Employment and Immigration Canada implements voice processing system
Source: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CGC/is_n11_v18/ai_12187550



System makes 'round-the-clock service possible - Employment and Immigration Canada implements voice processing system - Feature - Voice Processing - Case Study

Computing Canada, May 25, 1992 by Sam Diamond



Employment services agencies are increasingly using voice processing technology to improve service and make it available for extended periods of time.



Leading the trend is Employment and Immigration Canada (EIC). "Voice processing (gives us) a cost effective way to provide individuals receiving benefits with a range of information they need - including local employment opportunities," says Eric Davies, director of administrative systems at EIC. "Bilingual information lines (English and French) allow callers to obtain the information they need when they need it, freeing EIC representatives to work on critical tasks and cases requiring personal attention."



EIC receives over 30 million inquiries regarding unemployment benefits each year. To better handle the calls, the agency recently contracted with Periphonics Corp. of Rexdale, Ont., to implement an information service at 27 separate locations. The service, called Insurance and Employment Telemessage, will provide automated inquiry resolution on 840 incoming telephone lines distributed throughout EIC offices.



One application is for Insurance Services where information is available seven days a week. From 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., callers can hear about qualifying conditions required to receive benefits; addresses of the Canada Employment Centres (CEC) in the nearby metropolitan area; how and when to file a claim for benefits; how to obtain a Social Insurance Number; and, how the rate of unemployment benefits is calculated.



Callers can also transfer to an attendant if additional assistance is required. In the future, the agency plans to add a menu prompt which would allow callers to ask about the status of their payment.



Another application, Employment Information Services, is available 24 hours a day. It provides pre-recorded messages on how to find a job, the addresses of the CEC and information on employment programs.



In addition, a local job vacancy listing is provided. Updated daily at each of the 27 sites, it depends on a system feature called local data file storage. Rather than requiring a host database, this feature allows the CEC to store data required for the application on the voice processing system itself. The only time host-based data will be required for Insurance and Employment Telemessage is when information on payment status will be provided.



"In early pilot tests, 65 per cent of callers voluntarily chose the voice processing-based solution," says Davies. "It can be assumed this percentage would have been higher had a speech recognition capability been provided for callers from rotary dial telephones."



Of the 65 per cent, 91 per cent were fully serviced by the automated voice response processing system, he adds.



Almost 40 per cent of the calls were made after normal business hours.



COPYRIGHT 1992 Transcontinental Media IT Business Group