Automatic Speech Recognition: What is it and How Can it Help Businesses Scale?

If so, you’re not alone. Nearly 40 million Americans currently own a smart speaker. 58% of people have used voice search to find information about a local business.

Have you ever wondered how your phone knows what you're saying? The technology that allows your phone to understand your voice is called automatic speech recognition (ASR).

ASR has come a long way in the last few years. VoIP services, like VoIP Terminator, have helped to make ASR more accurate and affordable.

That's why we're giving you the 411 on all things ASR so that you can see how your business could benefit from this technology. So grab yourself a pen and paper because it’s time to start taking some notes.

What is speech recognition?

Speech recognition is when a computer identifies spoken words and converts them into text. The speech recognition process begins by breaking down the acoustic signal of the spoken word into individual frequency components. These frequencies are then compared to a database of known speech patterns.

Let's say your customers are looking for computer telephony integration products. You could use speech recognition to help them find what they're looking for on your website. For example,  if a customer said, "I'm looking for a product that can help me make calls from my computer", the ASR software would recognize their speech and search your website for content related to their inquiry.

Alternatively, let's say you're a call center that relies on customer service reps to handle customer inquiries. ASR could be used to transcribe customer calls so that you can have a written record of the conversation. This would be especially useful for quality assurance purposes because you could review the transcription to make sure that your reps are providing accurate customer service.

How does speech recognition work?

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There are three main components of any speech recognition system: the microphone, the recognizer and the parser.

The microphone is used to capture the acoustic signal of the spoken word. The recognizer is a computer program that compares the acoustic signal to a database of known speech patterns. The parser extracts the words from the acoustic signal and converts them into text.

The recognizer and parser are usually housed in the same program, but they can also be separate programs. The recognizer extracts the phonemes from the acoustic signal, and the parser puts them together to form words.

Where is speech recognition used?

ASR is used in a variety of applications, including:

• Voice transcription: ASR can be used to transcribe audio files into text. This is useful for businesses that need to transcribe customer calls or meetings.
• Voice search: ASR can be used to power voice search features on websites and mobile apps. This is useful for businesses that want to make their content more accessible to customers.
• Call center automation: ASR can be used to automate call center operations. This is useful for businesses that want to improve customer service and reduce operating costs.
• Speech-to-text: ASR can be used to convert spoken words into text. This is useful for businesses that need to provide customers with written transcripts of their calls.

How has AI changed the game for speech recognition?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has played a major role in the advancement of speech recognition technology. AI allows ASR software to learn and become more accurate over time. This is accomplished by training the software with large datasets of spoken words.

Thanks to AI, VoIP software can now understand accents and dialects from all over the world. This is a major breakthrough for businesses that need to communicate with customers in multiple languages.

For example, let's say you run a B2B ecommerce site that ships products to customers all over the world. With speech recognition software, you could offer customer service in multiple languages. This would allow you to provide a better customer experience.

Another benefit of AI is that it can help ASR software to identify different speakers. This is important for businesses that need to track employee productivity. For example, if you run an RPO recruitment company, you could use speech recognition to track the amount of time employees spend on the phone speaking with candidates. This would help you to identify which employees are most productive and increase the efficiency of your phone department.

6 ways automated speech recognition can help your business to scale

Now that you know what ASR is and how it works, let's take a look at how your business can benefit from this technology.

1. Improved customer service

ASR can be used to create transformative customer service in a number of ways. For example, you could use ASR to create an IVR system for your business. An IVR system is a computer-based system that allows customers to interact with a company using voice commands. This system can be used to provide customer service, take orders, and answer questions about your products or services.

2. Automated phone systems

ASR can also be used to create automated phone systems for your business. With this type of system, customers can call your business and get information about your products or services without speaking to a live person. This system can be used to provide customer service, take orders, and answer questions about your products or services.

3. Enhanced search functionality

ASR can be used to enhance the search functionality on your website. For example, you could use ASR to create a search engine that can understand spoken queries. This would allow customers to find what they're looking for on your website without having to type in keywords.

Automated QA testing is a process of testing software to ensure that it meets the quality standards set by the company. This type of testing can be used to test the functionality, usability and reliability of your software.

4. Improved data management

ASR can also be used to improve data management. You could use speech recognition in advanced learning analytics to improve the accuracy of your data. For example, if you're collecting data from customer service calls, you could use ASR to transcribe the calls and then use advanced learning analytics to identify patterns in the data. This would allow you to improve your customer service by addressing common issues that customers are having.

5. Increased productivity

ASR can also be used to increase employee productivity. For example, you could use ASR to transcribe employee training sessions or company meetings. This would allow employees to access this information at any time and would enhance brand identity by providing a more user-friendly experience.

6. Reduced costs

Let’s face it. We all want to reduce costs. From fuel costs to business costs, we all would be much happier if our outgoings were minimized. ASR can also help your business to reduce costs. This is because ASR can be used to automate many tasks that are currently being done by human employees.

For example, you could use ASR to transcribe customer service calls or create automated phone systems. This would reduce the need for human employees and would ultimately save your business money.

Final thoughts

While there are many business communications solutions on the market, automated speech recognition is a powerful tool that can help your business to scale. If you're looking for a way to improve your customer service, data management or employee productivity, ASR is a great solution.

It's important to keep in mind that not all ASR solutions are the same. Make sure to do your research and find a solution that fits the needs of your business. For example, you may want to consider a cloud-based solution if you have a lot of employees or customers. Cloud-based solutions are scalable and can be used by businesses of all sizes. In contrast, on-premises solutions are typically more expensive and are not as scalable.

By understanding the different types of ASR solutions, you can find a solution that fits the needs of your business.