Avaya to demonstrate AI and biometrics-enabled communications solutions

At GITEX, Avaya Holding Corp. is demonstrating integration of AI-Enhanced technologies, including biometrics and real-time sentiment analysis to its communication platforms, enabling organizations to elevate voice as a key user interface for richer, more seamless, secure customer and employee experiences.

Driven by the growing consumer demand for more intuitive experiences and positive outcomes, businesses are being pressured to reimagine their approach to customer and employee engagement. A recent Avaya survey of more than 8,000 consumers found that over 70 percent prefer contacting customer services by phone and believe it is the most effective means of getting the best answer. At the same time, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests increasing customer acceptance and demand for digital technologies like chatbots and biometrics, and research indicates that 25 percent of interactions with these technologies will be conversational.

“Voice remains the cornerstone of customer service, and there is a clear opportunity for its extended application to enrich customer journeys,” said Chris McGugan, Avaya senior vice president of Solutions and Technology. “Through our position as the leading provider of enterprise communications solutions, and our customer-centric approach to innovation, we have been embracing new and exciting technologies that enable us to effectively address these changing customer preferences and deliver voice as a more powerful user interface, for both customers and employees.”

As a champion of the API economy, Avaya has embraced opening its Oceana and Equinox platform development capabilities for Unified Communications and Contact Centers, expanding the breadth and capabilities its Software Development Kit. This includes ecosystem partners and internal developers incorporating conversational AI, natural language processing, analytics and cognitive machine learning—to enhance the capabilities of Avaya solutions and merging UC and CC for a more connected enterprise experience.

For businesses to stay relevant, it is essential they invest in technologies that enable them to serve customers how, when, and where these customers chose to engage with the organization. Looking to inspire GITEX visitors with ideas that lead to seamless, intuitive and intelligent engagement across digital and human touch points, Avaya’s Oceana use cases, demonstrated at the company’s GITEX stand, include conversational IVR for biometrics integration, sentiment-based routing of calls—allowing customers to make inquiries and receive an immediate considered response either on personalized digital channels from the most capable service agent or back office expert via a context rich personalized experience.

With increasing numbers of millennials and digital-natives in the workforce, businesses must empower these individuals to connect and collaborate seamlessly with customers and fellow employees via their preferred channels, irrespective of their location, device, and communication channel. Visitors to GITEX will have the opportunity to see how Avaya is enriching its Equinox Unified Communications platform by integrating cognitive services from organizations such as Microsoft and Google to deliver voice-enabled virtual assistants for the enterprise. Demonstrating two factor BioID authentication via facial & voice biometrics, contextual transcription and real time translation with intent recognition, that serves as a personalized assistant to each employee, enhancing their productivity and increasing job satisfaction.

“For most of us, voice is the primary mode for communicating our thoughts and expressing our feelings with others―our families, friends, co-workers. Gartner suggests that there will be as many as four billion digital assistants by 2022, and if this number is any indication of consumers’ preference for voice-based engagement, it would be fair to assume that they would prefer voice to communicate with businesses as well,” said McGugan.

“Organizations that recognize this and embrace voice-enabled technologies can expect marked improvements in customer loyalty and satisfaction. As Avaya looks to pioneer new and enriched engagement experiences, we are delivering entirely new ways for voice to be intuitively leveraged across all touch points,” he concluded.