Broca Networks, Synavant Ally to Deploy Speech-Driven Call Reporting

Broca Networks, a speech application provider and SYNAVANT, provider of pharmaceutical Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions, have developed an alliance to launch a speech-driven voice call reporting service, branded SynVocall(SM).

Broca and SYNAVANT have signed a distribution agreement giving SYNAVANT marketing and sales exclusivity for the European pharmaceutical and healthcare markets. The Service SynVocall has been designed to maximize productivity and efficiency of medical sales forces. This application allows users to enter reports directly into the corporate database over the phone. Using speech recognition and text-to-speech technology, users are guided through a dialogue enabling them to input the information accurately and efficiently, easing paperwork loads and enabling management to have immediate access to sales call, meeting and administration reports.

The system will be launched in the UK during Q1 2003. The Technology The service uses VoiceXML, the emerging standard for voice-recognition applications throughout the world. It is one of the first voice call reporting service designed specifically for the pharmaceutical sector that uses both advanced speech recognition and text-to-speech technology. The user dials in and the call is answered at Broca Networks' secure hosting center. Callers are identified by their allocated telephone number and then use a PIN to enter the system; the caller's speech is converted into text and entered directly into the corporate database. Information is repeated back using a text-to-speech engine to ensure the data collected is correct. After submitting sales call, meeting and administration reports, the caller hangs up. This information is immediately available to those requiring access. The speech recognition software is compatible with 27 languages.

"Our sole focus at Broca is to deploy speech technology solutions that work well, and provide immediate benefits for the user. Our voice call reporting services not only provide major business benefits for our customers (productivity, responsiveness, and rapid market feedback) but they make administration and call reporting so easy that sales forces might even enjoy it!" commented Brian Corbett, CEO of Broca Networks "SYNAVANT is an established supplier of CRM solutions to the pharmaceutical industry and by partnering with them, we are able to provide applications that deliver real solutions to increase efficiency and productivity within pharmaceutical companies. SYNAVANT's sector expertise is crucial in helping us to deploy a really useful and effective service."