Help is only a spoken word away for customers of pre-merger HP consumer and commercial products -- literally. On January 8, HP Canada introduced its new, voice-operated support line system. Now customers having problems or needing information about such products as HP Pavilion PCs, Scanjet scanners, and HP LaserJet printers do not have to spend the time keying in responses on a telephone key pad; all they have to do is give short, spoken answers to key questions.
In fact, connecting to a customer service specialist can he as simple as just saying, "Help!"
"It is both friendly and fast," says Daren Khatib, Director of Customer Operations. "We are the only major technology company to offer this revolutionary technology. It establishes us as a leader in the entire high-tech industry."
The new system – so new that it does not yet have a name – is patented and was developed largely in-house. The goal was to create an interface with customers that was both user-friendly and reduced the waiting time involved with telephone keypad-based systems. “With the old system, it can take up to two minutes before a customer is connected with a customer service specialist,” says David Ross, Hosted Services Manager in Customer Operations. “The new HP voice-activated system makes that connection in under 30 seconds.”
The speed with which the customer is connected depends on the amount of information he/she can provide about the product. If a caller can give the HP product name and model in response to an initial voice prompt, then the system instantly directs the call to a specialist in that product series at the HP Canada Call Centre. For those unsure of the product’s name and model number, a short series of voice prompts elicits additional information from the caller.
At any time the caller can choose to say, “Help!” That spoken word immediately cuts through the prompts and directs the call straight to a customer service representative.
"You can imagine how much faster and easier this is for customers," says Mr. Khatib. "Even the simplest traditional integrated voice response systems were based on a “four-by-four” model. There was a maximum of four prompts on each level, which could be answered by pressing a key on the keypad and the system went four levels deep.
"Customers had to listen and wait through all the menu choices, select a number, then wait through all the choices again and so on. With this new system, there are, at best, just two prompts for spoken responses."
The first is choice of language – the service is English/French bilingual. The second deals with the name and model of the product. If the customer can provide complete information, the connection is made immediately to a service specialist. If the customer just says "printer", the system will ask for more information. If the customer does not have any further information, he or she will be transferred to the appropriate support group.
Customers seem to have quickly mastered the system. While “Help!” responses were relatively high during the first few weeks of operation, they have now dropped significantly, says Mr. Ross. "I think the initial high level was understandable. People were not used to it, but they seem to have adapted quickly.”
Everyone involved with the new system sees huge potential for creating a seamless customer experience. “We knew we had to find a way to prevent the customer from being bounced around,” says Roxanne Villemaire, Call Centre Vendor Manager. “For that reason, the new system is built around ease of access and quick turnaround for the customer.”
The ability to provide fast and friendly service is vital for HP, whose Call Centre handles between 60,000 calls a month. “It really does give HP a distinct competitive edge,” says Mr. Ross, “once more proving the value of research and development.”
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