Swisscom's Telephone Directory Uses Nuance Voice Search

Swisscom, a telecoms operator in Switzerland, selected Nuance Voice Search speech solutions to automate its national directory service. Callers speaking German, French or Italian can access business and residential listings by dialing an automated service line, 1812. The service will be used to assist an estimated seven million Swiss callers.

Swisscom's latest service leverages Nuance Voice Search, including speech recognition and text-to-speech (TTS) technology, to deliver a multilingual and cross-lingual directory services offering. The persona for Swisscom was provided by Swiss Radio personality Christoph Schwegler and was created with Nuance's RealSpeak technology.

"Working with Nuance we've been able to develop an industry-leading directory services product. By handling very high call volumes across three languages, the system will ensure our callers are experiencing a convenient and concise call, providing all of the required information quickly and easily," said Hans von Niederhausern, project manager from Swisscom. "Speech technology is at a level now where it is delivering real customer satisfaction through superior results. Call times are reduced and callers are guaranteed an immediate response, enabling us to deliver a unique and valued service."

Calls from a fixed or mobile network are charged at 6 euro cents per minute plus a one-off charge of 50 euro cents for each call. Callers using a mobile phone can also order a free SMS containing the requested phone number and address. The 1812 service is available on all networks, regardless of the caller's individual telecommunications provider.

Nuance's Professional Services Division - and partners Telenet and Alcatel Switzerland -developed a solution including dialogue application, design, implementation, testing and tuning.