Dictation systems and office automation

D i c t a t i o n s y s t e m s and office automation Creative Strategies International, USA (I 979) $895 Automated dictation in some form will play an important role in the office of the future. The most significant influence on the dictating equipment industry in the past decade has been the increased acceptance of the word processing. Word processing has motivated decision makers in the office environment to examine not only the output phase of the document producing cycle, but the input phase as well, that is, dictation. Although no physical link exists between wordprocessing output equipment and dictation equipment, more integrated systems will begin to appear up to 1983. With increased expenditure for each office worker predicted well into the 1980s, sales of dictating equipment can be expected to climb steadily along with thos of other cost-effective electronic office equipment. A very low market saturation level makes continued growth possible. Despite statistics that clearly prove the cost-effectiveness of machine dictation, the most significant problem the industry faces continues to be user resistance. Long-established executive~ecretary relationships are difficult to =hange, as are ingrained habits of ~roducing documents via longhand writing. Vendors are attacking these

problems head on through extensive training programs for both dictators and transcriptionists. The office is ready for major change, and dictation will have to evolve along with other tasks. In the office of the future, many problems word originators face today may be eliminated altogether. The most promising development in automated speech recognition (ASR), which would not only translate speech into hard or soft copy with no intermediate manual transcription, but would also provide an interactive display to enable the author to have access to previously dictated material. Companies with large resources, such as IBM, Xerox, and Texas Instruments, are already moving toward developing total systems along these lines. The overall market for standalone dictating equipment appears healthy as the industry begins to move into the next decade. Further alignment of dictation input products with word processing output equipment will be beneficial to the industry. Already, Lanier, IBM, and Norelco sell textediting typewriters, and Dictaphone and Sony are committed to the word processing concept. Major technological changes are not expected from within the dictating

Convergence: c o m p u t e r s , c o m m u n i c a t i o n s and office automation Infotech, UK (1979) £1 30 Established functions, such as dataprocessing, secretarial services and telecommunications management, will experience major changes as convergent systems are introduced. In the two volume report, the nature and motivation of convergence are analysed in together with a review

vol 3 no 1 february 1980

of the latest developments in computing, communications and office automation. Economic and political factors that are shaping the way that convergence grows are examined and critical issues in the implentation of convergent systems discussed, drawing on case-study

equipment industry up to 1983. Emphasis will be placed on incorporating new technologies adding time-saving features, rather than changing dramatically the way in which dictation is accomplished. These are indications, however, that magnetic recording media may begin to be replaced by new digital technologies. Simultaneously, large companies are working toward the development of integrated office communication systems that incorporate dictation in an entirely new way. Automatic speech recognition, for example, would mark, from the user's point of view, the first truly major change in the dictation process since the 19305. Two entirely new technologies, recognition and interactive display, would be introduced. However, change in the office occurs in an evolutionary manner, and standalone units can be expected to continue to be an important part of the automated office. An important competitive factor is the participation of some firms in the selling of word-processing output equipment. Sales staff make calls for the mutual reinforcement of each product line. Clearly, companies that are moving toward an integrated approach to the office of the future, rather than regarding dictation as an isolated function, will be in the strongest position in years to come. (Creative Strategies

International, 4340 Stevens Creek Bvd, Suite 275, San Jose, CA 95129, USA. Tel." (408) 249 7550) []

experience to illustrate how convergence can work in practice. A detailed bibliography reviews over 50 references. Invited papers in Volume 2 include articles on: 'The interconnected future: data processing, office automation, personal computing'; 'Data communications - new opportunities and pressures'; '1ntegrating office automation systems'; and 'The automated office: dreams and realities'. Infotech

International Ltd, Nicholson House, Maidenhead, Barks SL6 I LD, UK. Tel: (0628) 35031, Tx: 847319) []

47