SNT Nederland Selects ScanSoft and VoltDelta

PEABODY, MA and SUNBURY-ON-THAMES, UK - ScanSoft Inc. (Nasdaq: SSFT), a provider of imaging, speech and language solutions, and VoltDelta, a enhanced directory assistance solution provider, announced that SNT Nederland, one of the largest call center outsourcing providers in Europe, has selected ScanSoft and VoltDelta for its automated directory assistance service. SNT incorporates ScanSoft's speech solutions and applications in contact centers for its clients throughout Europe, including the national and international directory assistance services for KPN Telecom in the Netherlands. The system asks a caller for the information requested, such as last name or company name, and automatically recognizes what the caller says by using speech recognition and provides the requested information using text-to-speech, eliminating the need for operator assistance and reducing hold times. The recent SNT contract, awarded to VoltDelta, includes ScanSoft products and VoltDelta products and services for systems integration, project management, installation and ongoing support. The solutions that SNT offers to its customers include ScanSoft's DirectoryAssistance application and the VoltDelta OASIS SpeechExpress system. Using ScanSoft's text-to-speech engine RealSpeak, the system can read back the name of a person without having to record the millions of names in the database. SNT already uses a VoltDelta OASIS platform to support these services, which will be extended with the OASIS SpeechExpress platform. "VoltDelta is pleased to be partnering with ScanSoft to deliver this automated directory assistance solution to SNT," said Joe DiAngelo, president, VoltDelta. "ScanSoft's unique experience and capabilities in the automation of directory assistance solutions are renowned and deliver the recognition rates that we need to continue to provide value to our customers such as SNT Nederland." ScanSoft's DirectoryAssistance provides customers with fully automated, speech-enabled directory assistance solution. By implementing ScanSoft's solution, telecommunications providers benefit from reduced operator costs, increased revenue and improved service, resulting in greater productivity and customer and employee satisfaction. Offering the largest vocabulary support in the industry, as well as advanced search and retrieval functions, customers will benefit from round-the-clock availability, no more busy lines and tremendous ease of use and accuracy for their calling needs. "ScanSoft is excited to participate in this partnership with VoltDelta, a leading supplier to the directory assistance market," said Peter Hauser, senior vice president and general manager for ScanSoft International. "The combination of ScanSoft and VoltDelta creates robust solutions, and implementations such as SNT demonstrate our value and ability to deliver real business benefits to our telecommunications customers." VoltDelta has developed a market-leading range of products that support its customers in providing Information Services from call centers, automated voice portals, the Web and from mobile devices. The integrated OASIS product line includes a soft-switch media gateway providing intelligent call routing, ACD and CDR generation together with a complete call center infrastructure supported by a high-speed geo-coded search engine. The OASIS SpeechExpress product is specifically designed to support automated directory assistance services.