OREANDA-NEWS. October 21, 2010. From November 1, 2010 North-West Telecom puts into operation in St. Petersburg an interactive self-service system with a speech recognition and synthesis function for free-of-charge information services at 09 and 8-118-09, contemplating its expansion to other regions of the North-West Federal District.

The new high-tech speech recognition service is part of the IVR (Interactive Voice Response)* system operating on the basis of NWT’s unified Contact Center (see Press Release of October 29, 2010 ).

The speech recognition and synthesis function allows a user to make voice inquiries and obtain information from the unified database of free-of-charge information services. There is no need to press buttons on the telephone sets in the tone mode, and the information search is carried out by identifying the user’s words or phrases and by switching to the required answer.

The speech recognition and synthesis function has a number of advantages, as it:
reduces the time required to serve a user;
makes it easier for the user to enter information (it might be difficult to use buttons; some telephone sets do not have a tone mode button);
improves the availability of free-of-charge information services, making it easier and more comfortable to use them;
reduces the workload for the Contact Center operators (information is provided to the user automatically).

The project for adding to the IVR system the Nuance Speech Recognition function developed by Nuance Communications is implemented jointly with a Russian integrator, STEP LOGIC LLC.

On October 14, 2010, the IVR system with the speech recognition and synthesis function was presented to journalists at the Flagman-format Customer Service Center at 88 Nevsky prospect. St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region journalists not only learned about the new capacities of the NWT Contact Center , but also had an opportunity to test the new function .

Presenting the new capacities of the unified Contact Center , Aleksandr Vasilyevich Davydov, Director of the NWT Service Support Department, noted : “North-West Telecom became one of the first companies to use up-to-date developments in such area as Russian speech recognition and synthesis. Before launching this new function, North-West Telecom carried out a considerable upgrade to its own Contact Center , which is currently the key tool for interaction with the users. It offers several solutions at a time, such as provision of free-of-charge and paid information services, technical support to users etc. The speech recognition and synthesis function is a unique high-tech service that changes cardinally the principle of communication between man and a service system. Now this communication turns from a monologue into a dialogue: the system not only understands the users’ questions, but also formulates itself the answers, using a unified, continuously updated knowledge base”.

Discussing the new IVR function, A.V. Davydov emphasized: “Of course, “talking” to the system may at first embarrass conservative users, but we believe that the new voice system will be duly appreciated not only by the supporters of advanced and innovative technologies, but by ordinary users as well. Furthermore, the system is teachable and with time its answers will be more intellectual and instant access to the most frequently asked questions will be provided etc.”.