Nuance today announced the launch of their Voicemail to Text message transcribing service, which converts audio voicemail messages into SMS or email messages and sent on to the user.  Offered through carriers rather than direct to an end user, the system uses Nuance’s Dragon Naturally Speaking voice recognition technology as well as a human transcription backup; it improves upon standard voicemail systems as users can more discretely monitor recorded messages and avoid having to copy down details from them such as telephone numbers, addresses or directions.

“Converting voicemail to text is a powerful and simple concept. But implementing a highly scalable semi-automated service is far more complex and requires highly accurate speech recognition – technology that takes decades to develop.  The Nuance Voicemail to Text Service integrates speech technology with over 3,000 Nuance transcriptionists, hosted in a Nuance-owned facility, with proven security, scalability, and reliability” Steve Chambers, president, mobile and consumer services division, Nuance

The system is integrated with any standard voicemail system, so callers can simply leave a message on a voicemail system that’s Nuance-enabled, and the message is transcribed to text and sent back to the voicemail platform.  Transcribed messages are delivered to users through any messaging medium, likely based on which options the carrier themselves supports (and which model of cellphone the user has).

[link to pdf Press Release]