Reprinted from Speech Recognition Update, November 2003

Bank of America combines 4,000 numbers into one using ScanSoft technology

Breakthrough system includes many innovations

Speaking at ScanSoft’s Conversations 2003 Conference in San Diego, California, Tim Wishon, senior vice president, customer contact management executive, Bank of America, described Bank of America’s strategic decision to combine over 4,000 toll-free numbers into one system using ScanSoft’s speech recognition. The system also is ground-breaking in that it is customized to the caller, presenting only those options that are relevant to the caller; for example, a customer with only one account will not be offered the option to transfer funds. The system is also proactive, suggesting likely options based on the customer’s activity and account information; for example, it might ask if the customer wants to make a credit card or mortgage payment if one is due soon. The user will also be able to change options: The system might ask, “We always start by providing your balance. Do you want us to continue doing that?”

The system is now active for about one-third of the bank’s customers and should be active for half of their customers by the end of the year. The company also plans to add support for the Spanish language. Bank of America is not announcing the platform vendor for the system until it is fully deployed.

Wishon said that the bank realized that its best customers—those with checking, savings, credit card, and a mortgage with the bank—had the most problems with the existing system, since they might have to call several numbers to get information on all the services. Once they reached the right service, they would be forced to navigate a touch-tone menu that was fixed and offered them many irrelevant options. The new customer service system is part of the bank’s “six-sigma” drive to “delight” its customers, he said.

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