Applicability of Voice Message Processing to U.S. Army Directorates of Engineering and Housing Operations
Abstract
Field observation at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, revealed that, during working hours, a typical U.S. Army installation Directorate of Engineering and Housing (DEH) Work Order Reception Desk may receive 500 telephone calls daily. After hours, service request calls are forwarded to the Fire Department, whose job expands to include answering, redirecting, and prioritizing both emergency and nonemergency calls. Telephone congestion causes many calls to go unanswered, or to be incorrectly processed. A possible solution to the telephone congestion is to supplement DEH staff with a voice message processing system, which could prioritize emergency or important calls, and could fill or redirect routine information requests. This interim report summarizes an evaluation of DEH Work Order Reception practices and needs, and an investigation into commercially available voice message processing systems. The report concludes that the addition of a voice-processing system to existing DEH telephone and computer equipment can be a cost-effective way to enhance productivity of limited staff. The final planned stages of this study are to install voice message processing systems at Fort Leonard Wood and Fort Eustis, Virginia, and to monitor, test, and evaluate their performance and cost effectiveness.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA243666
Entities
People
- Donald K. Hicks
- Glenn A. Rasmussen
- John W. Crane Jr.
- Robert D. Neathammer
Organizations
- Construction Engineering Research Laboratory