Speech technology was a fun addition to self-service interaction channels, as long as the caller spoke clearly and stuck to just a few, easy-to-understand commands. Although Apple’s Siri introduced a whole new level in speech that truly started a voice recognition revelation, Google (News - Alert) kept its rivaling plans under wraps as the company diligently worked on a development with its Voice application. Now, Google Chrome is ready to make waves.

According to various reports, the latest Chrome 25 includes JavaScript Web Speech API support, allowing applications to recognize inputs of the spoken word. The voice actions provided in short bursts or as continuous speech is sent for analysis to the Google Voice service, where the results of the analysis are then sent back to the browser.

While this sounds like tech talk, the experience for the user may be closer to what Sci-Fi movies have been trying to depict for years. Walking into a room and talking to the computer, laptop or tablet to issue a command is no longer just a Star Trek scene or something in a futuristic idea. As this technology continues to intensify, so will consumer demand when accessing interactive voice recognition (IVR) on any self-service channel.

Consider the latest enhancement for the Microsoft (News - Alert) Xbox. TMCnet recently reported that the next release of the system is said to include speech recognition technology. Plus, built-in sensors will let the console know who is in the room, which only further ups the ante. The technology will no longer await a command, but instead, could be the first to speak. The interaction is said to be very reflective of Apple’s (News - Alert) Siri.

While true gamers may be the only ones to make the most of this speech recognition enigma, the advancements in this space demonstrate that consumers really can expect Siri-like interactions outside of Apple products. As a result, the IVR that can only understand “yes” or “no” will quickly drive the customer to another channel, or worse – the competition. This calls for great attention to personalized, customized and detailed IVR service that can seamlessly reach across a wide variety of channels that customers interact with on a daily basis.

The company seeking to engage the customer in positive interactions will do well to take a cue from the advancements in consumer technology. While not all those who call in to customer service will be used to Xbox technology, they might be accustomed to Chrome 25 or other technologies, which puts more pressure on the IVR to perform. With a priority on technology advancements to meet the changing dynamics in the market, the company may recognize the benefits. As for Chrome, this latest edition also brought i

mprovements to extension security and fixes for 22 security vulnerabilities. In beta since mid-January, Chrome 25 will now block silent extension on Windows. A page trying to install an extension will trigger a dialogue to alert users. This enhancement ensures that Web pages can’t “sideload” an extension within the user’s knowledge or consent. 

In the business space, Plum Voice is an industry expert in IVR solutions, offering fully personalized options to best meet your business’ – and more importantly, your customers’ – needs. If you require high-performance, high-quality, versatile and scalable IVR technology for your business, Plum Voice will provide you with the expertise, reliability and responsive support team you need to get the job done. Best of all, since Plum specializes in delivering personalized interaction experiences with support engineers at the ready 24 hours a day year-round, your customers will never be transferred to a distant call center full of representatives reading scripts or any other archaic, frustrating method.

Elevate your understanding of IVR today by checking out Plum Voice’s offerings in more detail here.