Wednesday, August 2nd, 2006
Hearing Voices Within the Enterprise
A lot the talk lately has been focused on collaboration and mashup applications within and across enterprises. As the net widens, cf. Hagel and Brownâs Open Nets: Harnessing the Potential of Open Innovation (pdf), the need to harness multiple modes of expression will become more pronounced. What is your most comfortable mode of expression? Is it typing into a word processor? Or is the ballpoint-pen-on-yellow-pad your most natural platform? Some may find it more comfortable to sketch out meeting ideas on a white board. Speaking out loud works for others, and in many cases, serendipitous âeurekaâ insights and ideas are captured on the back of a napkin.
While graphical interface has been readily available for enterprise applications for some time (i.e. a digital camera can capture a white board diagram, notepad and napkin insights can be scanned), voice integration might still be one area that has yet to fully realize this potential. See for example, this article on Microsoft’s Vista Voice Recognition feature. However, capabilities continue to improve. IBMâs Voice Tools Project 1.0 can be downloaded and if companies like Tellme continue to push the envelope (i.e. through the portability of cell phones lines, breaking away from cost restrictions and limited call-center-specific applications), the bridge might widen considerably for the future of enterprise collaborations.
