Nuance Invites the Speech Recognition Industry to Establish Benchmark Testing

Business Wire, May 17, 2002

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 17, 2002

Nuance (Nasdaq:NUAN), the global leader in software for a voice-driven world, today issues a call to action for the leading speech recognition software vendors to participate in industry-wide benchmarking. Nuance has also proposed that Speech Technology Magazine, the premier "voice of speech technology," facilitate the entire benchmarking process.

Customers are demanding independent information about speech recognition software, and specifically its accuracy and performance in real-world scenarios. Speech recognition software performs differently in varied environments and applications. Industry accepted benchmark tests will help companies match specific software to their business needs. In addition, these tests alleviate the need for customers to create their own costly and time-intensive benchmarks, streamlining the implementation of speech solutions. Benchmarking will also prove definitively to the market that speech technology is ready for "prime time" and further speed the technology's adoption by enterprises and carriers worldwide.

"Nuance recognizes there's a strong market demand for independent information about speech recognition software. In light of doubts raised about our recent attempt to provide this, we're inviting the leading vendors to come together to conduct the benchmarking that we believe will benefit the entire industry," said Ron Croen, president and CEO of Nuance.

Speech recognition accuracy is the logical place to start with benchmarking, since it's the foundation of all speech systems. High accuracy translates into greater ease and efficiency of use for callers, which leads to increased customer satisfaction and retention rates, and faster return on investment. Nuance estimates that five percentage points in accuracy improvement has the potential to provide customers from $200 thousand to over $1.2 million in cost savings over the average life of a system, depending on the size and scope of the application.

About Nuance

Nuance's speech recognition, voice authentication and text-to-speech software is changing the way companies interact with customers over the phone. In markets around the world, leading carriers and corporations -- including British Airways, Nomura Securities, OnStar, Sprint PCS, United Parcel Service, Vodafone, and many more -- use Nuance's software to reduce costs, increase customer satisfaction and retention, create new sources of revenue and improve security. Nuance's software powers a range of innovative applications including automated directory assistance, voice-activated dialing, self-service banking and voice-driven customer relationship management. The company is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif. and has offices around the world. For more information, visit www.nuance.com or call 1-888-NUANCE-8.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, for example, those relating to the anticipated cost savings, customer satisfaction, return on investment and other benefits and capabilities of speech recognition software and the utility and market value of benchmark testing. There is no assurance that the results contemplated by any forward-looking statements will be realized. The following factors, risks and uncertainties, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described or implied in this press release's forward-looking statements: the risk that speech recognition software will not achieve cost savings, user satisfaction, return on investment or other projected benefits or results in general or in any specific deployment, the risk that customers and end users will not adopt speech recognition software, the risk that benchmark testing will not be useful to the industry and/or that the market for speech recognition software will not grow, the risk that Nuance software products will not perform or achieve customer adoption as expected, and other factors described in Nuance's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Nuance's last-filed annual report on Form 10K. Nuance does not undertake to update any oral or written forward-looking statements that may be made by or on behalf of Nuance.

Nuance is a registered trademark of Nuance Communications, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.