Speech recognition for Latvenergo AS

Speech recognition for Latvenergo AS

 

A success story in a nutshell

Latvenergo AS is one of the leading energy companies and one of the most environmentally friendly producers in the Baltic States. Latvenergo AS has approximately 790 thousand customers in the household segment and 21 thousand in the business segment.

2

the solution allows to save as many hours as would be needed to hire 2 FULL TIME EMPLOYEES

95%

In 95% OF CASES the AI can deal with messages without any human involvement

70%

OF MESSAGES perfectly recognized

1

speech recognition solution

 

Challenge

Among others, Latvenergo customers may report meter readings by phone. However, the company needs to invest a lot of effort in processing these calls and acquiring information as this data should be processed in less than a week, and the company receives several thousand messages during this period of time.

 

Solution

A language-technology solution was introduced at the company in 2018. It does not speak with customers, but understands customer messages in Latvian and converts audio recordings of voice calls into meter data in alphanumeric format. Voice recordings, if transformed into text, can be analyzed and processed much easier: you no longer need to listen to get information. Furthermore, even empty files with no recordings can be recognized.

"Latvenergo aspires to use advanced technologies, in particular by automating tasks with little added value,"

stresses Aivis Kasparāns, the Head of Latvenergo Payment and Customer Service Systems.

Benefits

The benefits can be best seen in internal processes. The AI allows to reduce the manual effort that Latvenergo employees have to invest in manually noting down this information. In the automation chain, customers may enter the meter data by phone: it is one of the first options that allows to key in data directly into the system. If the customer is not recognized or the data are not found usable, the customer is asked to record this information in a voice mail message. Tilde's AI solution recognizes such recordings and enables employees to work with text files that saves time.

"With the speech recognition technology, we have significantly reduced human engagement and manual labor, as human involvement is needed in just 5% of cases. Thus, we save as many human hours as would be needed to hire up to two full time employees,"

underlines Avis Kasparāns.

The second benefit is related to improved customer satisfaction: customers know that their data will be processed in due time and they will receive a correct monthly bill. The speech recognition technology also helps in meeting deadlines and delivering what customers expect. Even customers that do not use or almost do not use the self-service portal and prefer calls, also appreciate the AI solution. Every month, the Contact Centre processes six to eight thousand calls, while two to three thousand of them can be handled with the AI solution.

 

Future ambition

Currently, Tilde's speech recognition technology helps in automating specific categories of calls. The next ambitious step is to make the solution convert all conversations into text files. It would open the door to valuable data that would help to improve the customer service processes by substantiating decisions with a detailed analysis of the most frequently asked questions, complaints and other trends.

"The AI and data are two inseparable things and can significantly affect the quality of business decisions,"

explains Aivis Kasparāns

In the future, this technology will allow to serve and assist customers, and to offer solutions in no time.

Looking for a tailor-made or unique solution? Tell us about your need and we will show you how!

Kristine Metuzale Tilde

Mārtiņš Sūna
AI Business Developer at Tilde