ABN AMRO Mortgage turns to speech-recognition technology: NetByTel helps it retain customers...

THE NUMBER OF MORTGAGE REFINANCINGS EXPLOD-ed in 2001 in the wake of falling interest rates, and the competition to gain new customers and retain existing ones was fierce. ABN AMRO Mortgage Group Inc. felt the competitive heat and decided to improve its service and cost effectiveness to retain customers and generate new loans.

A series of rate cuts by the Federal Reserve last year led to huge drops in mortgage rates and resulted in jammed phone lines as customers panted to find out how much they could save by refinancing their mortgage loans. "We needed something that w