Sometimes voice-recognition software just can't get the job done.
Bill Andrews, general manager of Self-Service Speech Solutions for
Convergys, a Cincinnati-based provider of outsourced customer-care
solutions, says well-designed systems always give users an easy
opt-out because
voice recognition does not work seamlessly for
everybody, particularly for those with speech impediments or heavy
accents.
If you're frustrated by a tin-eared computer, there are ways to
bypass the voice-rec maze. Go to
Gethuman.com, click on the Database tab, and you'll
find a long list of companies and the secret formulas for getting
through to a real, live person.
It Really Does Work
Imagine my voice as you read this. Why? Because this sidebar was
"written" using Nuance's Dragon NaturallySpeaking, a voice-to-text
computer program. What is impressive is that the start-up time
needed for getting the program to recognize my voice with a high
degree of accuracy was under 30 minutes. That's a vast improvement.
Four years ago, I broke an arm in a freak accident, and to stay on
deadline, I used a voice program for the eight weeks my arm was out
of action. Ramp-up time for that software was about a day - a
long day spent reading texts into the computer to teach it
how to recognize my accent, intonation, and other speaking quirks.
And the program was never very accurate - perhaps it got 80 percent
of my speech at best. With today's software, Nuance has cut the
learning time down to just a few minutes. How's the accuracy with
the new program? Pretty good. Not perfect, as text still needs a
close review and some polishing. But call the software 95 percent
on target.
Even better, this is software that can be used to do most tasks on
a computer. Integration with
Microsoft Office is complete, meaning
you can write in Word, do e-mail in Outlook, and even use Excel and
PowerPoint, with all data input happening with your voice.