For frontline workers in any work environment, it comes as no surprise that their hands are always full. Whether they are busy operating machinery, driving a truck, conducting inspections, or loading shipments, life would be easier with an extra set of hands, or hands free operation.
But, what exactly is hands free operation, and what are its use cases and benefits? We’re going to cover all this and more in this post!
What is Hands Free Operation?
Hands free operation describes equipment or technology that can be utilized and/or operated with minimal or even zero manual intervention. One of the most common types of hands free operation devices is voice-activated software. These can be in the form of headsets, smartphones, tablets, or even telephones that have the software enabled.
Through a speaker, the device listens to, deciphers, and understands voice commands as if it were a human having a conversation. Voice recognition software is transforming how companies and people operate – speeding up processes, improving accuracy, and increasing safety.
What are the Benefits of Hands Free Operation?
Although wishing for an extra set of hands could solve the problem, it’s not feasible. Hands free operation delivers the same, if not greater, advantages though. Operating business processes through the use of voice rather than manual manipulation can result in:
Greater Productivity
While keeping hands-free, your frontline workers are able to get more done because they can do more at once. For example, if they have to make notes on a checklist during an inspection, they can instead speak through the checklist and the hands-free device will make notes for them. Speech recognition tools also empower frontline workers to stay more focused on their task at hand, thereby improving efficiency and productivity.
Enhanced Safety
Working in the warehousing, automotive, manufacturing, healthcare and aviation industries (for example) is filled with risks to one’s safety. From handling heavy machinery to loading shipments and flying planes or driving cars, accidents are common. That’s why it’s increasingly important to keep eyes up and hands available. With hands free operation devices, this is now possible. As a result, you can reduce risks and increase safety for workers.
Improved Collaboration
Manual interventions often rely on paper-based trails or digital information that is stored on separate, disconnected devices. This causes data siloes or even lost information. With digital, hands free operation tools in play, data can be shared seamlessly with relevant parties and teams. As an example, when an inspector is finished with a fleet management checklist and a maintenance request is needed, the alert can be sent immediately to the mechanic to jump on the task, resulting in quicker fixes and less delays.
Better Insights
Similar to the collaboration aspect, hands free and voice-enabled devices (like aiOla) are capable of capturing otherwise lost data. Not only does the software collect data to provide valuable insights, but it also improves accuracy because manual data entry tends to suffer from errors and delays.
Popular Voice-Activated Technologies
It’s likely you’ve already had experience with hands free technology, especially for personal use. Here are a few examples of common AI-driven voice recognition tools:
Google Assistant
For Google Home or Android devices, users can access Google Assistant, which can be commanded to handle several tasks, such as playing music, turning on lights, or answering questions.
Apple Siri
Apple’s virtual assistant, Siri, is available on iOS devices and can manage everyday tasks from its user. You can ask Siri questions, request Siri to call or text people in your contact list, and set reminders, to name a few.
These personal use hands free operation assistants help to make daily tasks simpler, especially for people who are on-the-go or multitasking.
However, when it comes to using these personal devices in a business setting, they fall short. This is because they aren’t designed to specifically handle operations and critical workflows. That’s where aiOla steps in.
aiOla
aiOla is an easy-to-use application that is AI-enabled for business use. aiOla is made up of two components, namely aiOla Jargonic and aiOla Interactive (or in simple terms, it’s back-end and front-end environments). Users can upload files or snap photos of manual processes for immediate digitization with aiOla Jargonic. More importantly, aiOla Jargonic learns business-specific jargon immediately without prior training needed because of its language model.
For frontline workers, managers, supervisors, and stakeholders, aiOla Interactive delivers an intuitive app for use on any Android or iOS device. Workers can move through workflows through voice and touch, while capturing otherwise lost data. With aiOla, team members have the choice to complete checklists either with speech or by tapping the screen. Either way aiOla helps to boost productivity, increase collaboration, streamline communications, and capture data accurately.
Most impressively, aiOla workers in any industry, any acoustic environment, any accent, and any language.
Common Challenges of Voice-Activated Systems
Hands free operation devices are a game changer in both professional and personal settings. That being said, not everything is perfect from the get go. A few considerations to keep in mind when leveraging voice-activated systems are:
- Data Security: It’s of utmost importance for any digital technology to protect its user’s sensitive and private data. Many people wonder how their voice will be used, where their data is stored, and the potential for misuse.
- Acoustic Noise: Another major point is that in order to fully understand voice commands and speech, the system must be able to hear properly and focus on the necessary keywords. Loud background noise and environments can threaten accuracy.
- Accents and Languages: Since speech tools are used globally, they should, in an ideal world, be able to understand all accents and languages. However, some are still learning.
The good news for businesses is that aiOla overcomes all of these challenges, with the first-of-its-kind technology to understand all accents, languages, and business-specific jargon in any acoustic environment.
Who Should Use Hands Free Operation?
Do you work in a business that handles a lot of processes, requires communication between team members, and operates with many deadlines and a high volume of data?
Chances are you answered yes to several, or at least one of the above questions. If that’s the case, hands free operation will certainly aid your business.
To provide a better sense of how a hands free solution like aiOla can work across industries, check out this page filled with example use cases and benefits.
Closing Words
Hands free operation is the power of speech put into action. By removing manual constraints and requirements, people can do more with their words, while increasing accuracy, expediting tasks and processes, and enhancing safety.
