Agero Wins 2012 CIO 100 Award for Connected Vehicle Speech Interface Solution

Innovative use of information technology to deliver business value garners fourth CIO award in five years for leading provider of driver assistance services for the automotive, insurance and aftermarket industries

Agero has been named as a recipient of a 2012 “CIO 100 Award” from IDG’s CIO magazine for the speech interface solution it created to encourage safe driving by users of the connected vehicle (or telematics) programs it manages on behalf of global automotive OEMs.

Agero’s interactive voice recognition (IVR) solution simplifies complex in-vehicle tasks through advanced voice recognition technologies and audible user experience design, to enhance the driver experience without introducing driver distraction. Fully implemented in 2011, the speech-based solution supports a number of advanced features for drivers, including outbound texting, destination entry, location sharing and route planning, as well as weather and traffic reports. During each interactive session with a driver, server-based speech technology is used in conjunction with speech resources accessed through a data channel (the “speech cloud”). The user experience includes interactions with multiple speech recognizers within a single dialog session to ensure 95% or greater speech recognition.

“The speech interfaces for the services include an interaction of both embedded and off-board intelligence,” explained Dr. Thomas Schalk, vice president of Voice Technology at Agero. “The driver can connect to the off-board speech system by either pushing a button, using a mobile phone, touching an icon on a display, or speaking a command to the on-board speech system. Once connected, the IVR interacts with the driver to complete the desired task.”

Schalk said to ensure high accuracy under stringent conditions, human transcribers are used to confirm recognition results seamlessly to the driver, further ensuring the best speech recognition possible.

The CIO 100 Awards honor organizations that use information technology to create competitive advantages, optimize business processes, enable growth and improve relationships with customers, and ultimately deliver business value. CIO magazine is the definitive publication for technology and business leaders on information technology trends, analysis and insight.

Agero previously earned a CIO 100 Award in 2011 for its T3 (third-generation) connected vehicle platform; in 2009, for its Argosi.net online portal and eDispatch(TM) electronic dispatching tool; and in 2008, for its OneRoad customer relationship management platform.

“At Agero, we strive to build and implement innovative tools and resources that enable us to offer superior capabilities in serving our automotive OEM and insurer customers, and ultimately, the drivers who benefit from their implementation,” said Mark Carbrey, senior vice president and chief information officer at Agero. “This innovation-focused approach has enabled us to repeatedly deliver technologies that enhance the programs we manage on behalf of our clients.”

The full list of 2012 CIO 100 Awards recipients were announced in CIO’s June 1, 2012, issue. A larger story about the 2012 CIO 100 awards will be the cover feature of its Aug. 1, 2012, issue.

About Agero
Agero is a leading provider of connected vehicle services for the automotive, insurance and aftermarket industries and is a market leader in roadside assistance and claims management. Based in Medford, Mass., the company has operations throughout North America and offices for connected vehicle programs in Europe. For more information, visit www.agero.com.