AT&T Watson(SM) Speech Engine to Power Interactions Corporation Customer Care Virtual Assistant Solutions

DALLAS and FRANKLIN, Mass., April 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to deliver highly intuitive, speech-powered customer care solutions for businesses, AT&T and Interactions Corporation today announced a licensing agreement to incorporate AT&T Watson^(SM) speech technology into Interactions' speech-enabled virtual assistant applications. Specializing in customer care, Interactions is a provider of advanced conversational virtual assistant application services for businesses.

Through the licensing agreement, the two companies will also collaborate to enable high-performing, speech-powered virtual assistants designed for enterprises with customer care needs.

Interactions' applications break the mold of traditional automated self-service customer care systems, providing customers with an interactive conversation more closely emulating a live agent experience. The AT&T Watson^(SM) speech engine – specifically its automatic speech recognition (ASR) and natural language understanding (NLU) capabilities – provides a strong complement to Interactions' conversational and human-level understanding capabilities.

AT&T Watson^(SM) is AT&T's premier speech services platform – making possible the development of next-generation technologies that go beyond speech to power more advanced virtual assistant technologies – including NLU and ASR, among other capabilities.

"By combining AT&T Watson with our virtual assistant technology, we're taking ASR and NLU to a whole new level of performance," said Michael Iacobucci, CEO of Interactions. "The speech applications that result from this synergy routinely amaze and delight the people who interact with them – completely changing people's expectations about what is possible in self-service customer care. What we're delivering represents a quantum leap beyond anything that's been possible with applications built around conventional ASR technology."

"AT&T harnesses the principles of collaboration and openness to empower others to deliver new, digital and personal experiences," said Mazin Gilbert, assistant vice president of technical research at AT&T Labs-Research. "And the addition of AT&T Watson^(SM) to Interactions' service platform is an example of how AT&T's approach to innovation gives licensees access to the power of our world-class tools and platforms, enabling them to deliver impactful new products and services into the marketplace."

AT&T Watson^(SM) has been powering advanced speech services in the marketplace for decades. This technology reflects more than one million hours of research and development in speech technologies that has led to more than 600 U.S. patents and patent applications.  

About Interactions

Interactions Corporation enables companies to more effectively interact with their customers. Its patented technology for automated voice and other interactive systems delivers an unprecedented level of understanding that engages customers in a productive, natural conversation. The company serves a growing roster of industry-leading brands, including Hyatt, Humana, Best Western and LifeLock from its corporate headquarters near Boston, and data centers in Indiana and Texas. Learn more at www.interactions.net.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's largest 4G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse^® and AT&T │DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.