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Voice Portals
In its most generic sense a voice portal can be defined
as "speech enabled access to Web based information". In other
words, a voice portal provides telephone users with a natural language
interface to access and retrieve Web content. An Internet browser can
provide Web access from a computer but not from a telephone. A voice
portal is a way to do that.
The voice portal market is exploding with enormous
opportunities for service providers to grow business and revenues. Voice
based internet access uses rapidly advancing speech recognition technology
to give users any time, anywhere communication and access-the Human Voice-
over an office, wireless, or home phone. Here we would describe the
various technology factors that are making voice portal the next big
opportunity on the web, as well as the various approaches service
providers and developers of voice portal solutions can follow to maximize
this exciting new market opportunity.
Why Voice?
Natural speech is modality used when communicating with
other people. This makes it easier for a user to learn the operation of
voice-activate services. As an output modality, speech has several
advantages. First, auditory input does not interfere with visual tasks,
such as driving a car. Second, it allows for easy incorporation of
sound-based media, such as radio broadcasts, music, and voice-mail
messages. Third, advances in TTS (Text To Speech) technology mean text
information can be transferred easily to the user. Natural speech also has
an advantage as an input modality, allowing for hands-free and eyes-free
use. With proper design, voice commands can be created that are easy for a
user to remember .These commands do not have to compete for screen space.
In addition unlike keyboard-based macros (e.g., ctrl-F7), voice commands
can be inherently mnemonic ("call United Airlines"), obviating
the necessity for hint cards. Speech can be used to create an interface
that is easy to use and requires a minimum of user attention.
VUI (Voice User Interface) For a voice portal to
function, one of the most important technology we have to include is a
good VUI (Voice User Interface).There has been a great deal of development
in the field of interaction between human voice and the system. And there
are many other fields they have started to get implemented. Like insurance
has turned to interactive voice response (IVR) systems to provide
telephonic customer self-service, reduce the load on call-center staff,
and cut overall service costs. The promise is certainly there, but how
well these systems perform-and, ultimately, whether customers leave the
system satisfied or frustrated-depends in large part on the user interface
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