Convergys, a global leader in customer management, announced another step forward in its Conversational platform, Intelligent Voice Portal 10, which delivers human-like virtual assistant technology to customers through popular IoT devices such as Amazon Echo™ and Google Home™.

The Convergys Conversational platform allows organizations to receive and respond to customer enquiries made through popular virtual personal assistant (VPA) speakers. Users can bypass Interactive Voice Response (IVR) menu structures, connecting directly with their bank, airline, telco, and retail brands, without needing to dial a phone number.

“This solution is transforming the way customers interact with organizations,” said Kathy Juve, SVP Marketing, and Product Strategy at Convergys. “Users today can just tell their device what they want to accomplish, using their own words in natural speech phrases. For example, a customer can say ‘Alexa, Open ABC Bank’, to initiate a banking conversation and the user can then ask, ‘What was my last deposit?’”

Today’s consumers are accustomed to using their VPA speakers for everything from playing their favorite music to keeping track of their to-do lists, and these VPA speakers are continuing to grow in popularity. In Q1 2017 alone, 3.4 million VPA speakers were sold globally—a 710% increase over Q1 2016.1

“With the growing adoption of VPA speakers among both consumers and enterprises, we are just beginning to tap into the potential of these devices in the contact center market,” said Kathy Juve, SVP Marketing, and Product Strategy at Convergys. “We look forward to giving our clients the opportunity to create new, highly personalized, and always-on services.”

Those organizations already working with Convergys can leverage their existing platform to integrate the voice, and natural language processing of the Amazon Echo™ or Google Home™ speakers, enabling consumers to engage through Alexa and Google-powered devices as a new digital access point.

“Convergys continues to invest in digital and insight driven solutions and technology to help our clients meet the digital needs of their customers,” said Kathy Juve, SVP Marketing and Product Strategy at Convergys. “This announcement ensures we continue to remain ahead of the curve when it comes to delivering our clients the most advanced and latest customer experience solutions.”

1 FutureSource Consulting, July 7, 2017