Acapela TTS Voice enable SEB Swedish cash points

Acapela, the European leader in speech solutions together with the Swedish financial group, SEB, have implemented talking cash points all over Sweden. The service is designed to facilitate access to cash points for people with sight problems or dyslexia and to offer groups such as the elderly and immigrants the option of using cash point services through the means of speech rather than text. Acapela, a company with solid experience in the implementation of speech synthesis solutions in many different contexts, has developed the technology behind the 'talking' cash points. In conjunction with SEB, Acapela chose 'Erik'; a Swedish voice for its cash points that is part of Acapela's portfolio of 25 languages and 50 individual voices.

SEB is the first bank in Sweden to choose and put in place a speech synthesis system that offers the option of voice enabling at any of its cash points. Carin Hallqvist, SEB's head of accessibility systems comments: “We have worked in close collaboration with the Swedish Association for the Visually Impaired in order to develop this tool. Members of this association have been conducting tests to ensure that the services provided by the SEB cash points are in line with their specific requirements. The implementation of this speech synthesis solution will offer a wider and improved selection of services to those with different kinds of handicaps. Acapela's clear and natural sounding voices correspond perfectly to our criteria for voice synthesis".

This new application is easy to use and is available at all of SEB's 400 cash points throughout Sweden. Pressing a button before inserting an ATM card activates the speech synthesis option. The services available with the voice synthesis system include cash withdrawal, account balance options and mobile phone top up's. SEB launched the speech solution in January 2007 and has seen a steady increase in the number of withdrawals made using the new option, from 564 withdrawals in February to 666 withdrawals in March.

This new talking cash point service means that carrying out everyday banking needs by those with various handicaps and sight difficulties need no longer be a complicated process. This latest technology now provides an easy and safe means for the withdrawal of money.

Lars-Erik Larsson, Managing Director of Acapela Sweden AB comments: “We are extremely proud that SEB chose Acapela with regards to their talking cash points. Speech synthesis can be used in a variety of areas and this is an excellent example of how speech technology can simplify the daily banking needs of those with sight difficulties and handicaps."