DLJdirect (NYSE: DIR), the online brokerage service of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Inc. (NYSE: DLJ) and SpeechWorks International, Inc., the market leader in the telephony-based speech technology industry(a), today announced that DLJdirect has selected SpeechWorks to provide speech recognition to enhance TradeTalk, its telephone brokerage system.
The new speech-enabled system will allow DLJdirect customers to request quotes and conduct trades for all U.S. stocks and mutual funds simply by speaking into any phone.
Currently, DLJdirect's 900,000 customers use a touch-tone phone application when they wish to place a trade offline. When the SpeechWorks speech recognition system goes live, expected in the third quarter, callers will benefit from reduced transaction times and a more natural, user-friendly experience. Over 85,000 callers access TradeTalk daily to conduct transactions and receive account information. DLJdirect expects this volume will substantially increase when the speech system is available. Developed by iNautix Technologies Inc., the Internet technology subsidiary of DLJdirect Holdings Inc., TradeTalk will provide the same trading capabilities available on the DLJdirect Web site, www.DLJdirect.com.
"As a leader in the online brokerage industry, DLJdirect is committed to providing our customers with the most advanced technology solutions to ensure a successful trading experience, even when they are away from their computers," said Suresh Kumar, President of iNautix Technologies. "We selected SpeechWorks' technology because of the Company's leadership in deploying customer brokerage applications around the world. With this advanced technology, our customers can speak into any phone to get quotes, conduct trades and confirm picks."
SpeechWorks has been an industry leader in speech-activated financial services since 1997, when it deployed the nation's first speech-enabled trading system.
"SpeechWorks allows e-businesses like DLJdirect to provide customers with an easy, untethered channel to conduct transactions and get information when they need it, through the most ubiquitous device -- the telephone," said Stuart R. Patterson, Chief Executive Officer of SpeechWorks. "This improves caller satisfaction and customer service, while reducing call center costs. We are pleased to welcome DLJdirect as our newest brokerage customer ... and partner."
The DLJdirect application is being developed under the SpeechWorksHere(TM) Guarantee Program. The SpeechWorksHere Guarantee is the industry's only money-back commitment to customers to deliver systems on-time and guarantee successful results. Visit www.speechworks.com for more information about the Guarantee.
The TradeTalk phone system will run on open NT systems based on Dialogic/Intel hardware.
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