call services on the Web.

Now, Oridian and Jajah will take it a step further: When the user clicks the button to initiate the call, they will have to listen to a brief, 8 to 15 second advertisement which is automatically injected into the call stream. The advertisement can be from any number of companies, but the key thing is, it will likely be about a product or service that is similar, or at least remotely related, to the product or service being offered through the ad on the website. Hence it will be targeted at the user. Ads can also be injected during periods when the caller is on hold, waiting for a live representative to pick up the line. The advertising covers the cost of the call and also creates a new revenue stream for the hosting party. Many of the advertisers who are now using this type of service are developing ads which are subtle in nature – or perhaps (if you are lucky) even entertaining – for the purpose of not turning the caller off while they’re on hold. If the pitch is too strong, or if the advertiser presents an ad that is “intolerable” by most people’s standards, the model fails because the caller will simply hang up. They key thing is to provide an experience that is more engaging than, say, listening to Muzak for a few minutes, or worse yet, dead silence.

“Ad networks are the bridge between advertisers and publishers and we’re always on the lookout for new ways to bring dot.com publishers to international advertisers,” said Jacob Nizri, CEO of Oridian, in a press release. “Our partnership with JaJah is a significant development for our business, but more than that, it’s revolutionary in terms of technology and the development of online advertising: in-call advertising gives call sponsors the ability to reach a global audience on a truly personal level. By its very nature, JaJah creates permission-based, targeted audiences that Oridian can reach effectively, bringing new business to non-U.S. advertisers and monetizing U.S. publishers’ international traffic. U.S. publishers currently sell 80% of their ad space but are missing out on 20% of their potential audience. That’s a number they can’t afford to ignore. We bring them together with that missing 20% -- at the lowest industry cost.”

From this you might gather that most of the in-call advertising will be targeted at audiences who are interested in products made overseas – or who at least have a desire for certain non-domestic products (hmmm, tell me again what’s still made in the U.S.? I forget …). Oridian is an international ad network that targets the non-U.S. market, selling in 40 countries around the world, and reaching at least 20% of online users in all major European countries. The company monetizes foreign online traffic from North America, bridging between advertisers and publishers around the world to bring international advertisers to North American publishers, and quality global media to advertisers overall.

“To partner with the worlds largest privately owned ad network is a huge win for JaJah and our partners,” said Trevor Healy, CEO of JaJah. “Oridian is an industry veteran with a global reach and a decade of experience that will prove invaluable as we enter into this new and exciting territory. We are now bringing the global power of Oridian to our mobile and fixed line operator partners so that they can monetize the massive inventory that exists in telephony today. Commentators are saying that JaJah’s open platform is becoming the ‘Facebook’ of Telephony 2.0. If so, then advertising is an integral component.”

For more information, visit www.oridian.com and www.jajah.com.