ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 2004-- Witness Systems (Company
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Studies) Airline Reduces Costs by Deploying Witness Systems' eQuality CallMiner To Perform Automated Call Classification , a global provider of performance optimization software and services, today announced that Continental Airlines is deploying its speech analytics solution in the company's Tampa, Florida-based reservation center. Continental, the world's sixth-largest airline, will use eQuality® CallMiner - which is jointly developed with CallMiner, Inc., a leading provider of speech analytics technology designed for contact centers - to automate call segmentation and aid in the allocation of reservation center resources.
The airline, which employs more than 900 customer service representatives in its Tampa center, classifies customer calls into more than 50 categories for analysis, including sales calls, flight information, seat assignments, reconfirmations and OnePass reward redemption. Using eQuality CallMiner, it has been able to reduce the costs associated with compiling its "Call Mix Survey"- a system that collects and tabulates detailed information on incoming calls at the company's reservation center - by automating the process, saving significant time and resources.
eQuality CallMiner - which leverages leading-edge speech analytics technology, data-mining and trend-minding capabilities for analyzing customer interaction content - enables Continental to categorize customer interactions by call type, as well as provide metrics about which customers call the reservation center and why. This call classification process assists the airline with decisions about which calls to direct to its Internet, self-service or automated speech system channel, thereby reducing expenses in the reservation center and freeing call center agents to handle high touch customer service and high value, revenue-generating calls. Insight from eQuality CallMiner also provides Continental with the information necessary to better manage and leverage its resources. Further, management can review a much larger sampling of interactions, thereby gaining the key metrics and perspective necessary to drive strategic business objectives.
"eQuality CallMiner provides us with more context and intelligence from a speech analytics perspective, enabling us to better leverage the customer data and feedback we already capture in order to make more informed decisions," said Andre Harris, director of reservations training and quality for Continental Airlines. "In the past, we completed monthly Call Mix Surveys, but now we can review the data daily, which gives us more real-time insight into what's happening in our business and better enables us to focus on service excellence."
Already a Witness Systems customer, Continental has achieved significant ROI through its use of the eQuality Balance customer interaction recording and eQuality Evaluation performance assessment solutions. These measurable results include increases in e-ticket sales and vendor transfer programs, as well as increases in first call resolution, productivity and quality scores.
"We're pleased that Continental has further extended its use of our workforce optimization software suite to include speech analytics," said Nancy Treaster, senior vice president of global marketing for Witness Systems. "By analyzing the content of calls over time, both positive and negative patterns and trends become visible. In correlating this data with other intelligence - such as the timing of a new marketing campaign - businesses can refine their feedback loop to optimize further actions."
About eQuality CallMiner
eQuality CallMiner combines speech recognition technology, statistical methods and data mining techniques to create searchable databases of agent/customer voice interactions in the contact center. The software searches and interprets interactions by identifying pre-defined key words, or combinations of words/phrases, and converting the audio calls into text and statistics about what was said and the context around the conversations. eQuality CallMiner uses sophisticated algorithms to classify the transcripts, weighing and cross-referencing the words and alternatives recognized to produce an optimized assessment of the conversation.
The software's search rules can track specific words, such the name of a specific product, or spot those used in combination, such as the name of a specific marketing campaign or a phrase instructing an agent to cancel service. eQuality CallMiner also produces a report of most commonly used words, whether they have been previously identified by a user or not, to help proactively identify trends that might not otherwise be apparent. The solution allows contact center management and executives to conduct user-defined queries and analysis of agent/customer contacts by viewing patterns and trends graphically, as well as making data comparisons between customer groups, agents, time periods and product lines. With eQuality CallMiner, users can drill-down into calls for further detail through its interactive charting tool or compare the transactional data to identify correlations, such as successful sales calls and the scripting being used.
In addition to extracting key information from customer interactions and automating the mining of those contacts, eQuality CallMiner enables users to quantify specific areas of interest - such as the degree of customer dissatisfaction expressed in contacts, the frequency with which agents reveal a lack of knowledge on a specific subject, or how well agents are adhering to their scripts. The solution also helps reduce business risk by automatically highlighting contacts that may not meet regulatory and compliance guidelines.
eQuality CallMiner alerts users by sending notifications automatically when pre-defined scores and thresholds are met. It enables users to determine the root causes that result in increased call volumes into centers by identifying specific contact types. Using eQuality CallMiner, companies are able to reallocate staff from time-consuming manual analysis by automating the review of large volumes of recorded customer interactions and categorizing them based on content or pre-determined criteria.
"As the market for speech analytics technology matures, companies like Continental Airlines are developing an early lead by deploying software such as eQuality CallMiner. The airline's reservation center now has real-time business intelligence to optimize existing resources, as well as respond quickly to trends and opportunities," said Jeff Gallino, CEO of CallMiner.
About CallMiner
CallMiner is a leading developer of solutions that assist contact centers in the analysis of recorded calls. CallMiner's core application automates the process of converting calls into searchable text and statistics for mining and gathering business intelligence. CallMiner's advanced tool set enables contact center managers and executives to conduct ad-hoc queries and analyses of agent and customer interactions, while providing insight into what customers are saying and how agents are responding. Since CallMiner's tools are easy to use, managers in marketing, sales, customer service and other organizations can now analyze mission critical information contained in recorded calls in real-time. For additional information about CallMiner and its analytical tools, visit www.callminer.com, or call 508.229.3120.
About Witness Systems
Witness Systems (NASDAQ: WITS - News) provides the contact center industry's first integrated performance optimization software suite to help global enterprises capture customer intelligence and optimize workforce performance. The browser-based eQuality® software is comprised of compliance, high-volume and business-driven recording solutions for customer contact centers and IP telephony, as well as performance analysis and e-learning applications. The closed-loop suite enables companies to capture and retrieve, learn and train, and report and analyze customer interactions and back office transactions to develop staff, increase revenue, reduce costs, and achieve greater customer retention and loyalty. An integrated business consulting, implementation and training methodology provides services to support an effective, rapid deployment of eQuality that enables organizations to maximize their return on investment. For additional information about Witness Systems and its eQuality software suite, visit www.witness.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this release that involves Witness Systems' expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. They are identified by words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," and similar expressions. These statements are based upon information available to Witness Systems as of the date of this release, and the company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements believed true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control and may cause actual results to differ materially from our current expectations. Some of the factors that could cause actual future results to differ materially from current expectations include fluctuations in customer demand and the timing of orders; the company's ability to manage its growth; the risk of new product introductions and customer acceptance of new products; the rapid technological change which characterizes the company's markets; the risks associated with international sales as the company expands its markets, including the risks associated with foreign currency fluctuations; the ability of the company to complete and integrate successfully any acquisitions or investments it may make; and the ability of the company to compete successfully in the future, as well as other risks identified under the caption "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ending September 30, 2004, and any other reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Witness, eQuality and the Witness logo are United States registered trademarks of Witness Systems, Inc., protected by laws of the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.
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