IDEA Cellular and IBM have announced a ten-year, $53 million contract to deploy, integrate, innovate and transform IDEA's interactive voice response (IVR) self-service infrastructure and processes.

The agreement is in addition to the ten-year IT outsourcing agreement between IDEA and IBM, valued around $600 million to $800 million signed earlier this year.

IBM will enable IDEA to deliver an enhanced customer contact experience to its subscribers by integrating IVR self-service with IDEA's business support and IT systems and leveraging a common process and operations.

IBM will provide consultancy for IVR optimisation, operate and manage the systems and provide continuous improvements for IDEA subscribers' self-service experience.

According to Sanjeev Aga, managing director, IDEA Cellular, "We will harness IBM's knowledge and experience in the areas of contact centre and voice response to achieve our objective of having the most advanced infrastructure and processes to support IDEA’s business."

“Interactive Voice Response is a first of its kind project and will make IDEA's contact centre management resilient, scalable and cost effective. We are delighted to extend our partnership with IDEA and the Aditya Birla Group, in this high focus area of customer contact,” stated Vivek Gupta, IBM India director, Communication Sector.