SPEECHWORKS LAUNCHES SPEECHSITE.

SpeechWorks International, Inc., a provider of conversational speech recognition technology and solutions for over-the-telephone applications, has launched SpeechSite. SpeechSite brings the web model of self-service to the telephone, transforming the call to a business for the first time since Neil Armstrong spoke to the world from the moon thirty years ago.

Callers Land on a New Site

A revolutionary approach to speech application development, SpeechSite is the first solution to package auto attendant, information retrieval and commerce capabilities seamlessly into a single, speech-activated system. Through one telephone number, SpeechSite serves as a friendly, personalized "welcome mat" to any company--greeting and routing callers who wish to speak directly to an employee or allowing them to do business through an easy-to- use, automated process.

"It's the age of self-service and e-commerce," said Robert Mirani, research director, Customer Relationship Management Strategies, Yankee Group. "For both consumer- oriented and business-to-business applications, the phone -- and particularly the cell phone - is the ubiquitous access device and delivers on the 'anytime, anywhere' claim of the web. Businesses that begin to extend their e-business strategies to leverage next generation speech technologies and applications -- SpeechWorks' SpeechSite being a leading example -- will reap significant benefits."

SpeechSite completely revamps the way companies answer the phone, giving callers immediate access to information previously available only through corporate web sites, complex touch-tone menus or a myriad of different phone numbers. Just like the evolving web model, SpeechSite also lets callers conduct transactions anytime, from any phone. SpeechSite's carefully designed speech-enabled user interface takes into account the way people understand information they "hear" on the phone vs. information they "see" on the web. Just as people know what to expect on a corporate web site, they will know what to expect on a SpeechSite as well.

Here is an example of a SpeechSite interaction:

SpeechSite: "Hello, this is the SpeechSite for XYZ Company. You can say, "Company", "Products," "Directions" or "Making Contact."

Caller: "Directions"

SpeechSite: "From which direction will you be coming from?"

Caller: "The Boston Airport" (The system provides the directions. The caller can also say "Fax it" to get the directions faxed to them, and then continue moving through other self-service options, or just hang up.)

"SpeechSite brings it all together," said Steve Cossette, vice president of distribution planning, Continental Airlines. "We want one platform that transforms the way we answer all our calls in the same way that our web site has transformed our screen-based interaction with customers. SpeechSite is the product that can do this for us."

A New Paradigm for Application Development

Not only does SpeechSite present a new customer contact concept, it also provides a new approach to speech application development. The SpeechSite product platform includes a variety of customizable, pre-packaged applications that make it easy for companies to set up and expand their own SpeechSite. SpeechSite takes the development of speech-activated services beyond the previous toolkits by offering horizontal applications such as call routing and product information retrieval that can be configured without programming to meet individual company needs.

The SpeechSite product is based on the SpeechWorks 5.0 product line that includes its highly accurate SMART recognition engine; building blocks, known as DialogModules; and powerful tools. SpeechWorks' core technology and auto attendants are already handling millions of calls and transactions at companies such as United Airlines, Hewlett-Packard, FedEx, E*TRADE and Guardian Life Insurance Company.

Benefits of SpeechSite With SpeechSite from SpeechWorks, corporations can:

-- Make it easy for callers to get information, complete transactions and be connected to employees through one phone number;

-- Leverage their investments in web sites and back-end databases;

-- Deploy a single speech recognition platform for auto attendant and customer service capabilities;

-- Launch new services more rapidly than ever before by configuring pre-packaged applications;

-- Create a broader revenue stream by opening the doors to automated commerce every hour of the day;

-- Create a customized corporate "welcome mat" with a unique audio personality.

Major Partners Support SpeechSite

SpeechWorks has garnered tremendous support for SpeechSite from over twenty platform, technology, service and e-business partners. Companies that have enthusiastically embraced the new offering, include: Artisoft, Aspect Telecommunications, Automated Financial Systems, Comverse Network Services, Dialogic Corporation, digiTRADE (owned by Thomson Financial Services), Gold Systems, Intel Corporation, InterVoice, LexiTech, Maxxar, MicroLog, NEXTLINK Interactive, Open Market, Inc., PriceInteractive, Stratus Computer Systems, Systems Solutions Group, Talk2.com, TALX, Telemanagement, Vicinity Corporation, VoiceMate.com and WebOnPhone.

"SpeechSite is not only the right vision for the speech recognition industry, it is also the answer to the demand for 'anytime, anywhere' access in the e-business market," said Eric Winkler, vice president of marketing, Vicinity Corporation, which provides e-retail marketing services to more than 250 of the best known brands in the world. "Our clients, which range from Marriott to Mercedes to McDonalds, are going to be very excited about this way to enhance the customer experience. SpeechWorks is the best positioned to pull this off because of their lead in tools, their understanding of speech user interface design and their experience providing complete solutions." In addition, several companies including NEXTLINK Interactive, Open Market, Telemanagement and Vicinity are announcing new or expanded partnerships with SpeechWorks that are designed to help bring SpeechSite to market.

What it Takes to Run a SpeechSite

SpeechSite provisioning tools and wizards make it easy to set up a SpeechSite that leverages existing web-based infrastructure and data. These tools allow common information to be shared between the SpeechSite and the corporate web site and allow the SpeechSite specific data and audio recordings to be easily added. In the SpeechSite architecture, a speech server -- a telephony platform with SpeechWorks' speech recognition capabilities -- will typically run alongside a web server, both of which sit in front of corporate databases. SpeechSite can obtain data directly from the corporate databases, or can be served via XML from the web server.

Pricing and Availability

SpeechSite will be available in Q4 1999 directly through SpeechWorks and through selected value-added resellers. Pricing will vary according to installation size and application requirements but typical configurations will range in price from $50,000 to $150,000 (U.S.). "Thirty years ago today, the world realized the dream of walking on the moon because we first stated it as an achievable goal and then did what was necessary to fulfill it," said Patterson. "We are convinced that the web model can and will be applied to the phone and we are making our vision a reality with the launch of SpeechSite. SpeechSite is the first product ever to give people the power to contact company employees by saying their name, access corporate information by just asking for it and conduct automated transactions from any phone at anytime of day or night. Think about what you expect when you log on to a web site, then imagine how exciting it would be if those same functions were mapped to a speech-activated interface accessible from any phone ... and you'll understand what SpeechSite is."

For more information, call 617/428-4444.