Developers Can Speed Speech Application Design With New Re-Usable Software Components From Avaya
Avaya Dialog Designer Elements Allow for Quicker Application Creation Through Pre-Built and Customizable Common Speech Recognition Functions
BASKING RIDGE, NJ--(Marketwire - July 10, 2008) - Speech application developers now have
access to a free suite of pre-packaged, re-usable speech dialog components
from Avaya that simplify the creation of interactive voice response (IVR)
applications. By combining some of the most commonly used speech commands,
developers can more quickly and cost-effectively build or enhance customer
response systems.
Avaya Inc. is a leading global provider of business communications
applications, systems and services.
With the new Avaya Dialog Designer Elements, designers can rapidly combine
pre-built components that ask a caller for credit card information, zip
code and phone number, for example, to start creating a speech-driven
automated response system rather than having to develop the components each
time from the beginning. The components also can be used by companies that
want to enhance existing touch-tone-based applications with voice
recognition capabilities.
The Avaya Dialog Designer Elements are used with Avaya Dialog Designer, an
open, standards-based Integrated Development Environment for Avaya Voice
Portal and Avaya Interactive Response. Dialog Designer offers web and
speech application developers a reusable drag-and-drop environment for
development and maintenance of speech and touch-tone IVR applications.
Gold Systems, Inc. and GM Voices, two members of Avaya's DevConnect
program, were integral to the development of the Dialog Designer Elements.
Gold Systems built Dialog Designer Elements, incorporating such features as
support for both speech and touch-tone inputs, as well as retry and
re-prompting logic based on speech recognition confidence scoring, helping
to assure the accurate understanding of what people say when interacting
with the self-service applications. GM Voices provided professionally
recorded, high-quality voice prompts for the components.
"More companies are using speech recognition as an integral way they manage
their customer-facing operations, including ordering and service support,"
said Michael Perry, director, Self-Service Solutions, Avaya. "Avaya,
working with our partners, has provided businesses with a set of flexible,
easy-to-use software tools that allows them to quickly extend and change
the information they provide through speech recognition systems. They'll
be able to re-use existing speech assets, saving valuable development time,
and be able to offer new services to customers more quickly."
Dialog Designer Elements are designed to be vendor-neutral with respect to
speech recognition, and have been tested using both Nuance and IBM speech
recognition engines. All prompting and caller input is designed around a
directed dialog paradigm in which the caller is directed to speak one piece
of information per prompt.
The initial set of Dialog Designer Elements supports English-speaking
callers via pre-recorded, professional voice-quality prompts and U.S.
English speech recognition grammars and Text-to-Speech (TTS) capabilities.
Using Dialog Designer, developers can easily modify the Dialog Designer
Elements with additional application logic and replace the pre-recorded
prompts in order to support additional languages for both speech
recognition and TTS.
Dialog Designer Elements can be downloaded at no-charge from
http://share.devconnectprogram.com. Avaya DevConnect members can also
download the latest version of Avaya Dialog Designer through the DevConnect
Portal at http://www.avaya.com/devconnect.
About Avaya's DevConnect Program
The Avaya DevConnect program promotes the development, compliance-testing
and co-marketing of innovative third-party products that are compatible
with standards-based Avaya solutions. Member organizations have expertise
in a broad range of technologies -- including IP telephony, contact centers
and unified communications solutions -- helping companies extend the value
of multivendor networks and transform voice into an intelligent business
application that delivers true value to the bottom line.
About Avaya
Avaya delivers Intelligent Communications solutions that help companies
transform their businesses to achieve marketplace advantage. More than 1
million businesses worldwide, including more than 90 percent of the FORTUNE
500®, use Avaya solutions for IP Telephony, Unified Communications,
Contact Centers and Communications-Enabled Business Processes. Avaya Global
Services provides comprehensive service and support for companies, small to
large. For more information visit the Avaya Web site: http://www.avaya.com.
Contact Information: Media Inquiries:
Lynn Newman
908-953-8692
lynnnewman@avaya.com