April 26, 2004

By: Tyrel Ciello
Website: http://www.help-desk-software-n-application.com

Solar Software announces release of Vocal Help Desk

Solar Software has announced the availability of Vocal Help Desk, a Windows network password reset and account management solution. Vocal Help Desk, which is powered by Microsoft Speech Server 2004, is the first product in Solar’s Vocal Management Console product line.

Vocal Help Desk provides a speech enabled solution to the existing problem of account lock and password management events that trigger a large portion of phone calls to the help desk. Vocal Help Desk will cut down on support costs and increase security by automating password change support to the network user.

Solar Software is a Columbus, Ohio based company specializing in Microsoft .NET solutions for the Windows network. Since 1997 Solar Software has delivered application solutions on Microsoft Server solutions that facilitate access and mobility of the workforce. Vocal Help Desk and Microsoft Speech Server are key building blocks in providing customers with a new paradigm in solving existing computing challenges around user management help desk requests in a networked environment.

As a part of the Vocal Management Console, Vocal Help Desk will eliminate the need for up to 30% of help desk calls around the Windows network. Network users can dial the Vocal Help desk, unlock their account, and even generate new passwords to enable their access quickly and effectively. Existing help desks will be able to allocate their resources more effectively and provide higher levels of service to their users with this tool.

Vocal Help Desk is a speech interface that links the networking security of Active Directory to Microsoft Speech Server. A network user can dial the Speech Server running Vocal Help Desk and quickly follow voice prompts to resolve their network access problem in less than a minute without leaving voice-mail or holding on the line. The end result is higher level service for network users at a much lower cost per user.

Vocal Help Desk also allows network administrators to check on servers, schedule reboots, and perform other management functions via phone dialogue with the Microsoft Speech Server. These features are all delivered in the companion product Vocal Net Admin where speech technology will work in tandem with network management tools to give administrators voice control of their environments.

In the past speech-based solutions were expensive and costly to implement. Microsoft Speech Server harnesses the pervasiveness of Visual Studio .NET development tools and provides a familiar programming environment for developers, enabling them to easily add speech functionality to their new or existing Web applications. As a result, Vocal Help Desk is an affordable speech-based solution for an array of enterprises.

With launch of Microsoft Speech Server, Microsoft is priming speech technology for mainstream adoption by making it more accessible to a broader segment of enterprise companies on any device, at any time and from any place.

Microsoft Speech Server has liberated us to be able to offer the missing piece of user interaction to our customers, speech. In the past, customers could only benefit from the graphical nature of our applications, starting today any application in the customer’s enterprise if fair game. If speech enabling the application makes business sense, then do it. We can now write an application that truly has the flexibility of interface to make it a solid business solution at a very attractive price point. Rob Carselle, CIO Solar Software.

Speech has evolved from a niche technology to one that is real and ready for mainstream enterprise adoption. Speech technology delivers true business value to enterprises such as reduced costs and increased ROI, increased customer satisfaction, increased employee productivity and it provides additional revenue generation opportunities.

Vocal Help Desk is an excellent example of the value proposition that Microsoft Speech Server is bringing to the marketplace. Solar Software, using their expertise in our Visual Studio .NET tools to bring low cost speech solutions to the network administrator, is a perfect anecdote for speech technology solving problems across any enterprise. Xuedong Huang, General Manager, Microsoft Speech Server Product Group.

This is exactly the type of solution that organizations dream about, a cost effective tool that provides a solution to a measurable business problem. Vocal Help Desk and Microsoft Speech Server will allow AH Harris to provide immediate problem resolution to our internal network users. In order for us to maintain our leadership in our industry, we need to maintain our system’s in the most cost effective manner possible.

Microsoft Speech Server and Vocal Help Desk will allow us to deliver on this promise to our customers, Clayton Plourde, Director of IT for AH Harris. AH Harris is a leader in construction supplies based in Newington, CT serving the East Coast.

About The Author:

Tyrel Ciello is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.help-desk-software-n-application.com.  Help desk software - Learn everything you need to know about helpdesk from your own computer!