The position of voice portal specialist is the champion for the caller and serves as a liaison between the business and technical units, spanning various departments. This case study follows Blue Shield of California’s journey in IVR design and development during the past 5 years. It outlines the implementing and refining of the BSC speech-enabled self-service phone system and the creation of the position of voice portal specialist, focused on creating a balance between cost-saving automation and customer satisfaction.

In 2006, Pitney Bowes invested in a suite software applications, including speech analytics. The speech analytics tool directs users to calls related to
particular topics and allows them to quickly listen to the relevant aspects of the call. Using this functionality, Pitney Bowes has been able to reduce call
transfers, address issues with fee waivers, and identify top issues regarding USPS rate-change calls into the call centers.