Waterstons' executive consultant Nadine Crich talks about speech recognition...
I am always intrigued by new technolgies, and none more so than the latest speech recognition software that is slowly creeping into our lives.
Although it isn't widely available yet, we will soon be able to speak a message into our mobile phones, which it will convert into a text message. When we get into our cars, we will be able to speak the destination we would like directions for instead of typing in the address or postcode. We will be able to speak the name of the CD we want the car to play (assuming you actually have the CD), or say the name of the person we want the car to call.
We are already being trained by many blue chip companies to communicate with them using their interactive voice recognition software. It's now quite common when you call the bank, the airport, the cinema or many of the major utility companies for the system to ask you to speak the name of the service you require, the flight you want information on or the movie you want to see.
Of course, these things take time to settle in, and there is nothing more annoying than an automated system that doesn't recognise your voice or accent no matter how many times you repeat yourself. So should we be more patient and embrace those companies who are trying to provide us with a better service by using speech technology solutions?
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