Why Speech-to-Speech AI is the True IVR Upgrade

Metric
What aspect of the contact center’s IVR experience we're evaluating — core dimensions of performance, CX, and infrastructure.
Traditional IVR
Describes the baseline experience of legacy IVR systems — think touch-tone, basic speech-to-text, rigid menus, and no personalization. This column frames the limitations.
Speech-to-Speech AI IVR
Represents the modern, AI-powered alternative — intelligent, emotional, and dynamic. This column shows the transformative upgrade.

Benchmark Stats from Voice AI Departments

Metric
Key performance indicators used by IT, CX, and Ops leaders to evaluate voice systems.
Traditional IVR
Known performance benchmarks of legacy IVR systems (often capped or underwhelming).
Speech-to-Speech AI
Benchmark data from leading deployments of S2S AI — real-world gains, often post-pilot or implementation.
Source
Adds credibility — vendors, analysts, and research leaders who report on these numbers.

KPI
Customer service metrics tied to performance, satisfaction, and operational cost.
Speech-to-Speech AI
Shows the “best case” benchmark results — high performance, strong engagement, and clear ROI.
Speech-to-Text
The middle-ground: not full AI conversation. Often used as an interim step (e.g., ASR + TTS), but lacks emotional understanding or real-time adaptation.
Source
Third-party research firms, vendors, and analysts that confirm the credibility of the metrics.

KPI	Explanation
CSAT	Measures how satisfied customers are after interactions. S2S AI creates emotional, efficient experiences, leading to much higher satisfaction.
Containment Rate	Higher containment means more calls are resolved automatically. S2S AI achieves this through better understanding and flexibility.
First Contact Resolution (FCR)	The ability to solve a customer’s issue on the first try. S2S AI reduces escalations and rework, driving up FCR significantly.
Net Promoter Score (NPS)	A proxy for brand loyalty. Traditional IVR has little impact, but S2S AI can surprise customers with how easy and human the experience feels.
Average Handle Time (AHT)	With S2S AI, the conversation is faster and more natural, reducing average call duration.
Abandonment Rate	Lower abandonment = higher engagement. S2S AI keeps customers talking instead of hanging up out of frustration.
Agent Workload Reduction	As more calls are resolved via AI, agents focus on complex tasks — improving morale, reducing burnout, and scaling operations without headcount.