Most people don't think of voice as having a “role” in the office. But at least one study (Knopf 82) shows that 69 percent of an executive's time is spent communicating verbally, either face-to-face or using the telephone. A secretary communicates verbally about 20 percent of the time, mostly on the phone. Other white collar workers range within these times. These are significant portions of a workday, and prime candidates for support from office automation technology. By identifying the needs of office workers, and the voice communication shortcomings, it is possible to chart out how to bring technology to bear on them. The first section of this paper will discuss how voice is used now, in the context of the needs of office workers. It will also address some of its shortcomings. The next section will describe a new voice technology available from Texas Instruments that can help solve these voice needs, consequently improving worker productivity. The third section describes how this new technology can extend a worker's voice capabilities beyond how voice is used today, in the context of the automated office.
