OK computer

Residents of Barcelona, Turin and Camden in London who feel like they are talking to a computer when they phone for council information or to carry out a transaction will soon be proven right. But instead of receiving scripted responses they will be conversing with a platform that enables natural dialogue.

Developed by the IST-funded HOPS project, the platform uses a variety of technologies to enable people to talk to a computer over the phone as if they are talking with a human call centre worker.

While saving the councils time and money, callers will find they have access to interactive information and services around the clock, said Joan Batlle, the project coordinator at Barcelona city hall. Importantly, the natural language dialogue made possible by the platform should overcome people’s general dislike of talking to automated call centre systems.

‘The problem has been that most of the systems used to automate call centres rely on asking the caller to pick from a list of options and then offering a response from a pre-programmed list that may or may not give the user the information they require,’ said Batlle.