Avaya Enhances Unified Communications With New Speech to Text Solution for Voice Messages

BASKING RIDGE, NJ--(Marketwire - November 10, 2008) - Workers can now read their voice mail messages on their mobile devices or computers with a new Speech to Text solution from Avaya. The unified communications solution, a joint development of Avaya, Mutare Software and SpinVox, is the first of its kind for enterprises and solves the issue of retrieving voice messages when audio access may be a challenge.

Avaya Speech to Text is an easily deployed, integrated, secure solution that improves employee productivity, workgroup collaboration and responsiveness. By converting a voice mail message into a text format delivered as an email with an optional voice attachment, business users can quickly view and respond to the content of a voice mail at any time from any email-enabled device or smartphone. Employees can read, prioritize and act on voice mails as soon as they are received to keep decision-making and work in progress.

The solution eliminates the need to replay the message to copy names, numbers and "to-dos." Instead, a discreet text or email message allows employees to keep written records and respond via email or voice with a simple push of a button. The converted messages can be saved and searched by the employee or business for future reference, which helps improve compliance in industries subject to record-retention regulations.

End-to-end security is provided for both formats of transmitted messages, text and audio attachment, with encryption applied from the voice mail box through all stages of the conversion process.

iStar Financial, a leading, global finance company focused on the commercial real estate industry, uses Avaya Speech to Text to speed decision-making and customer response:

"I hear on a daily basis about how much time our users are saving now that they can read their voice mail messages," said Jaime King, telecom specialist for iStar Financial. "I believe the greater benefit, though, is to our customers. In a market as volatile as international commercial real estate, any tool that helps close gaps of time between communications could make the difference between a successful transaction and a missed opportunity. Speech to Text makes us more responsive, and that has a direct impact on our bottom line as well as that of the clients we serve."

Avaya Speech to Text solution is available for Avaya Modular Messaging unified messaging and includes Mutare Software's EVM(1) gateway and SpinVox Speech to Text messaging service. The solution works with any email system and any connected mobile device. Text messages are delivered with personalized Caller ID, including the name, email and phone number and the optional audio attachment.

The solution is available now in North America through authorized Avaya channels. Supported languages include English, French, German and Spanish.

Mutare and SpinVox are members of the Avaya DevConnect program, which promotes the development, compliance-testing and co-marketing of innovative third party products that are compatible with standards-based Avaya solutions. Member organizations have expertise in a broad range of technologies, including IP telephony, contact centers and mobility applications, helping companies extend the value of multi-vendor networks and transform voice into an intelligent business application that delivers true value to the bottom line.

About Avaya

Avaya delivers Intelligent Communications solutions that help companies transform their businesses to achieve marketplace advantage. More than 1 million businesses worldwide, including more than 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500®, use Avaya solutions for IP Telephony, Unified Communications, Contact Centers and Communications-Enabled Business Processes. Avaya Global Services provides comprehensive service and support for companies, small to large. For more information visit the Avaya Web site: http://www.avaya.com.

About Mutare Software

Founded in 1989, Mutare Software specializes in interactive voice and Web applications development. Focusing on innovative solutions for Unified Communications and Business Continuity, Mutare is also a leader in Custom Solutions that enhance service and lower costs. Mutare Software is proud of its reputation for quality service and support as evidenced by the thousands of Mutare applications successfully deployed for customers throughout the world.

About SpinVox

SpinVox® is the world's largest privately-held speech technology company, providing the most successful voice to text messaging services which are used daily by millions of people. SpinVox services are available directly on www.spinvox.com and through leading carriers and service providers globally.

Through significant innovations in voice and network technologies, SpinVox has brought together the two most natural forms of communication -- voice and text -- to create the fastest-growing form of messaging: Voice-to-Content™.

Its award-winning service is not only upgrading voice mail -- by converting voice mail to text for delivery as SMS or email messages -- but is also empowering people to speak SMS messages or emails to anyone, from any phone. SpinVox also enables people to speak messages directly to their favorite web messaging services such as Facebook, Twitter and many other popular web networks.

As a carrier-class hosted service provider, any network, anywhere in the world can rapidly implement SpinVox and it is now live with Alltel, Cincinnati Bell, Sasktel, Rogers, Telus, Telstra, Vodacom South Africa, Vodafone Spain, Movistar Chile and Livejournal and has announced a deal with Skype.

At the heart of SpinVox is its ground-breaking Voice Message Conversion System™ (VMCS), which works by combining state-of-the-art speech technologies with a live-learning language process. VMCS now serves users across five continents in English, French, Spanish and German -- with additional languages, Portuguese and Italian, under development.

(1) Enhanced Voice Mail

Contact Information: Media Inquiries: Deb Kline 908-953-6179 klined@avaya.com