As all you Speech-Heads probably know, when it comes to product testing my Speech-Brother Eric B. was always the go-to-guy here at Speech Tech Blog.  In his heyday, Eric B. would be testing five, six, seven speechy products every week, writing up reports, tuning, jotting down notes, talking to computers, etc.

Well, in his absence, I decided to try Ribbit Mobile.  And let me just say this: Unlike a lot of speech solutions I have experienced, this one WORKS LIKE GANGBUSTERS!

I set it up on my cell phone (in a matter of minutes) logged onto the site on my computer and was good to go.  My messages were transcribed almost perfectly and sent to me as a text message and as an email.  And that was really just the tip of the iceberg.  There were a lot of other cool features and functions and I heartily recommend the product.

Like I said, this is a Brief Summary.  I have IVRs to navigate.

The questions about SpeechTEK Europe never stop around The Home Office.  My Speech Brother Eric B. and I must field about 100 calls everyday:

What’s up with SpeechTEK University?  What’s the deal with Conference Sessions?  What do I need to know about Keynotes?  What should I do with the precious moments of my one and only life?  What’s poppin’ with Customer Case Studies?

Well, Speech-Heads: the answers to all of your questions–save the penultimate one–are here!  Check out the SpeechTEK Europe 2010 Programme!  As Eric B. would say: “This lays it down like The Ten Commandments.”

Hey Speech-Heads,

It’s Webinar Time!  And this one promises to be a doozy!  My Speech Brother Eric B. is flying in from Prague just to get in on the action.  This one is moderated by Speech Technology’s own David Myron and features the likes of Ovum’s Daniel Hong and some top industry insiders from Contact Solutions, Avaya, Nuance and CSG Interactive Messaging.

This all goes down on Thursday January 28th at 11:00am PT / 2:00pm ET.  So, Register Today and check out the details: Outbound IVR – Surprising New Trends!

Outbound interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology is quickly becoming an effective and cost efficient method of communication and is also being combined with other contact channels as part of a multichannel customer service solution and cost containment strategy. According to an Ovum report on hosted speech and outbound IVR services, this market is scheduled to grow to $525 million by 2013 as companies shift toward a more personalized, directed method of communications with their customers.

Here is what you can learn from this informative one hour session on this technology:

• How an on-going optimization program will lead to new savings
• How automated, proactive customer care improves service while lowering costs
• How to leverage blended, cross-channel customer interaction strategies that enhance the customer experience and secure long-term profitable customer relationships
• Surprising new insight into what consumers actually think about receiving outbound notifications

Join us on January 28 as we discuss trends in this market and how these industry professionals can help you take advantage of this growing business application.

OK Speech-Heads,

SpeechTEK Europe is right around the corner and we here at Speech Tech Blog are pleased to announce the event’s 2010 Keynote Speakers.  So, check out this year’s program, register today and make note of this powerhouse lineup:

Strategist, government advisor and innovator, Charlie Leadbeater, on the phenomenon of social media creativity and the importance of customer communication and relationships.

The Future of Speech Technology Thursday, 27 May, 2010 – 09:00 – 10:00 Wolfgang Wahlster, German Research Centre for AI – DFKI GmbH CEO of the German Research Center for AI, and Professor of Computer Science at Saarland University, Professor Wolfgang Wahlster on the latest research findings in speech, multimodal, and multilingual technologies, and what’s about to hit the market.