Filed under: Innovation
Can you hear me now? Speech recognition software is getting very good, and very popular.
Can you hear me now? Speech recognition software is getting very good, and very popular.It's not just Siri: Speech recognition has advanced remarkably over the last decade.
Banks, airlines, manufacturers and shipping firms such as FedEx and UPS increasingly rely on the technology to simplify data input and speed customer transactions. Research firm Global Industry Analysts (GIA) predicts that speech recognition will grow from a $5.2 billion market at the end of 2009 to $20.9 billion by 2015.
It's not difficult to understand the appeal of these systems. Automated speech recognition systems trim call center costs by about 50 percent while improving overall productivity, GIA reports. They also provide more secure and private interactions. In addition, advanced systems are able to use speech analytics to transform unstructured customer communications and conversations into actionable events. This makes them attractive for a growing array of tasks, including research, feedback and technical support.
As the technology matures, consumers are also turning to speech recognition-and manufacturers, retailers and others are increasingly viewing the technology as a product differentiator. Automobiles and GPS systems incorporate the technology more and more, and a growing array of professionals, including doctors, attorneys and journalists, are relying on speech recognition to tackle dictation and control functions on different devices.
Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that owners of Apple's iPhone 4s consume nearly double the data of other smartphone users-a fact that has interesting implications for businesses looking to integrate functionality through mobile channels. The latest version of the iPhone, equipped with Apple's Siri voice recognition and personal assistant software, is enabling an array of functions that previously required touch input.
Michael Flanagan, CTO for network advisor Arieso, stated in the Bloomberg story that "voice is the ultimate human interface." This concept has significant ramifications for both businesses and IT: as organizations turn to mobile channels and develop increasingly sophisticated apps that connect with customers over smartphones and tablets, expect greater use of speech recognition-and tighter integration with an array other functions.