Positively Floored: Armstrong Deploys Nuance-Powered Speech Solution and Improves Call Completion Rates by 123%
MENLO PARK, Calif.--June 10, 2003--Decreased customer hold times, improved call completion rates and increased workplace efficiency are a few key benefits Armstrong World Industries, Inc. and its residential and commercial flooring customers are realizing after Armstrong put Nuance speech recognition technology to work in its Home Service call center operations. Developed by Interactive Northwest, the speech solution runs on the Avaya Interactive Voice Response platform and is powered by Nuance , the speech experts. Armstrong is a global leader in the design and manufacture of floors, ceilings and cabinets.
"We have as many as 15,000 calls pouring into our call center each day --and with this call volume, we were searching for a way to quickly and efficiently handle customer questions while at the same time providing excellent customer service," said Karen Peiffer, telecom manager, Armstrong. "With help from Interactive Northwest and Nuance, our speech-enabled Direct Customer Inquiry system achieved our customer service goals of increasing self-service, allowing access to data after business hours, automating standard requests and even freeing up agents for the more complex customer calls."
Working closely with Armstrong, Interactive Northwest (INI) created a self-service solution that integrates the company's legacy systems with newer XML technologies to create a seamless customer experience. Callers quickly access important product delivery information at any time, from order confirmation to ship date and carrier information. At the same time, the system reports on caller interactions, giving Armstrong visibility into its customers' preferences for using it. According to Chuck Van Meter, CEO, Interactive Northwest, "It was important to build on Armstrong's existing telephony and database systems while providing a design that supports evolving system functionality. This allows the company to easily expand self-service into other areas. We're pleased that Armstrong has partnered with us to automate routine customer inquiries."
Nuance's speech recognition software is an integral part of Armstrong's Direct Customer Inquiry system. For Armstrong, the results speak for themselves: shorter call durations, maximized use of call center staff, as well as increased customer satisfaction with shorter hold times and a more intuitive caller experience. Additionally, speech technology has reduced Armstrong's customer hold times to less than 20 seconds.
By automating access to specific information, including order confirmations and packing slip requests, Armstrong leveraged speech technology to reduce customer call durations by 50 percent and improve call completion rates by 123 percent. Not only are customers realizing the benefits of self-service access to needed information; the company is saving $5,000 per month in toll charges.
"Providing optimal customer care was priority one for Armstrong, and speech was the missing piece within Armstrong's customer call center puzzle," said Chuck Berger, president and CEO, Nuance. "We're pleased Armstrong turned to Nuance to make the customer calling experience faster, more efficient and ultimately, more rewarding."
About Armstrong Flooring
Armstrong Floor Products is a worldwide leader in the manufacture and marketing of residential and commercial floor products. Armstrong and its family of brands -- Armstrong Bruce(R), Hartco(R) and Robbins(R) -- offer the most extensive portfolio of flooring products available. With targeted products for both residential and commercial applications, the Armstrong portfolio includes resilient sheet and tile, hardwood, laminates, Genuine Linoleum(TM), specialty carpet and sports flooring. In 2003, the Armstrong Ceramic line is being launched in the U.S. and Canada to enter the rapidly growing ceramics market. ToughGuard(TM) vinyl sheet flooring, introduced by Armstrong in 2000 and manufactured with a new process that dramatically improves the durability of residential sheet vinyl, continues gaining market share and has raised the industry standard for resilient flooring performance. ArmaLock(TM) and SwiftLock(TM) locking laminates, floors that are installed without glue, are also big with "do it yourself" consumers. Genuine Linoleum, the original "classic resilient floor, now considered a "green" flooring product, is making a comeback in the U.S. as architects and designers - as well as homeowners - require more environmentally friendly building materials that don't sacrifice color vibrancy and design. After more than a century, Armstrong remains the foremost name in flooring -- known and trusted for reliable quality, an expansive offering of colors and designs to meet the personal style of all customers and technological innovations that make lives easier. More information is available at www.armstrong.com. Armstrong. Your ideas become reality(TM).
About Interactive Northwest
Interactive Northwest, Inc. delivers customer satisfaction in self-service environments. The company works directly with clients and partners to create real-world solutions that incorporate superior design and integrate best-in-class voice response and speech recognition technologies with existing business systems. More than 1,000 clients across the U.S. have turned to Interactive Northwest for its expertise in designing, deploying, and supporting self-service technologies. Interactive Northwest is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. For more information, visit www.interactivenw.com or call 800-732-3236.
About Nuance
Nuance is the speech expert. Nuance's speech software solutions enable automated access to everything from account balances to flight information, email reading to voice activated dialing - accessed using nothing more than the power of voice and an ordinary phone. In markets around the world, leading enterprises and telecommunications carriers - including British Airways, Nomura Securities, OnStar, Sprint PCS, United Parcel Service, Vodafone, and many more - work with Nuance to reduce costs, increase customer satisfaction and retention, create new sources of revenue and improve security. Nuance is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. and has offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.nuance.com or call 1-888-NUANCE-8.
Note to Editors: Nuance is a trademark of Nuance Communications, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.