Text to Speech Service: Find the Perfect Voice for Your Texts

These days, we frequently hear about various artificial intelligence platforms: ChatGPT, Microsoft, Google, and Apple are all competing to have the smartest platform. From our telecommunications background, we're particularly interested in how these platforms handle text-to-speech (TTS).

In the past, computer-generated speech sounded very robotic, making it obvious that a machine was speaking. This was far from ideal for use as a welcome message in a professional setting.

Convert text-to-speech

With the latest advancements in text-to-speech technology, the difference between artificial and human speech is nearly impossible to detect—making it ideal for having your welcome message, voicemail, or phone menu read aloud!

This approach is especially useful if you frequently update your messages or need to provide timely information, such as during a service outage. It allows you to quickly deliver an up-to-date message to anyone calling, without relying on a colleague to create and record new audio.

Imagine this: you simply type your text, and with one click, it comes to life. Artificial intelligence converts your text into natural-sounding voices, enabling you to listen to anything written—from books to news articles. Plus, this AI voice can be customized to sound exactly the way you want.

Behind the Scenes at TTS

Behind the scenes of a text-to-speech service, a complex process takes place where text is analyzed and converted into audio recordings. This magic happens in two steps: first, the text is analyzed to understand its meaning, and then it is read aloud by a synthesized voice.

This process is often controlled with Speech Synthesis Markup Language, or SSML, which allows for fine-tuning of the speech output.

Thanks to advances in AI, we can now listen to artificial speech that is almost indistinguishable from a real human voice!

The technology for speech conversion is more than just a handy tool; it plays a crucial role in making information and entertainment accessible to everyone, which is essential for creating accessible content.

People with visual impairments or reading difficulties, or those learning a new language, benefit greatly from this technology. Everything can now be spoken and therefore listened to!

TTS also extends to the entertainment industry, where the voice generator is used to create lifelike voices for animations, video games, and even dynamic voice-overs in advertisements. This is all possible thanks to advanced speech models.

And now at Belfabriek, you can enjoy free text-to-speech with high quality voices for all your welcome messages, menu options, and voicemails!

Choosing the right text-to-speech platform for Belfabriek

We have tested all major platforms and integrated multiple solutions, allowing us to seamlessly switch between different TTS platforms when converting text to speech. For instance, Google's TTS offers a wider selection of voices, while Microsoft's TTS currently provides slightly better quality as of June 2024.

These platforms read the text, and the resulting TTS audio file is converted into a telephony-friendly format (uLaw). Additionally, we convert the audio to mono since phone systems do not support stereo recordings.

As you can see, considerable programming effort goes into our text-to-speech assistant, but by automating the process, it saves everyone significant time and effort in converting text to speech!

How to easily use our text-to-speech assistant

Text-to-speech instructions

• Go to the online text-to-speech assistant.

• Type in the text you want to be read out loud.

• Select the voice you want to use.

• Press play to generate the text.

• Press play again to hear the generated text read out loud.

You will now see a code of 5 letters. Note this code so you can easily paste it into your portal for voicemail, welcome messages, or menu options. You can see how easy it has become.

And the best part is that this text-to-speech service is included for free with your phone number, so you don't have to pay anything extra. No need to hire a voice-over artist to make audio recordings anymore!

If you want to use a custom voice or your own personal voice for your brand, that's also something we can explore.

Important tips for TTS

• The adventure begins with your text. Make sure it is carefully written and free of errors, as any typo can affect the TTS output. Unnecessary formatting is also redundant; the TTS engine needs clean, unformatted text to produce the best results.

• You can insert pauses by adding a space. This is often useful when having phone numbers read out loud; for example, you might want to add a space after the area code.

We wish you lots of fun and success using our text-to-speech assistant to create your menu options, welcome messages, and voicemails!