Recent News from TMA Associates

From Speech Strategy News, April 2008

Avaya Unified Messaging includes speech interface at no additional cost

Nuance will provide speech technology

A speech interface can make the many features of “Unified Communications” and “Unified Messaging” more accessible and will help users reap the benefits of unification. Avaya supports this point of view and is making speech recognition a standard (not extra-cost) feature with the latest version of Avaya’s unified messaging platform. The company lauds the “freedom of speech” afforded by the built-in “personal assistant…another step in democratizing unified communications.”

On April 28,the company announced that Avaya Modular Messaging 4.0 now includes the Avaya one-X speech interface, providing hands-free access to calling and conferencing capabilities, voice, email, and fax messaging, enterprise directories and databases, calendars, contacts, and task lists fromany telephone. As well as easing use, Avaya cites safety for employees on the road provided by hands-free and eyes-free system control. The company uses speech recognition from Nuance, an Avaya DevConnect program member.

With Modular Messaging 4.0 and one-X Speech, employees canuse speech commands to:

	Access and manage all messages, including read emails via text-to-speech and reply with an attached .wav file, as well as search for messages by person,date, or time.
	Launch calls and conference calls by simply speaking the names of thepeople they want to call.
	Create or review appointments, send meeting requests, and manage tasks.
	Allow callers to leave a message or opt to find the person they arecalling.

Michael Thompson, general manager, mobile search, messaging and handsets, Nuance, summarized, “Simple and intuitive speech commands create a natural user interface so that employees will spend less time managing communications and more time communicating.”

Avaya Modular Messaging 4.0 with Avaya one-X Speech adds speech access for IBM Lotus Domino 7.0, and upgrades compatibility with Microsoft Exchange 2007 and Internet Explorer 7. In addition, users can now record up to nine optional greetings (each one in up to three different languages with the new multi-lingual call answer feature). Callers only hear a greeting in their preferred language.

Avaya Modular Messaging 4.0 with one-X Speech is now globally available in English. It can be purchased separately or as part of the Unified Communications Editions suite of products.