Once upon a bustling morning at an ambitious tech firm, Adam, a dedicated project manager, found himself wrestling with an overloaded schedule. The demands of his role weighed heavily on his calendar, inundating it with an unrelenting influx of meetings, client updates, and internal tasks. Despite Adam’s meticulous efforts, the cacophony of responsibilities was spiraling beyond the management scope of sticky notes or traditional to-do lists.
His daily routine entailed a series of endless Zoom calls, each lasting longer than intended. Although these video conferences were essential for project coordination, they often extended beyond the scheduled time due to unexpected debates, prolonged discussions, or connectivity issues. As a result, what should have been a brief catch-up often ballooned into a time-consuming session that encroached upon Adam’s efficiency, leaving him feeling drained and overwhelmed.
Moreover, the influx of emails, a common professional hazard, became an arduous, seemingly unending part of his workday. Each email, despite its significance, demanded a portion of his attention and time, perpetually steering him away from his core tasks. The incessant ping of incoming messages, while vital for communication, further contributed to the pressure and distractions he faced, hindering his focus and compounding his stress.
Consequently, Adam found himself struggling to keep up with his burgeoning workload. The conventional methods of task management were beginning to show cracks in the face of the overwhelming workload. Sticky notes, calendars, and standard to-do lists, while once reliable, were now inadequate to manage the soaring responsibilities and commitments that came with his role.
Frazzled and exasperated, Adam sought a better approach to streamline his responsibilities. His quest was not only about optimizing his task management but also to alleviate the pervasive stress and anxiety stemming from the relentless barrage of meetings, video calls, and email correspondence. Adam sought a solution that would afford him a more efficient, yet personalized means of managing his tasks and communication. He was in dire need of a method that could navigate through the complex labyrinth of his daily activities, saving time, reducing stress, and fostering a more harmonious work-life balance.
Enter Sound Branch.
Adam, inspired by the success stories he’d heard, decided to utilize Sound Branch’s voice note feature to navigate through his busy day. As the clock struck 9 AM, he recorded a brief, yet detailed voice note outlining the key agenda for the weekly team meeting, effectively synchronizing his thoughts and setting the tone for an efficient discussion.
Little did he know, his colleague, Emily, was knee-deep in preparing a crucial client presentation and was facing a mental block. In an act of collaboration, Adam sent her a quick voice note, outlining a few essential pointers and gently nudging her to consider a different approach for the project. The personalized message resonated with Emily, sparking new ideas, and reigniting her creative flair.
As the day progressed, the team found themselves engrossed in a high-stakes project. Troublesome bugs were impeding the progress, and time was of the essence. In a swift move, without even having to call a meeting or compose a lengthy email, Adam shared a voice note, proposing a collaborative solution. His concise yet comprehensive message provided clarity and swiftly guided the team toward a resolution.
In the concluding hours of the day, tired yet determined, Adam received a voice note from his coworker, David. It served as a gentle reminder of the upcoming deadline for the quarterly progress report. The timely message prodded Adam to review his completed tasks and add the final touches, ensuring they were in sync with the collective endeavor of the team.
The efficient use of voice notes throughout the day had transformed their team’s approach to reminders and task execution. The ease of communication, coupled with the personal touch of voice notes, facilitated better interaction, quicker problem-solving, and ultimately expedited task completion. Their shared experiences through these brief, personalized reminders had turned an ordinary workday into a symphony of efficient collaboration, demonstrating the potential of Sound Branch as a catalyst for streamlined, effective work processes.
On an average workday, exchanging emails, arranging meetings, or navigating lengthy phone calls would usually consume a significant portion of the team’s time. However, with the swift and succinct nature of voice notes, they observed a substantial decrease in communication and coordination efforts. What might have once required a series of emails, a lengthy meeting, or several rounds of calls was now achieved in a fraction of the time.
In particular, the ability to exchange crucial information within the team rapidly and effectively facilitated quicker decision-making. A task that would have conventionally taken an hour-long meeting and a follow-up email chain was now reduced to a concise, pointed voice note shared among the team. This resulted in an exceptional time-saving strategy.
The use of Sound Branch’s voice notes revolutionized the way the team managed their tasks and communicated. By providing a more efficient, personalized, and prompt method of exchanging information and reminders, the team collectively saved an estimated 25% of their usual time spent in communication and problem-solving, allowing them to refocus that time towards higher-value tasks and creative endeavors.
The internet has enabled an explosion of content creation and sharing. With so much information available online, search engines have become crucial for helping people find what they are looking for. Just as Google dominates web search and YouTube rules video search, Sound Branch aims to be the go-to platform for discovering voice content.
YouTube transformed online video when it launched in 2005. For the first time, there was a centralized place for people to upload, share, and search through millions of videos. It democratized access to video creation and viewership. Before YouTube, video hosting and distribution was fragmented across various websites.
Similarly, Amazon’s marketplace and search features have made it the starting point for online shopping. When people want to buy a product, they begin their search on Amazon because of its vast selection and ease of comparing options. Amazon has become synonymous with ecommerce in the same way that Google defines web search.
Sound Branch envisions a similar future for voice-based content. As smart speakers like Alexa and Google Home proliferate, there is growing demand for voice apps, audio books, podcasts, and other voice content. Sound Branch aims to be the central platform for creators to publish voice content and for consumers to search, browse, and listen to what they want.
We want to build the most robust catalog of voice content across all genres and topics. Its search functionality is optimized for the unique aspects of discovering content via voice instead of text or visuals. Sound Branch is also focused on developing voice-specific discovery features, personalized recommendations, and intuitive interfaces.
As voice technology matures, Sound Branch seeks to do for audio content what Google did for the web and YouTube for video. It wants to be the go-to destination for people to fulfill their voice-driven information, entertainment, and shopping needs. If it succeeds, Sound Branch will be the search engine for a new era of voice-first computing.
Sound Branch is an innovative communication platform that enables users to share voice notes, collaborate, and streamline their communication workflows. It is available across various platforms, including the web, iOS, Android, Alexa, and Google Assistant, ensuring accessibility and convenience for users across different devices.
On the web, users can access Sound Branch directly through their preferred web browsers, making it accessible from desktops, laptops, and other web-enabled devices. This allows for seamless communication and collaboration without the need for any additional installations.
For users on iOS and Android devices, Sound Branch provides dedicated mobile applications available for download from the respective app stores. These mobile apps offer a user-friendly interface and optimized functionalities to ensure a smooth and intuitive experience on smartphones and tablets.
In addition, Sound Branch integrates with voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing users to leverage voice commands to interact with the platform. Whether it’s recording voice notes, accessing messages, or managing settings, the integration with these voice assistants adds a new level of convenience and hands-free operation.
With its availability on the web, iOS, Android, Alexa, and Google Assistant, Sound Branch ensures that users can access and utilize the platform from their preferred devices and platforms. This multi-platform approach enables users to communicate, collaborate, and share knowledge seamlessly, regardless of the device or environment they are in.
How did Sound Branch start?
In the modern era of remote work, staying connected across different time zones can be a challenge. For Sean Gilligan, the founder of Sound Branch, this challenge sparked an innovative solution to avoid late-night video calls and bridge the communication gap between his team in Chicago and his base in the UK. By leveraging the power of voice notes, Sean and his team transformed their remote communication dynamics and fostered a more efficient and connected work environment.
With Sound Branch, Sean and his team discovered a game-changing platform that allowed them to send and receive voice notes effortlessly. Instead of scheduling time-consuming video calls that disrupted their workday, they could simply record concise voice notes and send them to their colleagues. This new form of communication eliminated the need for real-time availability and provided flexibility for both sides of the Atlantic.
Replacing traditional meetings with voice notes can save endless hours of valuable time. By adopting this asynchronous communication method, teams can eliminate the need for scheduling and attending lengthy meetings that often involve unnecessary discussions or delays. With voice notes, individuals can convey their thoughts concisely and clearly, allowing recipients to listen and respond at their convenience. This streamlined approach not only promotes individual productivity but also avoids the common pitfalls of unproductive meetings, such as distractions, interruptions, and inefficient use of time. By embracing voice notes as an alternative to meetings, teams can reclaim their time, focus on essential tasks, and achieve greater efficiency in their work processes.
Replacing traditional meetings with voice notes can save endless hours of valuable time. By adopting this asynchronous communication method, teams can eliminate the need for scheduling and attending lengthy meetings that often involve unnecessary discussions or delays. With voice notes, individuals can convey their thoughts concisely and clearly, allowing recipients to listen and respond at their convenience. This streamlined approach not only promotes individual productivity but also avoids the common pitfalls of unproductive meetings, such as distractions, interruptions, and inefficient use of time. By embracing voice notes as an alternative to meetings, teams can reclaim their time, focus on essential tasks, and achieve greater efficiency in their work processes.
With approximately 7 billion people worldwide using voice notes on platforms like WhatsApp for personal communication, it begs the question: Why not embrace this effective communication method in our professional lives as well? Voice notes have become an integral part of our personal interactions, allowing us to convey emotions, tone, and nuances that text-based messages often fail to capture. By adopting voice notes in our professional lives, we can bring the same level of clarity and personal touch to our work-related conversations. Voice notes enable us to communicate complex ideas, provide detailed instructions, and express ourselves more effectively, all while saving time and fostering a deeper understanding. As we witness the widespread adoption of voice notes in personal communication, it’s high time we recognize their value and leverage their potential in our professional interactions, leading to improved collaboration and enhanced productivity in the workplace.
We understand that receiving long voice notes may not always be preferable for everyone. However, with Sound Branch, you have the flexibility to limit the duration of recordings on your site, tailoring them to your preferred time frame. This ensures that voice notes remain concise and focused, making them more efficient to listen to or review. Moreover, Sound Branch offers full transcription capabilities, allowing you to scan read the content of voice notes if you prefer a quick overview or need to refer back to specific details. Whether you choose to listen to the voice notes or rely on the transcriptions, Sound Branch provides the versatility to adapt to your preferred communication style, ensuring that you can engage with the content in a way that suits you best.
What makes Sound Branch different?
Personal Voice Site
Voice Message Inbox with Transcription of Voice Messages and Sentiment Analysis Emoji Tagging
Sound Branch offers a unique site that enables you to share with others when they request to schedule your time. This feature ensures asynchronous connectivity, allowing you to preserve productivity without compromising effectiveness. Instead of engaging in lengthy back-and-forth email exchanges or the need for immediate availability, you can simply direct individuals to your Sound Branch site.
This streamlined approach eliminates the need for unnecessary coordination and frees up your time to focus on important tasks. With Sound Branch, you can maintain control over your schedule while ensuring seamless connectivity with others, optimizing productivity and enhancing your overall effectiveness.
Transcripts of Audio Recordings
Sound Branch employs advanced technology to transcribe voice notes into text, making it easier to skim, search, and reference important information. Through powerful speech-to-text algorithms, your voice recordings are accurately converted into written form, allowing for quick navigation and accessibility.
In addition to transcription, Sound Branch utilizes sentiment analysis to tag voice notes with corresponding emojis that represent the sentiment expressed in the recording. By analyzing tone, intonation, and contextual cues, Sound Branch can identify the emotional undertones of the voice note. Whether it’s a happy, sad, or indifferent sentiment, the appropriate emoji is assigned to provide a visual representation of the recorded content’s emotional context.
These features provide an enhanced user experience by facilitating efficient content management and retrieval. The transcriptions enable you to skim through voice notes, search for specific keywords, and extract key insights easily. Moreover, the sentiment analysis and emoji tagging add a layer of expressiveness and facilitate quick understanding of the emotional nuances within the voice notes.
By combining accurate transcriptions and sentiment analysis with emoji tagging, Sound Branch offers a comprehensive solution that not only captures the content of voice notes but also enhances the communication experience. It simplifies information retrieval, helps in interpreting emotional context, and promotes efficient knowledge sharing and collaboration across teams.
Plays nicely with familiar platforms
Seamlessly incorporating private voice notes into your existing workflows has never been easier with Sound Branch. Our platform allows you to effortlessly integrate voice notes into various communication channels, including email, Slack, Twitter, and other platforms you rely on. By simply sharing a link to your voice note, you can ensure that your private recordings are securely accessible to the intended recipients within your preferred workflow. This integration enables smooth collaboration, effective knowledge sharing, and efficient communication, without the need for complicated file transfers or additional software. With Sound Branch, you can seamlessly weave voice notes into your existing processes, enhancing productivity and streamlining your workflows for maximum convenience.
Voice Messages Timeline – Share Voice Notes to Slack, Twitter or Email
Clear your Calendar
Sound Branch empowers you to replace meetings with voice notes, revolutionizing the way you communicate and collaborate. By leveraging the power of voice notes, you can streamline your schedule and reclaim valuable time. Instead of spending hours in lengthy meetings, you can record concise voice notes that convey your thoughts, ideas, and instructions effectively. These voice notes can be shared asynchronously, allowing recipients to listen and respond at their convenience, eliminating the need for synchronous coordination. With Sound Branch, you can streamline your communication, enhance productivity, and free up time for more meaningful work. Say goodbye to meeting overload and embrace the efficiency of voice notes with Sound Branch.
Users highlighted the immense value of leveraging Sound Branch to replace a wide range of calls. Users discovered that Sound Branch effectively replaced “pick your brain” sessions, one-on-one meetings, feedback exchanges, investor updates, reference checks, and many other types of calls.
The versatility of Sound Branch’s voice notes proved invaluable in these scenarios, allowing users to convey their thoughts, provide updates, seek feedback, and exchange information in a concise and efficient manner. By utilizing Sound Branch, users were able to streamline their communication, save time, and maintain productive workflows while still achieving the desired outcomes of these various types of calls.
We wholeheartedly invite you to embark on your Sound Branch journey by signing up for free at soundbran.ch for you and your team. If you prefer to have your own personal account, head to soundbranch.com to create your individual account. By joining Sound Branch, you will experience the power of our platform firsthand, revolutionizing the way you communicate, collaborate, and share knowledge. Discover the convenience of voice notes, the efficiency of asynchronous communication, and the seamless integration of Sound Branch into your workflows. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to unlock the full potential of your communication and take your productivity to new heights.
Embrace the future of asynchronous communication with Sound Branch, where productivity and convenience converge in perfect harmony. Say goodbye to the limitations of real-time interactions and welcome a new era of efficient and flexible communication. With Sound Branch, you can effortlessly share voice notes, collaborate seamlessly, and streamline your workflows like never before. Experience the power of asynchronous communication that allows you to communicate on your own terms, eliminating the need for endless meetings and email chains.
Embrace a workstyle that empowers you to work when and where it suits you best while staying connected and productive. Join the revolution of asynchronous communication with Sound Branch and discover a world where productivity and convenience thrive hand in hand.
2019 has been a year of ambitious development and growth for voice technology.
Google, Amazon and Microsoft have all invested heavily, making improvements to their software as well as introducing new capabilities and features. Ventures Anywhere have mirrored this investment into the sector, driven by a belief in its potential and a commitment to be industry leaders. Our pioneering developments in voice tech have included:
Sound Branch – a unique ‘voice notes’ social-platform, which allows users to share short and easy-to-record audio files, which can then be converted into professional podcasts or used for a plethora of business purposes – such as feedback, recruitment and analysis.
Mums Anywhere – the first ‘reality radio’ – providing a platform for its users to share and access advice/tips from other parents. After positive promotion from mummy influencers such as Ferne McCann, Marnie Simpson, Cara De La Houd, Cally-Jane and the Modern Midwife, MumsAnywhere ranked 15 on the social charts in January 2018 and to date has had 10,000 downloads.
In the next 12 months, it is certain that voice-activated services will become a much bigger part of our everyday lives – at work as well as home. In fact, by the end of this year, the voice market is predicted to be “a $601 million industry” according to a report from Technavio. However, this be a conservative estimate as, by 2021, it’s believed there will be more voice assistants on the planet than there are people (according to research firm Ovum). This growth represents a huge shift in the nature of human interaction with digital technology.
As ASR (automatic speech recognition) continues to improve and AI becomes more and more cognitive, the use of voice tools will undoubtedly become increasingly mainstream. However, voice technology is by no means new, despite its recent surge in popularity with consumers.
Below is a condensed history of the key milestones in the sector. These illustrate that (as with all technological advances) growth is exponential – as developers strive forward by ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’.
Voice Technology –Key Milestones
1952 – Davis, Biddulph and Balashek at Bell Laboratories build Audrey, Speech Recognizer for strings of digits
1981 – The Applied Voice Input Output Society (AVIOS) is founded
1982 – Husband & Wife Dr. James Baker and Dr. Janet M. Baker found Dragon Systems
1987 – Jo Lernout and Pol Hauspie found Lernout & Hauspie
1994 – Mike Phillips and Bill O’Farrell found SpeechWorks
1994 – Nuance Communications founded as a spin-off of SRI International’s Speech Technology and Research (STAR) Laboratory
1994 – Wildfire Communications launches the Wildfire Assistant
1995 – The Quarterly ‘Speech Technology Magazine’ begins publication
1995 –Microsoft Releases its Speech API, SAPI 1.0, on Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.51
1999 – Mike McCue and Angus Davis Found Tellme Networks
2000 – SpeechWorks goes public
2000 – Orange purchases Wildfire Communications for $142MM
Jan 2004 – James Siminoff and William Price found PhoneTag
May 2005 – Microsoft launches Microsoft Speech Server
2006 – Mike Phillips and John Nguyen break off Nuance and launch Vlingo
Mar 2007 – Microsoft Acquires Tellme for $800MM
April 2007 – Nuance Communications Acquires BeVocal
2008 – The Association for Voice Interaction Design (AVIXD) is founded
Jun 2008 – Nuance Communications sues Vlingo for alleged patent infringement
Dec 2008 – PhoneTag rebrands as Simulscribe
Dec 2009 – Nuance Communications acquires Speech to Text provider Spinvox
