part 3&4...........
As a result, the market for speech-enabled applications is expected to grow
rapidly. Voice Information Associates, a US market research company estimated
that the market for advanced speech technology would mushroom from Dollars
460m in 1997, to Dollars 5bn in 2001 and Dollars 7.9bn in 2003. Meanwhile,
translation services, another rapidly growing segment of the overall language
products market, is projected to grow from Dollars 3bn in 1997, to Dollars 5.2bn
in 2001 and Dollars 6.9bn in 2003.
These growth forecasts are also reflected in the increasing number of businesses
using voice technology to enhance their product offering or services. Speech
applications are on the market or in development in areas as diverse as travel,
financial services, telephony, law, education, medicine, government, manufacturing
and small businesses.
Speech-enabled applications can, for example, help reduce the training costs of
rapidly changing software products by providing a more intuitive user interface,
allowing users to substitute complex drop-down menu commands with simple
spoken commands. Customer service departments can also replace thousands of
operators to provide customers with automated access to information and
services.
Speech provides many categories of users with increased mobility. Accountants
can dictate and enter data without having to have their hands on a keyboard.
Mobile users can dictate notes into a handheld recorder, keeping their hands free
for driving; the notes are transferred later to the desktop computer and
automatically converted to text. Dragon Systems has developed a mobile version
of its software called Naturally Mobile which includes a digital handheld recorder
using flash memory cards.
Speech recognition or speech-to-text captures human speech and translates it to a
written format. In command and control applications, the captured speech
commands can be used to trigger an action such as launching an application or
dialling a phone. In dictation applications, the captured speech data can be
transcribed and stored as a text file, edited by the user and used like any other
file.
Speech can also reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries, allowing employees to
spend more time at work, and speech-enabled applications can eliminate the
constraints of the telephone key-pad and allow easier-to-use-automated systems
to provide a more economical service. A speech-enabled application can replace
frustrating "Press 1 for choice X" instructions with simpler options, such as: "Say
the name of the person or department you'd like to reach."
Meanwhile, the internet and electronic business are encouraging companies to
globalise their service or product offerings. Speech-enabled applications can
provide language translation services, guide users through online help menus, and
simplify data entry when numerous forms must be filled out. Speech can also be
used as an alternative to complex Asian keyboards or phonetic spelling.
In the telephony market, speech technology offers mobile users continuous access
to database records, voice mail, e-mail and information through the telephone.
Products like Wildfire's Personal Assistant and Registry Magic's automated
attendant allow remote access to voice messaging systems and call management
by spoken commands.
Speech also provides customers with 24-hour access to help agents and reduce
hold times, while making significant savings in labour costs for service providers.
Nuance's Voicebroker, developed for Charles Schwab, allows brokers to
perform stock transactions through an artificial agent. AlTech's Travel
Reservations System allows employees of United Airlines to check flight times
and make reservations.
Companies deploying such systems report major cost savings. An automated
voice attendant is reportedly saving AT&T Network Systems Dollars 300m
annually in labour costs while, according to Nuance Communications, automated
phone transfer has allowed Sears to reassign almost 3,000 human operators. As
Intel notes, automated attendants can be particularly beneficial to small
businesses, as they allow these companies to provide higher levels of service with
fewer employees.
Speech technology is still evolving, with improvements in areas such as accuracy,
vocabulary size, recognition speed and natural language processing. Even so,
speech technology has already become a viable technology, offering an exciting
way for developers to add value to their software and expand into new arenas.
"As the speech and language industries continue their maturation, vendors must
meet the needs of the mass market by making the technologies simpler to use and
more accessible," says Jo Lernout, L&H's co-founder and co-chairman.
Copyright © The Financial Times Limited
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