Speech-Enabled Technology Exploding Into Mainstream Corporate America
Contact:
Peter Engle, President
Joy Communications
(772) 283-2000
pengle@joycomm.com
News For Immediate Release
Speech-Enabled Technology Has Exploded Into Mainstream Corporate America: Are You
Ready to Reap Its Benefits?
Peter Engle of Joy Communications Discusses Its Value to Small and Medium Sized
Businesses
Stuart, FL – April 11, 2008 — Have you ever asked yourself, "How
did I ever do business without cell phones or email?" They're definitely not something
that we could live without today. Well, there's another technology that has exploded
into mainstream corporate America that will make you ask the same question very
soon. The communications tool being referred to is speech-enabled technology, also
commonly known as voice recognition. This technology has experienced significant
improvements during the last few years to the point where many companies cannot
survive without it. In the past, speech-enabled technology was considered to be
a business solution only utilized by large enterprises, however it has now become
extremely popular among small to medium sized companies. Speech-enabled technology,
in its simplest form, is a solution that listens to human voices. The system then
recognizes the voice, translates commands from the individual into a computer system,
and responds based on the information it has received. It has now become much more
than that and contains significant features aiding companies in all types of industries.
For example, users of speech-enabled technology can tap into the following capabilities
in real-time – all based on the recognition of someone's voice.
- Auto-attendant answers, screens, and transfers calls instantly
- Takes voice mail messages, automatically returning, copying, or forwarding calls
based on name recognition
- Finds people with a follow-me feature at any location
- Connects to anyone when a user identifies the person
- Voice activates users' email systems enabling them to:
- Listen, compose and send, and copy or forward emails
- Create email replies
to individuals or large groups
- Send voice mail messages into user's email in-box
The technology truly gives people the freedom to communicate and conduct business
from any location – in their car, at home, across the country or around the world.
Speech-enabled technology has seen rapid growth and it's not expected to slow down
anytime soon. Allied Business Intelligence (ABI) projects the technology to grow
to $5.3 billion by 2008. This growth is being driven by a few distinct factors.
One is the mobile workforce with more and more people conducting business on the
road. Today, the average American rush-hour driver wastes 51 hours sitting in traffic
annually. This is valuable time that could be used in a more productive manner,
like responding to email. Second, many states throughout the country are considering
banning the use of handheld cell phones so drivers can communicate "hands free."
This law has already passed in New York and California. Finally, a report by Gartner
found that when comparing speech recognition versus touch-tone respondents favored
speech recognition by a factor of 6 to 1. In order to adapt to these environmental
changes, companies and their employees have rushed to adopt speech-enabled technology.
Previously, the technology used to be available and affordable only to large enterprise
corporations, however, that has drastically changed. It has become a very cost effective
and valuable communication tool for small to medium sized businesses. They are finding
that speech-enabled technology is giving them a competitive advantage and increasing
their profitability. Organizations in every industry are implementing this technology
to increase employee productivity. Here are a few examples:
- Organizations of every size are arming their mobile workforces (e.g. sales teams)
to function as if they were in the office
- Patients of medical and dental facilities are scheduling their own appointments
- Customers of restaurants are placing their own orders
- Companies with call centers are replacing their touch-tone IVRs
Another perfect example, which can be applied to almost any industry, exists in
real estate firms. Real estate agents are out of the office 50% to 75% of the day
and they do not have access to e-mail, fax, or voice mail unless they call in. Their
customers want to be connected to them without delay, especially in today's hectic
real estate market. Therefore, agents have tapped into speech-enabled technology
to minimize phone tag, access email via voice recognition from any location, connect
to clients, and reduce costs by not having to staff additional employees for administrative
tasks. They now have the power to conduct business as usual whether they're in the
office or on the road.
Speech-enabled technology has become a real solution to the way business professionals
communicate and manage their daily activities. Economic, legal, and competitive
factors have strongly influenced small to medium sized companies to utilize this
technology in order to stay ahead in their market places and ensure the productivity
of their employees. They are seeing the value and flexibility voice recognition
can bring and will be reaping its benefits well into the future.
About Joy Communications
Joy Communications, with offices in Stuart, Tampa, and Ft. Lauderdale, is a multi-million
dollar private company servicing South Florida and the Tampa/St. Petersburg area
since 1982, with over 10,000 customers. Joy Communications sells and services telecom
equipment including Mitel, Samsung, Shoretel, and Nortel, and provides voice services
from AT&T, as well as comprehensive data services. Joy's service area extends
from Jacksonville to Key West and the Tampa/St. Pete area. Joy Communications specializes
in providing quality service and support to its customers with locally based, certified
technicians. For more information about Joy Communications, please call 1-800-432-3638
or visit www.joycomm.com.