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| Q: |
What does VocalPoint Technologies
do? |
| A: |
VocalPoint provides software, infrastructure
and services for businesses seeking to rapidly deploy voice
application solutions using existing HTML or XML content. Using
VocalPoint's unique technology, a company's customers, employees
and partners can directly access, hear and navigate dynamic
Internet and Intranet content using spoken commands over any
phone, anywhere. |
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| Q: |
What are your products? |
| A: |
VocalPoint currently provides two products, VocalPoint VoiceBrowser™
and VocalPoint VoiceASP™.
With VocalPoint's proprietary voice browsing technology,
customers can build customized, private-label voice sources,
which seamlessly leverage existing investments in Web content
and applications. As an application service provider (ASP),
VocalPoint provides customers enterprise-class operations
and support, allowing customers to implement voice browsing
services.
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| Q: |
What is unique about your technology? |
| A: |
VocalPoint's propietary voice browsing
technology uses existing HTML content and applications. No content
rewriting is needed to create a voice experience. This provides
our customers with extremely rapid implementation (less than
a week), because content can be used as-is. As a result, VocalPoint's
solution leverages both the ubiquity and investment companies
have already made in HTML content to develop voice solutions.
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| Q: |
Does Web content have to be re-written
in a specialized markup language in order to be voice-enabled? |
| A: |
No. Using VocalPoint's patent pending
technology, Web sites do not need to be rewritten. Other competing
solutions are based on Voice XML (VXML), a specialized markup
language. These solutions can only read Web sites that have
been re-purposed (rewritten), often at great expense. VocalPoint's
VoiceBrowser™ can read any existing HTML or XML Web site
and makes it accessible and navigable through a voice interface.
In addition, cascading style sheets can be used to "tune" Web
sites without affecting the visual experience. |
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| Q: |
What sort of up-front integration,
programming, etc. is required? |
| A: |
By using the VocalPoint ASP™ service
model, all operational and technical requirements are completely
managed, supported and maintained by VocalPoint. Modification
to existing Web sites is very minimal and can even be automated.
If preferred, you can deploy the VocalPoint technology directly.
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| Q: |
Can I use VocalPoint as an alternative
to an IVR system? |
| A: |
If Web content is available, yes,
VocalPoint can be an excellent alternative to IVR. It is less
expensive, easier to set up, and offers a great deal more flexibility
because it leverages existing Web development processes. |
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| Q: |
How does this technology differ
from Wireless Access Protocol (WAP)? |
| A: |
WAP (a set of protocols for sending
data to wireless devices) allows a cellular telephone user to
view a small visual interface on the telephone's display. WAP
does not include a voice feature, and navigation must be done
through the telephone's keypad. VocalPoint, on the other hand,
allows the cell phone user to interact with the Web naturally,
through speech and simple spoken commands, hearing information
rather than viewing a tiny screen. |
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| Q: |
Are you capable of voice-enabling
and operating large portals? |
| A: |
Yes. VocalPoint's applications are
highly scalable, in units of over 500 simultaneous calls. |
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| Q: |
How long does it take to voice-enable
a Web site? |
| A: |
In most cases, voice-enabling a
Web site can be done in a matter of hours or days. |
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| Q: |
How do companies use your service?
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| A: |
VocalPoint is not a "consumer portal." Instead, we enable
companies to build their own private-label voice portals and
customized voice services by providing industry leading software
and enterprise class ASP services. As a result, the specific
voice experience that VocalPoint creates is based on our customers'
requirements and business needs.
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| Q: |
How does VocalPoint price its
service? |
| A: |
VocalPoint has two different pricing models. The licensing
model is used when we license our technology for integration
into a customer's network infrastructure. Fees are calculated
on a "per port" or "per customer" basis. VocalPoint also provides
consulting services to licensees for any user interface or
system customization activities.
VocalPoint's second pricing model is used for VocalPoint's
VoiceASP™ service billings. These fees are based on a combination
of set-up fees, usage-based fees or percentage of revenue,
depending on the particular needs and business model of the
customer.
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| Q: |
What type of operational infrastructure
does VocalPoint have? |
| A: |
Providing a high quality, highly available solution to customers
is critical and as a result, VocalPoint is working with Intira
to provide co-location and management services and an "enterprise-class"
application. After an extensive evaluation process, VocalPoint
selected Intira due to the combination of their "application
services ready" hosting capability, and their strong, dedicated,
high-capacity network.
The partnership with Intira provides complete.............
- Performance and management services
- Platform services
- Voice and data network management capabilities
- High security
.............all
with outstanding service level guarantees.
The initial implementation is located in Intira's Pleasanton,
California operations center, and includes a combination of
NT/Linux and Sun/Solaris platforms.
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| Q: |
What sort of service guarantees
do I get? |
| A: |
VocalPoint's Service Level Agreement
guarantees system uptime of 99.98% from the OS level down. |
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| Q: |
How many employees do you have?
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| A: |
Currently we have over 60 employees, with projected incremental
hiring occurring through 2002.
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