1-800-Google Launches

The Webguy wrote to mention a C|Net article talking about Google's newest toy - Local Voice Search. The service is dirt simple: you call a 1-800 number and, via voice recognition software, say the category of business you're trying to reach. You can also try for a specific name, though the C|Net blogger had some problems with that. The Google Blog has been updated with details as well: "Google Voice Local Search lets you search for local businesses from any phone and for free. If you're in the US, call 1-800-GOOG-411 and say what you want to find. Here are some of the features -You can find a business listing by category. Just say "pizza," for example. You can send the listing details to your mobile phone via SMS. The service is fully automated, so it doesn't rely on human operators. It connects you directly to the business, free of charge."

It's in response to a Microsoft move.

[Animats]

It's their answer to Microsoft's acquisition of TellMe. (1-800-555-TELL). Presumably, like TellMe, after a while they will add ads.

Re:Does this sign you up for phone spam?

[pdhenry]

Telemarketers are allowed to call your cell phone but they're not allowed to use automatic dialers (the kind that transfer you to an agent after you've answered) to call your cell phone. Since just about all telemarketers use automatic dialers this effectively kills telemarkting to cell phones.

Free 411

[Esekla]

Seems very much like 800-FREE-411 but hopefully without the ads?

Re:So if the this is completely free of charge....

[joelpt]

Possible motivations for Google:

1. Further promote Google's value and brand in the minds of consumers and business owners alike. This is following in the same vein as the Google Local Business Center's completely free coupons that you can create for your business to appear on Google Maps. Call it good PR.

2. Statistics. Useful not only to them, but to local business owners. Again, develops brand loyalty and is good PR.

3. As part and parcel of 1 and 2, they hope that some of these local business owners will later purchase normal ads on Google.

In short, even if the added revenue from 3 doesn't completely offset the cost of running this service, 1 and 2 add value in ways that are hard to directly quantify in monetary terms. Though I suspect they will indeed make more (regular Adwords/Adsense) revenue as a direct result of this service's availability than it costs to run it. The usual exorbitant $1.25 per 411 call is not even close to what it costs to run such a service (especially without human operators).

4. Don't be evil. And while you're at it, if you can take out a few of the other evildoers out there, all the better! Google has taken the lessons of "disruptive technology" to heart, and it's worked for them time and again.

As usual, Google wins by not being overly (or at least overtly) greedy. It's for this reason that I doubt we'll ever hear paid ads or purchased placement when calling the service.

The technology behind it

[dysonlu]

Google uses Nuance Communications' speech recognition engine. Even though Google has hired a few folks from Nuance a while ago, it is NOT using homebrew technology, at least not as far as the engine is concerned. And even if Google had planned to build their own engine (they have no good reason to, really), it would have taken longer than a couple of years and much more than a handful of ex-Nuance engineers to be able to come up with a competitive speech reco engine -- the entry bar is high, even for Google. But like I said: Google has no good reason to re-invente the well -- it would have been just ridiculous; heck, if they seriously wanted to own the engine, they could have bought Nuance (the pre-merger Nuance, not the merged-with-Scansoft Nuance) with their pocket change.

Re:Does this sign you up for phone spam?

[michaelhood]

Nope. I've been using the SMS-based version of this (Send an SMS with 'pizza' or 'weather' to 46645 (GOOGL)) and haven't received a single unsolicited message. It's unfortunate that spammers have given SMS such a bad repertoire. Everytime I see an SMS-based service that seems legitimate I am still leery of using it because I don't want SMS spam waking me in the middle of the night.