Doug Moffat was seeking a way to help the visually impaired and physically disabled to browse the Web when he started down the path that led to his startup, True Voice Technologies Inc.
Moffat wanted users to be able to talk to a Web site in order to get intelligent information back. But after discovering the potential customers in that field weren’t early adopters with technology, he had to take his 14 months of technology development and shift gears to a different business model. So he combined the intellectual property with available open source technologies to create the technologies behind True Voice.
True Voice’s entry into The $1,000 Minute.
The company simply makes it easy to make a call from a Web site, the founder explains. “There’s a place for text chat and there’s a place for live conversations. How many times have you been on a Web site and been frustrated waiting for a text chat to begin, or having to fill out a form?”
Talk-2-Me is True Voice’s product that drops a button onto a Web site that allows surfers to click to place a call directly from their computer. It doesn’t require any software to be downloaded for the client. There’s also a Talk-2-Me product offering for Facebook pages, and for individuals so friends and family can call them anywhere in the world free of charge.
True Voice was recognized this year by the Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX) as one of Canada’s top 20 most innovative companies. The opportunity to present in front of investors and gain more exposure was invaluable, Moffat says. “The event is one thing, but the lead up to the event has been phenomenal,” he says.
The firm is currently trialing its software with select customers. It is working with Century 21 on a pilot program to provide all of its 21,000 agents with Talk-2-Me through the corporate Web site. Other real estate players and classified ad listings will be the first customers of True Voice, Moffat says.
The full version of its service is slated to launch next month, he says.
