Tuesday July 27, 1:03 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SpeechWorks Selected by PriceInteractive To Deliver Latest in Speech Technology, SpeechSite
Solution Expands Outsourcing Options for Conversational Speech Recognition
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 27, 1999--SpeechWorks International, Inc., the leading provider of conversational speech recognition technology, today announced that it has reached an agreement with PriceInteractive, Inc. the nation's leading provider of sophisticated, high-end interactive voice response services, to form a partnership where the companies will develop and deploy the most advanced speech recognition solutions for corporate customers. Through the partnership, PriceInteractive will offer SpeechWorks' SpeechSite(TM) as well as the existing SpeechWorks 5.0® solution to its customers such as AT&T, Sprint, Mobil and Western Union via its IVR (interactive voice response) platform.
Announced earlier this month, SpeechSite is the first solution to seamlessly integrate auto attendant, corporate web site information and e-commerce capabilities seamlessly, enabling corporations to greet callers, route their calls and respond to requests for information 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
''We are delighted that PriceInteractive has partnered with us to bring SpeechSite and our existing technology to market,'' said Stuart R. Patterson, CEO of SpeechWorks. ''PriceInteractive's impressive customer list and experience offering a full range of call center and web customer service applications will allow mainstream companies to discover the benefits of phone-based speech recognition.''
Through one telephone number, SpeechSite serves as a friendly, personalized ''welcome mat'' to any company--greeting and routing callers who wish to speak directly to an employee or allowing them to complete business transactions through an easy-to-use, automated process.
''We chose to partner with SpeechWorks because of its state-of-the-art technology, number of deployments, and commitment to deliver innovative and user-friendly speech solutions to the mainstream market,'' said Ken Rokoff, vice president of sales and marketing, PriceInteractive. ''Over the next several months, we will announce a number of unprecedented initiatives in bringing sophisticated speech recognition capabilities to service bureau customers looking for the latest advancements in IVR applications.''
About PriceInteractive
Founded in 1997, PriceInteractive, Inc. is the leading provider of complex, high capacity interactive voice and Internet applications. PriceInteractive enables its customers to build relationships via a broad range of interactive technologies. As one of the largest and most experienced IVR (interactive voice response) service providers in the United States, PriceInteractive offers its solutions to industry leaders such as AT&T, MCI, Home Shopping Network, Mobil, Sprint and Kelly Services. Last month, PriceInteractive launched the most reliable anti-slamming service for carriers, which is the only enhanced third party verification solution that incorporates speech recognition and ''double checks'' a customer's carrier change order. PriceInteractive is headquartered in Reston, Virginia. For additional information, visit www.priceinteractive.com.
About SpeechWorks International, Inc.
SpeechWorks makes it easy to buy and implement speech recognition solutions through its worldwide network of distributors, resellers and integrators. The SpeechWorks Partner Program, with its unique technical certification component, includes over a dozen members such as: Aspect Telecommunications, Dialogic, digiTRADE (owned by Thomson Financial Services), Gold Systems, IBM, Intellisystems, InterVoice, Maxxar, netVest (subsidiary of Fiserv) and TALX. SpeechWorks and its partners have deployed the most advanced speech recognition systems in production today, making it easier than ever for callers to conduct transactions and get information over the telephone.
SpeechWorks International, Inc. is the creator of SpeechSite, the first solution to seamlessly integrate auto attendant, corporate information and E-commerce capabilities, enabling corporations to greet callers, route their calls and respond to requests 24 hours a day, seven days a week. SpeechSite is based on the company's award winning, multi-language solution, SpeechWorks 5.0, a solution that sets a new standard in speech-enabled e-business with unprecedented recognition accuracy and ease of deployment. SpeechWorks' customer base is comprised of over ten of the Fortune 100 and includes BellSouth, Continental Airlines, E*TRADE, Guardian, Hewlett-Packard, NEXTLINK/FedEx and United Airlines among many others. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with offices worldwide, SpeechWorks is a privately-held corporation with financing from venture capital firms, Intel Corporation and SAP. The company's solutions incorporate several patented technologies, and are based on research originally conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For additional information, call 617.428.4444 or visit speechworks.com.
SpeechWorks and SpeechSite are either trademarks or registered trademarks of SpeechWorks International, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other names are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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