E*TRADE Uses InfoTalk's Technologies to Build Voice Platform
HONG KONG - InfoTalk Corporation, a provider of multi-lingual conversational speech understanding technology, announced that E*TRADE has deployed InfoTalk's VoiceXML and speech technologies as the foundation of the newly launched Stock Information and Trading Platform.
The VoiceXML platform, which adopts the InfoTalk-Vbrowser, fully complies with the open and common industry standard. VoiceXML is based on the World Wide Web Consortium's industrial-standard eXtensible Markup Language (XML), ensuring E*TRADE to leverage the existing investment in the Web infrastructure to extend the reach of their existing online service to the telephony interface. The platform supports online modification of the applications and simultaneously maintains a normal operation of the system. As a markup language to describe the verbal interaction in voice-enabled applications, VoiceXML provides the ground for E*TRADE to embrace voice interface for the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system allowing the addition of voice applications for service expansion in the future. Bundling InfoTalk-Speaker, the Text-to-speech (TTS) engine in the platform, the system converts online messages and quotes dynamically to provide E*TRADE customers with a voice reply. The service is available to all E*TRADE customers in Hong Kong, and it is now provided in three languages - English, Mandarin and Cantonese. InfoTalk's solutions and services team worked closely with the E*TRADE's development team in providing consultancy and training on system development based on VoiceXML technologies. Wholly developed by E*TRADE's development team, the new system was in full operation in two months. "IVR provides an alternative stock trading channel for traders under a safe and stable platform," said Venkat Boppana, Head of IT of E*TRADE Asia Pacific. "VoiceXML technologies equip ourselves with an open and reliable platform to provide our customers with the best-of-breed service in a cost-effective way." "We are glad that E*TRADE has selected our technology to enhance their customer service," said Dr. Alex Leung, CEO of InfoTalk. "Using VoiceXML technology helps E*TRADE easily develop and launch their automated stock service on the phone based on their existing internet infrastructure, reducing the time-to-market of the service."