Case Study:
San Diego State University
Founded in 1897, San Diego State University (SDSU) is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region and is in the top seven percent of higher education research institutions in the U.S. SDSU is the largest among 23 California State University campuses with 34,000 students, 4,000 staff and faculty, and 120 buildings.
At the time SDSU went to RFP, the university employed three full-time operators and up to seven part-time operator staff members. SDSU utilizes an Ericsson® PBX with services to faculty, staff, and student dorms.
Freeing Operators for callers needing in-Depth assistance
The Challenge
SDSU wanted to employ speech recognition in order to deliver improved call handling to its calling community, provide 24-hour coverage for the main answering position and create an environment where the current main answering operators could spend more time handling callers that needed personal assistance. SDSU looked to speech recognition to accomplish these goals for a number of reasons:
- Ease of use
- Cost-effectiveness
- The automation it would bring to the campus
- Easy access to campus and directory information
- Increased operator productivity
- The elimination of the publication and distribution of a campus-wide printed directory
The Objective
SDSU had several objectives in mind when evaluating speech recognition technology:
- Use it to front the main campus number
- 24/7 directory assistance
- Free operators to handle non-routine calls
- Increase internal and external customer satisfaction
- Reduce non-emergency after-hours calls to Public Safety
The Solution
SDSU went through an extensive RFP process and selected Amcom Software¹ to provide Amcom Speech™, a robust, state-of-the-art speech recognition solution. In January 2002, SDSU installed a complete, campus-wide directory, which included faculty, staff, departments, and on-campus students. The final configuration was a 10,000-name system and a 6,000-name housing module (no auto transfer).
The Result
Amcom Speech is now processing an average of 3,000 to 6,000 calls per week with a transaction completion rate above 95 percent. Since installation, SDSU has eliminated one operator position at a total cost savings of $30,000 per year. SDSU has also eliminated the need for a yearly printed directory, saving an additional $20,000 per year.
Operators are spending more time on SDSU external main number calls and providing better customer service overall, and the calls to Public Safety dispatch during non-working hours have been reduced. Additionally, the campus can access directory services through cell phones, providing a value-add to both faculty and students.
