Effectively Improving Business Processes with Voice Recognition

Once only possible in sci-fi movies, voice recognition is a tool that nowadays is available to almost everyone. Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, Google's Voice Search, Amazon's Alexa, and voice-controlled home security devices are some of the best-known examples of speech recognition.

Personal use of phones and virtual assistant products, however, is just one of its applications. Speech recognition is continuously evolving and becoming more advanced and accurate.

So, various industries are discovering its useful features and the benefits of implementing speech recognition technology in their workflows. Healthcare, banking, and transcription are a few of the industries that are becoming dependent on speech recognition.

Automotive manufacturing is another of such industries. Having suffered from stalled production and labor shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it can not only recover but exceed its production goals. Voice recognition can simplify expensive and labor-consuming business procedures, helping organizations to accomplish more and with fewer resources.

The Basics of Voice Recognition Technology

Voice recognition is a machine’s or program’s ability to understand human speech. It can receive and interpret spoken language and execute commands or actions.

How Speech Recognition Works

Voice recognition converts human voice into text with the use of a microphone as well as speech recognition software. This includes the following steps:

• Conversion of speech to text is the first step.When a computer records voice commands, it first needs to sample the audio. Sampling involves breaking down language into minute pieces as small as a thousandth of a second.
• Next, the computer needs to preprocess speech. Preprocessing boosts the performance, speed, and efficiency of the speech recognition model. In essence, this allows the speech recognition system to decode and identify sound waves easier and faster.
• Recurrent Neural Network or RNN is a set of algorithms that process large amounts of data by identifying patterns in it. RNN learns through example similarly to how the human brain does. It effectively applies deep learning to identify patterns in speech and can predict upcoming sounds, syllables, words, phrases, and sentence parts.
• RRN algorithms predict the output of a sentence. In simple words, instead of responding to a single word within the input text, it responds to a sentence instead. This results in natural language processing or natural interaction. It'll feel like you are speaking to another human rather than a machine.

While speech recognition has evolved over time, it's a complex process. Therefore, continuous training of the algorithms is necessary for it to meet the growing demand. This means building its vocabulary, working with different dialects and accents, and more to expand the capabilities and accuracy of speech recognition devices.

Voice Recognition Technology Uses in Warehouses and Manufacturing

With the help of AI, speech recognition systems serve as a connection between the staff and the Warehouse Management System (WMS). This occurs through plain language commands and does not need staff to rely on RF scanners or paper.

As a result, speech recognition provides multiple benefits. Businesses experience increased productivity, lower error rate, and greater accuracy.

Let’s take a closer look at the different ways in which speech recognition can improve and simplify business operations.

1. Accelerated Employee Onboarding

Training new staff becomes significantly faster with speech recognition devices. Businesses report new workers being able to integrate within as little as a day and become proficient in the course of two weeks.

The ability to train new staff faster and more efficiently can reduce the associated hiring costs. It reduces the number of mistakes new staff members make as well.

Companies that rely on seasonal staff also experience advantages from deploying speech recognition solutions. Employing and training seasonal staff becomes smoother and more streamlined. New workers can learn the necessary skills, integrate, and start supporting the existing staff within less than a day.

2. Automated Workflows

The use of AI and speech recognition software requires staff to perform fewer actions. Instead of pressing buttons or performing actions manually, they can deliver commands verbally. Applying this technology to operational steps such as receiving, packing, picking, loading, inventory management makes procedures streamlined.

In addition to that, voice technology is designed to recognize and isolate speech and block out manufacturing floor noise. This results in greater productivity, faster turnaround, and fewer errors and misunderstandings.

3. Hands-free and Eyes-free Operations

Voice technology provides greater mobility for workers. They use headsets to deliver instructions via a microphone and small portable computers.

This eliminates the need to repeatedly stop to look at an RF screen as well as key in information. Such setup enables workers to execute operations faster and have their hands and eyes free, increasing safety and allowing multitasking.

4. Bilingual Capability

Voice technology offers businesses the ability to hire qualified people that may not be proficient in English.

Artificial intelligence solutions allow workers to operate in a different language without the language barrier problem that occurs when using traditional tools. This helps manufacturing companies to provide more favorable working conditions, making it more attractive to a wider base of potential employees.

Simplify Your Business Processes with Zebra and AccuSpeechMobile

The pandemic has disrupted the way things work, requiring changes and tools that weren't as important before. To supply its clients with advanced solutions able to meet their evolving needs, Zebra has partnered with the AccuSpeechMobile voice automation platform.

Automotive manufacturing companies and their suppliers both struggle with labor shortages and growing demand for new vehicles. This combination can provide the solutions they need.

AccuSpeechMobile voice software facilitates picking as well as various other operations on Zebra wearable mobile computers. It seamlessly integrates with the Zebra HD4000 head-mounted display, pairs with the WT6000 wearable computer, and more. This can help your staff work smarter and more efficiently.

Are you ready to kick-start your pandemic recovery?

Contact us if you'd like to know more about how AccuSpeechMobile can help your organization improve its business processes. We'll be happy to hear from you.