Businesses Uses for Voice Recognition Software

by Dan Antony

Overview

Voice recognition (VR) is a biometric method of verification, in the same class as iris and fingerprint recognition. It detects variations in pronunciation, pitch, speed and stress, which has several practical business applications.
Interactivity

Interactive voice recognition (IVR) "brings the richness of the Web to your phone," reports InfoWorld magazine. It enables hands-free Internet access, which allows access to a company's network easily.

Security

The elements of an individual's voice are as distinctive as fingerprints. This makes voice recognition ideal for such activities as "voice commerce" or secure-area access.
Service

As Info-World describes it, voice-recognition software frees an individual from entering credit card information or punching information into a dial pad.
Productivity

Voice recognition software can also increase productivity. This is particularly useful for individuals like lawyers and physicians, who can record their thoughts quickly, without the added cost of specialized transcription.
Convergence

With IVR, a telephone call is recorded and searchable. Thus, a service call, conference call or web meeting can be plugged into a company's database in a way not previously possible.
Considerations

As a biometric method identification, VR competes with facial recognition, retina and iris patterns, fingerprints and hand geometry. The drawbacks of VR are the ability to replay recorded speech, and the ability to simulate speech.

References & Resources