For years, traditional applications have helped people automate business processes and get things done faster. With the current pace of technological advances, traditional applications are becoming cumbersome and less effective as they will be likely replaced soon by voice enabled applications. Remember 15-20 years ago, the most trusted/frequently used exchange media was regular mail. Now, it is email.
Have you asked why? Simple. It is more efficient. Why write, use stamps, envelopes, courier or postal services when you can type and click the send button to achieve the same outcome? The same idea seems to prevail in voice applications why type and click when you can speak to the system (or at least give voice commands) and achieve the same result.
What's more beautiful in the latter case is that you are not restricted to one dimensional regular web application anymore and can get things done using another one called phone. And, most of us, nowadays, are using cell phones so if we need stuff done quickly we can do it virtually anywhere without using a computer. As phones and phone plans are becoming more and more affordable and regular phones are being substituted with IP ones, which can guarantee more or less the same rate around the globe, demand for voice applications will be steadily growing.
The real question is why wait? when they are out there waiting for you? There are many types of online voice applications. One type is particularly interesting as it can keep people on schedule, minimize drastically the probability of forgetting important events, appointments or other events, and sometimes save lives. How you ask? Again simple. We all live busy lives. Every month, week or day we have to balance between our personal and business/career activities.
As a result, simple things like paying bills, taking medications, submitting assignments on time, picking up kids from school, remembering your friends birthdays may tend to slip through the cracks of our busy schedule. All that is having a negative toll on our lives and our relationship with our loved ones, friends and colleagues. So, you'd ask how online scheduler/reminding system could help me? Easy. First, figure out what features you are expecting from the system, your monthly budget, then register and start managing your schedule immediately. Features that you may consider valuable may be pre-recorded and synthesized reminders, recurring events, timezone independent calendar, special and stock pick events and of course reasonable prices! The way it works for me is as follows: I defined recurring wakeup calls in the morning, pre-recorded birthday/gift reminders for all my friends and relatives, scheduled unexpected events: dental and other appointments as well as once a week I got my stock portfolio reminder. Overall, I am using about 40 phone reminders a month.
How much you would ask it costs? Less than 7$. How much are you better or worse off without the system? I guess it is up to you to decide. In summary, I think there is a value in looking into the area of voice and mixed applications and deciding to start using them sooner rather than later.
Denis is a Project Manager (PMP) with 15+ years of experience in IT. He runs his company DBVR Systems and is a contributing partner at izRemindMe Corp. (www.izremindme.com). He can be contacted at denrl@dbvrsystems.com.
