When users prefer IVR

A couple of interesting articles from Speech Technology Magazine. The first will probably send Walt&Walt into shock. It makes the brazen claim that users of a Vodafone Spain speech solution were happy with the speech deployment they called into. Of course, the numbers they cite -- 95
percent of its customers surveyed about their experience with the speech-enabled call center find the system easy to use, 89 percent think using the system is quick, and 96 percent are not bothered by the system at all -- may be complete lies and outright fabrications, but here is the article, for what it's worth, and for the record:
http://www.speechtechmag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=29711

A second, less shocking article, mentions a 2006 Gartner study that also gives some interesting numbers. Again, the numbers should be taken with a dry grain of salt as they may also be shameless fabrications that may very well not withstand the crushing weight of anecdotal evidence and irrefutable general (but sanguine) cultural sentiments:
http://multichannelmerchant.com/opsandfulfillment/contact_center_advisor/speech_\
IVR/