All organizations, from the smallest to the biggest ones aim to maintain their current clientele, continuously build new business relationships and consistently grow their profits - all while keeping everyone happy. The corporate battleground is a very dynamic place to be in. Competition is fierce, with new products that are developed, improved and marketed each minute. Everyone wants a piece of anything that promises to give them a sustainable competitive advantage over others in their field.

In current times, however, it is no longer enough to just have a good product and a good marketing strategy to back it up with - much more is needed to unsure your success.

Companies nowadays are willing to pay a premium to ensure their clients are happy and that they stay that way. This is where high level customer support comes into play using high end phone applications with new technologies such as ivr software and speech recognition systems. It's no secret that a lot of business is won or lost based on the level of customer support a company provides. We've all heard stories of companies with excellent products and marketing strategies that have failed miserable in the long run owing to poor connection with their client base brought about by inferior customer service. However, the next question that comes to mind is: Should high quality always come at such a high price?

While an old way of thinking may dictate that everything top class comes at a premium, and that "quality has its price", modern technology has begged to differ and has proven otherwise. With the continuous advancements in ivr phone applications, it is now very possible for any organization, regardless of its location or size, to maintain the highest level of customer service without burning a hole through the company's pocket.

IVR or Interactive Voice Recognition systems allow customers to interact with a company's database via a telephone keypad or by speech recognition. Greatly put to use in Contact centres, Customer information hubs, Helpdesks, IT, Marketing, Telecommunications as well as in Government and other institutions, ivr phone applications minimize, if not completely diminish the need for human agents or operators. As such, previous operators may be transferred to more demanding tasks or positions. This means that the organization saves on operational and manpower costs while acquiring the ability to operate many functions 24 hours non-stop. Another great thing about this technology is that it may be applied for various functions and for virtually all types of businesses.

From the time of its inception in the early 1960's, interactive voice recognition has developed from the once expensive and complicated technology it used to be, to the user-friendly, reliable, cost-effective solution it is today. As the technology continued to develop and improve, more useful features and innovations have been introduced. With the emergence of automatic speech recognition - a more advanced and broader solution which refers to technology that recognizes speech from arbitrary voices (without being targeted at a single speaker), more and more organizations and customers alike have benefited from its use.

Automatic speech recognition, much like most other phone applications may be personalized to suit the needs of any particular company or client. Its practical applications have been put to good use for efficient Customer Service as well as various functions in several industries.

As a Customer Service tool, it is utilized as an effective interface in various Helpdesks as well as in performing inbound and outbound calls. Another great thing about it is that as this technology is continuously harnessed and developed, the cost to purchase, install and utilize it has continued to go down as well. Numerous turnkey phone applications are now available for organizations of all sizes at the fraction of the cost they once were. Hence, automatic speech recognition it has begun to take shape as an integral part of Customer Service in many businesses.

In a world where it is a given that all businesses aim to constantly save on costs while maintaining the highest possible level of customer service, highly effective, inexpensive technologies like ivr software, its various phone applications, as well as automatic speech recognition systems are very much welcome developments.