Speechstorm Blog

Monday was 'Mobile Monday' night in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter.  The Belfast chapter of  the global grassroots organisation for mobile professionals has been going from strength to strength. More than 60 people turned out to see some great locally developed applications and select the Belfast nomination for the Mobile Peer Awards, to be held on February 15, 2010 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

We're delighted to announce that SpeechStorm's IVVO (Interactive Video and VOice) solution got the nod from the Belfast chapter for its innovative use of the 3G video calling channel and we're looking forward to the next round of competition.  And we can expect that competition to be tough if the level of activity in Belfast is anything to go by.  iPhone apps were very much in evidence, and it seems like the iPhone is emerging as the platform of choice for games developers.

Two other iPhone stories caught our eye this week, both related to an application much closer to our hearts - mobile banking.  The first was the launch of an iPhone app by NatWest, but which it turns out is just another version of Monilink application, with the same basic functions already available to users of other phones (and other banks!).  The second, more disturbing, was the targeting of iPhones used by ING Direct customers in Holland with a 'worm' that could expose details of online banking transactions.

Banks that choose IVVO Mobile Banking don't have to worry about worms, since there is no application download required and no footprint left on the phone after the video call is ended.  And with full streaming video and audio capability, IVVO offers great scope to truly differentiate a bank's service in an increasingly competitive environment.  Must remember to mention that when we get to Barcelona!

What's worthy of a first blog post?  The first music video played on MTV when it launched in 1981 was, appropriately, "Video Killed The Radio Star" by The Buggles.

Finding something that so succinctly sums up the intent of this blog is a little more difficult - few truly great pop songs have been written about the merits of a well-designed Store Locator or efficient Appointment Reminder service.  Perhaps that's just as well - with effective phone self-service (or voicemail), Blondies' "Hanging on the Telephone" might never have been penned and the world would be much poorer for it.  The same cannot be said for the myriad muzak versions of Greensleeves that we are all too familiar with, waiting interminably on hold to a telecom, utility company, bank or retailer.

From our founding, SpeechStorm has been committed to improving the experience of callers by implementing the very best in touch-tone, SMS, speech recognition and video IVR solutions.  Here, we're going to highlight some what we see and like in the area of phone self-service, what inspires us, excites and intrigues us.  We'll probably also point the finger at some of the less inspiring practices out there.  These, of course, are just our opinions, and we'd love to hear yours.  Please check back regularly and tell us what you think.