|
The
Voice Web: Commercial Implications of VoiceXML
(Continued
from Part 1)
Applications
While
many commercially successful applications can and have
been written using proprietary voice platforms, the
simplicity and interoperability of VoiceXML make it
an attractive approach when implementing applications
for the Voice Web. Applications currently being implemented
and deployed on the Voice Web include:
- Communications
management and personal assistants: Communications
management usually includes dialing by name using
a personal directory, and is often delivered by a
telecom service provider. Personal-assistant functionality
includes call screening, taking and accessing voice
messages, and one-number access to the subscriber
(scanning several subscriber numbers based on subscriber
instructions). Other personalized features include
maintaining a schedule and delivering reminders. Unified
messaging, one form of communications management,
includes features such as reviewing email or fax headers
by phone using text-to-speech. Applications within
companies offer these services in a somewhat different
manner. Voice-activated auto attendants direct calls
by name. Corporate voice portals can also provide
such services as reservations for a conference, location
of a local store outlet, or a connection to customer
service.
- General
information: General information includes weather,
sports scores, horoscopes, general news, financial
news, stock quotes, traffic conditions, and driving
directions. Such information is intended to make a
voice-enabled service part of a subscriber's daily
habit. Information can be customized, using, for example,
the user's personal stock portfolio or the user's
current location. As voice portals evolve, the caller
will be able to "voicemark" specialized
voice-equipped Web sites.
- Automated
commerce: Voice commerce supports a variety of
transactions that can result in product or service
sales. These include transactions similar to ordering
from a Web site or telephone catalog service. They
also include finding a business by saying its trade
name or its category. Entertainment is also part of
voice commerce. For example, the caller can use speech
recognition to choose audio channels to listen to.
As in e-commerce, applications can be business-to-consumer
or business-to-business.
- Productivity
applications: A personal assistant service improves
productivity, but there are also specific productivity
applications within corporations. These include, for
example, tools for a sales force to call into Customer
Relationship Management software to find prospects
or update status.
Conclusion
The
Voice Web is very early in its evolution. It is likely,
however, to grow more quickly in popularity than the
World Wide Web did in its early stages. Since VoiceXML
applications are accessible from the hundreds of millions
of telephones in service throughout the world, there
is a built-in market awaiting voice-enabled Web sites.
Furthermore, organizations have already created services
and databases for the World Wide Web that can be used
by a Voice Web service. VoiceXML helps overcome the
main remaining hurdle to rapid growth--a means of rapidly
developing and improving applications that people and
companies want.
back
to the top
Copyright
© 2001 VoiceXML Forum. All rights reserved.
The VoiceXML Forum is a program of the
IEEE
Industry Standards and Technology Organization
(IEEE-ISTO).
|