Europe's Largest Auto Club Selects ScanSoft RealSpeak for Voice-Enabled-Traffic Information Service
PEABODY, Mass. & GENT, Belgium--Oct. 24, 2002--ScanSoft, Inc. , the leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions, today announced that ADAC, the largest automobile club in Europe, has selected ScanSoft`s RealSpeak(TM) text-to-speech solution in German to provide up-to-the-second traffic information to its members and customers over the phone.
The popular service has been implemented by Telenet, a leading systems integrator in Germany, and combines ScanSoft's text-to-speech and Multivoice, Telenet's Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. Before using an automated text-to-speech solution, the timeliness of the traffic service was sometimes hindered by a lengthy process. The messages that could not be automatically transcribed had to be passed on to a speaker, recorded as a voice segment and then uploaded to the system. Today, ScanSoft's RealSpeak text-to-speech has eliminated the need to record segments, significantly reducing the processing time and providing drivers with refreshed ADAC traffic information in mere seconds.
"As the largest automobile club in Europe, we are keen to offer our 14.5 million members and customers the highest-quality services available. RealSpeak, clearly one of the most stable and natural sounding voices in the industry, has been well received among our members and customers," said Peter Kitzig, product manager VoiceServer Services for ADAC. "With the ScanSoft solution at the core of our innovative traffic service, we're able to keep our members informed while saving time and money in our administration."
"ScanSoft is pleased to provide the text-to-speech technologies behind this time-critical and important traffic information service," said Peter Hauser, ScanSoft's senior vice president and general manager, International. "We are especially satisfied to have partners such as Telenet that make such innovative solutions possible." The ADAC traffic information service is accessible in Germany at the uniform short dialing number via mobile phones 22 4 99 and costs 0,51 Euro per call plus individual service fee of the network- and service provider. Fore more information please visit http://www.adac.de/telematik.
About ScanSoft RealSpeak
ScanSoft RealSpeak is the market-leading product for converting text into human-sounding synthesized speech. The text-to-speech solution is used for a wide range of applications, including implementing voice portals, delivering emails for unified messaging systems, providing prompts for interactive voice response (IVR) applications, and speech-enabling mobile, automotive, game and PC/multi-media applications.
RealSpeak offers a single, standardized application programming interface (API) that supports the creation of speech-enabled applications in 19 languages, including U.S. and UK English, German, French, Dutch and Belgian Dutch, Castilian and Mexican Spanish, Italian, European and Brazilian Portuguese, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Danish, Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
About Telenet
Telenet GmbH Kommunikationssysteme was founded in 1982 in Munich and counts today about 30 employees. Telenet GmbH is the leading supplier of IVR systems and preferred partner of many telecommunication equipment manufacturers in Germany. Telenet is a value added system integrator using open, standardized interfaces and the latest hardware and software technologies from leading manufacturers. Due to experience and modular system configuration Telenet is able to offer their customers a need-oriented, custom made solution.
About ADAC Telematikdienste GmbH (ATG)
Data communication services such as breakdown assistance, emergency numbers, traffic information, road directions and tourist information are some of the long-term core capabilities of ADAC. The Allgemeine Deutsche Automobil-Club develops and markets its data communication services as part of an independent company. Founded in 1998, ADAC Telematikdienste GmbH (ATG) provides value oriented, innovative data communication services geared specifically to car drivers. In the future ADAC intends to offer ground-breaking data communication services together with leading European automobile clubs as AA Europe (Automobile Association Europe). This will enable ADAC to have the services and resources of all the ADAC areas and of the large partner clubs in other countries at its disposal (for example over 90,000 traffic jam notification services, traffic databases, call centres, etc.).
About ADAC (Allgemeine Deutsche Automobil Club)
Founded in Stuttgart in 1903, ADAC has grown steadily to become the largest automobile club in Europe. ADAC assists, informs and represents the interests of the car driver. As its workload and responsibilities have increased, ADAC has always taken care to create and develop its own internal structure. With more than 14.5 million members, ADAC is the largest automobile club in Europe and the third largest in the world, after the AAA in the USA and the JAA in Japan.
About ScanSoft
ScanSoft, Inc. is the leading supplier of imaging, speech and language solutions that are used to automate a wide range of manual processes - saving time, increasing worker productivity and improving customer service. For more information regarding ScanSoft(R) products and technologies, please visit www.ScanSoft.com.
Trademark reference: ScanSoft and RealSpeak are registered trademarks or trademarks of ScanSoft Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other company names or product names referenced herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
The statements in this press release that relate to future plans, events or performances are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with market trends, competitive factors, and other risks identified in the Company's SEC filings. Actual results, events and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof.