Voice-Insight recently announced availability of their voice solution for Oracle WMS. The solution was presented at Oracle WMS SIG at Collaborate'08 event in Denver.
After the SIG presentation and the voice demo, I had a chat with Rajeev Varshaneya from Voice-Insight. Rajeev is the VP of Business Development at Voice Insight. I took notes from the conversation and here is the transcript from that conversation:
AA: Rajeev thank you for participating in WMS SIG. Your presentation and voice demo was very well received. I think this could be of interest to other Oracle WMS customers who could not make it to this event. How can they view this information?
RV: Aditya, Thanks for giving us the opportunity to present the Voice Insight Mobile Client targeted for Oracle e-Business Suite and more specifically for the Oracle Warehouse Management System. We will make the presentation given there available to you so that it can be viewed by the larger Oracle WMS user community.
AA: Can you tell us a little bit about Voice Insight?
RV: Voice Insight creates voice interaction solutions for enterprise/manufacturing/mobile applications. We have been in this business for over 8 years. We have an international presence that spans United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany and The Netherlands. Our current deployments are in the areas of Warehouse Logistics, Mobile Navigation, Inspections and Asset Management. We are specialized in Voice enabling applications with our significant IP portfolio and deep expertise in voice interpretation and processing techniques on mobile devices.
AA: Why is voice picking and voice enabled transactions getting so much importance these days?
RV: The applications used in the enterprise have been packing an incredible amount of functionality to automate the business operations. This has led to a significant usage complexity and a heavy requirement to constantly train the workforce in its usage and, in addition keeping them up to speed on changing work procedures.
By its very nature, voice interface is the most direct and natural form of interaction, cutting through the complex menu-driven logic and getting straight to the function a user needs to execute. The net effect is a significant reduction in cycle times (in order picking for example) and an increase data and performance (e.g. shipping) accuracy. Voice also obviates the need to learn and re-learn changing system features and procedures. At the same time, with the work that we have done and the others have done in the industry to make voice solutions more robust and reliable, there is now wider acceptance that voice interfaces have migrated from being a gimmick to real productivity enhancers. The ease of use, accuracy and productivity gains have been clearly demonstrated and that brings the feeling of confidence in the minds of users as well as IT implementers who are now more seriously looking at this technology.
We believe our solutions are ready for prime time and the hands/eyes-free nature of voice is a real advantage in the warehouse situations.
AA: What type of voice solutions do you offer to Oracle WMS customers?
RV: We offer two distinct approaches to the Oracle customer base:
The first one is the mobile client approach, in which we have a software client running only on the mobile terminal with no need for integration to the back-end database or application. This allows data entry on the client device using voice/scanning and fill the defaults. The mobile client is ready to roll in a very quick implementation cycle. It is independent of the releases of Oracle WMS solution or the forms that needs to be voice enabled.
The second approach is a traditional Voice Client integration for high-volume, streamlined work-flow processes, whereby we integrate the Voice Insight VQL solution to the WMS and enhance the end to end productivity of the work-flow significantly. Our own voice terminal option is a Windows XP based rugged computer (wearable or mounted on a fork lift if using the wireless headset) that interacts over a TCP/IP network and acts in dual mode (on-line/off-line) with the WMS managing the Warehouse work-flow. External device integration with barcode/RFID scanners and an industrial grade Wireless Headset provide the ultimate performance in mobile work-flow task management (picking, put-away, QA). The integration process with the back-end systems is simplified because of our integration approach.
AA: The client based solution that you mentioned is very intriguing. Its very different from the traditional approach to voice enablement where WMS tasks and pick instructions are interfaced to a voice solution server. Can you tell us the benefits of the client based solution to voice enabling WMS?
RV: This is a result of a significant collaborative effort between Oracle and Voice Insight engineers. The solution offers a very short implementation cycle and offers appreciable productivity gains in short order. The solution does not require any integration effort with the back end systems and can be applied to any Oracle WMS transaction available on the mobile terminal. A lot of default data can be pre-filled making operator's life relatively simple. We are excited about offering the Oracle WMS user base a solution that is unparalleled in user and system simplicity and ease of deployment.
AA: What transactions in Oracle WMS can be voice enabled using the client based approach?
RV: Any transaction can be voice enabled. The solution can be easily extended to the entire e-business suite just as well.
AA: You mentioned in your presentation that client based solution allows existing devices to be used for voice enabling WMS. Are there any hardware limitations or constraints like memory, blue tooth, etc.?
RV: The solution works on the current configurations offered by companies like Symbol and LXE.
AA: It seems to me that a client based solution offers tremendous value. Is there any situation where a server based solution makes more sense?
RV: If you have complex work-flow logic, a lot of real-time decision making that is done by the WMS, and a high-volume environment with simple streamlined work cycles, it may be better to use a traditional server integrated solution. Our VQL voice server option can also add complementary work flow logic to a WMS where the WMS doesn't allow sufficient flexibility for streamlining or specializing processes to meet local needs on the floor of a given site implementation.
AA: Do you have any special offer for Oracle WMS customers?
RV: Since this is a new product added to our portfolio, we are looking at candidate companies that might want to try out the benefits this solution offers. We will do the pilots for limited numbers without charge in return, upon successful verification, for they're help in making our message to the market stronger.
AA: How can they get in touch with you?
RV: You can reach us by
e-mail:
info@voice-insight.com
bret.andersen@voice-insight.com
Rajeev.varshneya@voice-insight.com
Phone:
Bret Andersen: 650-380-3067
Rajeev Varshneya: 408-666-1684
AA: Rajeev, thanks for your time. I am sure our WMS community will find this very useful. I will make arrangements with OAUG to make the presentation available to all those who could not attend the event. Thank you.
