Zang Adds Speech to Zang Cloud
Zang, an Avaya company, today unveiled four updates to its communication platform-as-a-service, Zang Cloud, adding several new speech technology enhancements.
Automatic speech recognition was one of the most requested Zang Cloud features, according to the company.
The platform's text-to-speech capabilities have been greatly improved as well. At the core of the enhancements are more natural- and pleasant-sounding male and female voices. Additionally, better translation-handling of words like "API" or "XML" are now in place, and more languages are now supported in both male and female voices.
Another new feature is SIP Registration, allowing users to connect their SIP-enabled devices or softphones directly to Zang Cloud and use Zang APIs to build call-handling logic. For example, users can get multiple phone numbers from different locations, then decide if their phones ring sequentially or simultaneously. They can control call routing based on day of the week, time of day, or caller ID.
Lastly, Zang also added the Multimedia Messages Service (MMS), allowing users to embed the ability to send MMS messages in their apps. Developers will need to provide URLs in the API call that points to the appropriate picture or audio file that is to be sent in the message. Likewise, if an MMS message is sent to Zang Cloud, the developer will be provided a URL in the response of the message to the location of the associated picture or audio file to process. In addition to U.S. and Canadian local Zang Cloud phone numbers, the MMS feature set will be applicable to related toll-free and message-enabled landlines that are configured for Zang Cloud.
With Zang Cloud, it's free to sign up and build workflows or apps. All fees are based on usage, so businesses only pay for what they use. Companies can scale up or down as needed while anticipating costs based on a simple pricing model.
The updates "will only make life easier for developers to embed rich communication features directly into mobile and cloud-based applications," said Mo Nezarati, general manager of Zang, in a statement. "By providing dramatically simple tools and APIs, Zang is dedicated to enabling developers and businesses to change the game of smart customer communications and collaboration."