Conn3ct Buys IVR Tech Company ICR

Speech technologies have become so sophisticated today that it can sometimes even be difficult to tell if between interacting with a human agent or automated system when first calling a customer service line.

In a move to further improve interaction will callers, Conn3ct, a UK-based communications solutions provider, has announced the acquisition of ICR Speech Solutions & Services Limited.

The IVR technology provider is recognized in the speech applications industry for its speech bot technology and specialized next-gen application development.

Company officials said the purchase is part of its M&A strategy and helps the company to add key intellectual property to its portfolio for IVR.

“Conn3ct’s vision for contact center IVR is quite simple: we want to move away from rigid, linear applications to something that is more human and satisfying to the customer’s experience,” said Alex Tupman, CEO at Conn3ct.

Today, IVR technologies have become highly sophisticated thanks to AI and machine learning. These systems are able to deliver highly customized experiences for callers in a very natural format.

With ICR’s technologies, Conn3ct can deliver on its client’s demands for a fully automated caller experience- even when customers have complex queries.

A key technology Conn3ct picks up is the company’s ‘Decision Engine’ to make natural, human-to-machine communications possible. It works by adding the historical and real-time context and a caller’s intent together and then route calls to automated services or live agents to best address the need.

An official release also stated new technology in development includes, “a tool to read in Nuance (News - Alert) natural language (NLCS) content and export a Google DialogFlow or Lex app for a combined chat/IVR experience and the ability to blend on-premise IVR with cloud-based Speech AI – seamlessly.”

“After careful consideration of the market players, we determined that ICR is not only a great strategic fit for Conn3ct’s future vision but can ensure that we are at the cutting-edge of IVR technology and, ultimately, the customer experience,” said Tupman. 

Edited by Maurice Nagle