In the days before automated telephone systems, telephone operators literally transferred calls from one person to another by transferring wires from one place and plugging them to another. If you weren't around during those times, you've probably seen them in some old TV or movie clips. Imagine how many operators and how much time it would take if hundreds of calls came in by the hour. Not only would a lot of manpower be required to take on this task, a lot of time is also needed to keep up with the demands.

Good thing, these are all things of the past. Manually transferring wires in order to connect people from different places is an obsolete technology and has been done away with decades ago. Nowadays, both businesses and customers enjoy the benefits of automated telephone systems. Defined as an automated communication system used to enhance communication within multi office locations or between numerous offices inside the same building as well as to and from locations outside the company's premises, automated telephone systems has been put to good use in virtually all big organizations. With the advent of automated telephone systems, a large number of businesses have done away with a lot of duties previously performed by human operators, saving the organization precious manpower resources as well while bringing down operational costs. And with the continued advancements in this field, the cost of having an automated phone system has considerably become more affordable. Hence, it has now made its way to small and medium enterprises as well.

As the demand for automated telephone systems surges, the technology has continued to improve as well. New applications have been invented to further enhance telecommunications technology. What was already beneficial to both companies and clients alike have been stretched and harnessed to provide even more benefits to users. We now have technologies like vxml and speech recognition systems which further add value to automated telephone systems by providing features once thought were not possible.

VXML or VoiceXML is defined in Webopedia as a technology that enables a user to interact with the Internet using voice-recognition technology. Instead of a conventional browser that depends on a combination of HTML + keyboard and mouse, vxml works using a voice browser and/or a telephone. Using vxml, the user interacts with voice browser by listening to audio output that is either computer-synthesized or pre-recorded while at the same time submitting audio input through the user's natural speaking voice or through a keypad, such as a telephone.

Much like most speech recognition solutions, vxml has been put to use in various applications like high volume calls processing. Within these calls, it performs various tasks in many aspects of a business. These include sales, order inquiry, accounts receivables, tracking of packages, voice access to emails, voice dialling, directory assistance and a host of others.

With customer satisfaction and clients' convenience in mind, more and more companies are looking towards integrating voice technologies like speech recognition solutions and VoiceXML. The flexibility of their applications allow for a wide range of uses in almost any organization. Another positive attribute working in their favour is the ability of these systems to allow for the re-use of various Internet structures. This benefits a majority of organizations who either use IVR infrastructure or web-based infrastructure.

VXML allows businesses to save on costs because it eliminates the need for specific types of equipment or manpower support allowing for more streamlined and cost-effective operations.

While many new technologies hold the promise of added value and efficiency, a lot of them have yet to proven and tested. Among the advanced technologies available, you may want to take a look at the technologies like speech recognition systems such as vxml which we've discussed earlier, as these are tried, tested, affordable and easily accessible tools you can arm your company with even when you're working on a tight budget.

Whether you're geared towards the more established IVR solutions or the newer, more advanced speech recognition solutions like vxml, you're sure to find automated telephone systems sure to suit your requirements, your clients, as well as your budget.