From Telephone Strategy News, March 2006

Bell Canada sells — and uses — Nuance SpeechAttendant

Serves 5,200 Bell Canada employees and aids sales force

Voice-enabled auto attendants such as Nuance’s SpeechAttendant should be used by every company—or at least that is the impression one gets talking to company’s that install one. Bell Canada’s system, referred to as MAYA, is being used in the company’s Montreal (Quebec) and Toronto regional offices, serving over 5,200 Bell Canada employees; and Heather Forrester, Bell Canada’s Director, outright sales and solutions, said that the acceptance of the system is signaled by the “incredible adoption rate.” “I haven’t had any complaints about the system,” she said.

By directing calls by spoken name, the system has allowed an administrative staff reduction that will provide a Return on Investment in 6-12 months, but the employees like it because of the efficiency in reaching others, particularly since the system can store multiple phone numbers for each employee. The company also uses “flex space” because of a highly mobile workforce, so employees may be at different offices or desks from day-to-day.

Bell Canada also sells Nuance SpeechAttendant to enterprises as either an in-network or premises solution, along with other telephone products such as IP PBXs. The salesmen love the system because the company’s use of the system validates it and provides them a persuasive demo. Bell Canada wants to wait to allow outside callers to use the system, but Forrester said, “I suspect some of the salesmen have given the number to prospects.” The use of the system for outside callers is “almost inevitable,” she said.

Partly as a result of the enthusiasm of the sales force, Forrester expects to double sales of the auto-attendant in 2006. The auto-attendant is often sold as an up-sell to an IP PBX sale. Healthcare organizations are among those with the most interest, she said.