With Christmas now one for the history books, and the last full week of 2012 at a close as well, the interactive voice response (IVR) system market is still bringing in a lot of news. To that end, we take a look back at the biggest happenings of the week with our Week in Review coverage.

First came a report that Sportech PLC acquired eBet Online, Inc. in a deal valued at $12.6 million. While Sportech is already a major name in the field of online and mobile betting in large parts of North America, the acquisition of eBet Online, Inc. will give Sportech PLC an increased market presence in one particular subclass: the horse racing market.

Horse race wagering is big business in the United States, and eBet Online, Inc. was one of the biggest such players in that market, giving Sportech PLC a much larger presence in the field.

Next was a look at LG's "Magic Remote" and its connection to speech recognition. LG's "Magic Remote" line, according to the piece, has offered quite a bit of expanded functionality for home theater users for some time now, but its newest versions are offering some further expansion with voice controls powered by new speech recognition software.

Thanks to these refinements, LG will allow users to tell their televisions just what it is they want done – within certain limits – and the television will respond accordingly.

The role of the IVR in customer service is widely known and well appreciated on several fronts, so it's no surprise that companies are working to better tailor IVR systems to a new kind of customer. The idea of the "super-empowered customer," one who already knows quite a bit about what he or she wants, is requiring a lot of companies to take a better look at their IVR systems. Such customers seem to have several factors in common: they're in a hurry and they want a great deal, and they already know plenty about the product.

They want rapid resolution to any problems that arise, and retooled IVR systems are going a long way toward solving that problem.

Lastly came a report that PayU India had picked up an IVR system of its own, which would allow businesses to take payments directly from customers using a telephone connection. This approach has advantages on both sides of the deal; businesses get their money faster and customers get not only a faster way to get their goods, but also what they perceive as a safer way to get payment information where it needs to go.

Since the information isn't just "out on the Internet," as customers see it, it's seen as a safer approach overall. Since the IVR contact is essentially point-to-point, there’s a certain validity there as customers aren't likely to be overheard making a payment.

As you can see, even one of the biggest holidays on the calendar couldn't stop the flow of news when it comes to IVR systems! From horse racing to the Indian market, there was plenty to be had, and that put our global online community constantly on the lookout for fresh news.

Be sure to come back next week for the first week in IVR in 2013, and every weekend for our Week in Review!

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