An upgrade to iPhrase Technologies Inc.s OneStep natural language search and navigation software boasts faster implementation times and adds personalization capabilities.
OneStep 3.0, released last week, is used mainly at Web sites to provide answers, culled from a frequently-asked-questions knowledge base at the site, to a users natural language queries. It returns the answers in natural language rather than providing links to possible answers.
Full deployment can be completed in as little as four to six weeks, according to iPhrase officials in Cambridge, Mass. In addition, search results can be personalized based on a users role in the organization or what he or she is authorized to view.
Other new features in this release include an expanded tool set for content updating and maintenance, performance improvements to speed system testing, and enhanced analytics on usage of the results returned so as to generate more relevant results with future queries. OneStep 3.0 runs on the Solaris and FreeBSD operating systems, in addition to supporting Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Red Hat Inc.s Red Hat Linux, as past versions did.
Bob Cantelmo, senior vice president at T.D. Waterhouse Investor Services Inc., in Jersey City, N.J., recently deployed OneStep 3.0 to handle customer inquiries at the companys consumer Web site. Cantelmo praised OneStep for its ease of integration with Interwoven Inc.s TeamSite content management software, which T.D. Waterhouse also deploys for its site. In addition, Cantelmo said he likes the customizable and detailed reports in OneStep 3.0. OneStep replaced Ask Jeeves Inc.s JeevesOne at T.D. Waterhouse.
Cantelmo said the hit rate with OneStep was “much improved over what were used to.
“[OneStep] takes the query and breaks it down into actually answering the question as opposed to just providing a link. Its a much better experience,” Cantelmo said.
Cantelmo described OneStep as a “more dynamic solution than JeevesOne.
“It will allow us to be much more aggressive,” he said. “It will give us a better strategy for minimizing calls to our call center, and as we become more comfortable with using the product, we can gather information from it and look for new marketing opportunities.”
Some still believe in Ask Jeeves technology. The Emeryville, Calif., company last week said the U.S. Navy has licensed its technology to power the Ask the Chief feature at its Distance Support/Anchor Desk Web site.