Telia modernises customer service all over Sweden

– Ultramodern speech-enabled call-routing system to reduce call waiting times and increase customer satisfaction

Calls to Telia’s Customer Service will now involve pushing fewer buttons and talking more. As of today, a brand-new ultramodern system is being introduced for voice recognition. Telia is the first in the Nordic region to have the new system, which aims to shorten waiting times for private customers calling the company’s 90 200 customer service number in Sweden.

The new system “listens to” what the caller says and asks supplementary questions if needed. The customer is then connected to the right person in customer service or to one of Telia’s automatic services. The unique feature of the new speech recognition system is that it understands everyday language. Customers no longer have to answer just “yes” or “no” to questions – they can talk just like they normally do.

“We have been testing the system in Uppsala and Alunda since last summer and our experience shows that it is performing well,” says Anders Gylder, head of Telia’s Customer Service operations.

Before being introduced in the Uppsala area of Sweden, the speech-enabled call-routing system was fine-tuned and tested with about 10,000 calls. The system is designed to “teach itself” in order to become better and better at understanding and taking care of customer service requests as it is increasingly used.

“The main benefit of the system will be a lower number of incorrectly connected calls to customer service units, which in turn means that we can serve an even larger number of customers. In the end, it’s all about improving service for our customers and shortening call waiting times,” says Anders Gylder.

Similar systems are currently being used by the telecom operators Bell Canada and Telstra Australia. Both have had good experience from the system, with more calls being connected to the right service units and a higher number of satisfied customers being one of the direct results. The system will be rolled out gradually over a two-week period and functions with both calls from fixed line phones and mobile handsets.

NOTE: Since the new system will be connected gradually in Sweden, some customer service calls will initially be managed with the existing push-button system. If you are a journalist in Sweden and would like to test the new voice recognition service, please call the number 020-940090.