Reduce operating costs and maintain commitment by introducing Ondoku! Introduction of practical examples of Ginza Parking Center Co., Ltd.

• Ginza Parking Center Co., Ltd.
• Size: 25-30 people
• Industry: Service industry
• Interview: Mr. Matsuoka

Purpose/Task

Used for audio information in the Nishi Ginza Parking Lot that we operate. It is necessary to change the message each time depending on the day of the week or time of day, but if you ask a professional to add the voice, it will cost you a lot of money and time.

solution

Create voice information using Ondoku.

effect

There is no need to outsource, resulting in significant cost reductions.
You can immediately respond to small changes in content, and you can redo the audio as many times as you like within your company.

Introducing the company/introducing department

Our company operates the Nishi Ginza Parking Lot, which is located underground in the center of Ginza and can accommodate approximately 700 cars.

As a "backup parking lot" that supports Ginza's transportation and urban functions, we not only provide stress-free parking spaces, but also pursue what we can do for the city every day.

Its strength is that it is self-propelled and can be placed flat, making it easy to use, and it has also contributed to improving convenience for people who mainly drive large vehicles and contractors who are in charge of construction of surrounding facilities. In addition, we have prepared emergency stockpiles and a system to accept vehicles that are unable to return home.

The department using Ondoku is the Parking Department, which manages and operates the Nishi-Ginza parking lot. I believe that text reading tools are used in many industries, but I feel that cases involving parking lots are rare, and I would appreciate it if you could provide this information.

Ginza Parking Center Co., Ltd.: Nishi Ginza Parking Lot HP

Please tell us about the background behind the introduction of the text reading tool.

We thought it was necessary to operate voice information in parking lots while reducing costs, so we introduced a text-to-speech tool.

The Nishi Ginza parking lot operated by our company is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. One of our jobs is to convey accurate information by broadcasting various messages from speakers depending on the season, day of the week, time of day, etc.

For example, at night, we switch to a message to prevent drunk driving. In addition, it is necessary to provide information on services that change from time to time, and currently we continue to provide information in about 30 different voices.

Before introducing the text-to-speech tool, information was played using sound sources recorded on CDs. However, in order to deliver information to customers, it is necessary to change the message to match the times and environment.

Every time you reburn a CD, you have to hire a professional to add the voice. Considering that audio will continue to change, the cost and budget were not commensurate with each other, which became a problem.

Although it doesn't cost money, incorporating employees' voices can place a burden on them. Also, since it is something that the customer will hear, it needs to be of a certain level of quality.

When I was looking for something that could solve my problem, I came across a text-to-speech tool that allows me to create messages at a low cost.

May I ask how you came to introduce Ondoku?

The fact that it could be used commercially was a big deciding factor.

I looked for a lot of services similar to Ondoku, but I think many of them were free, but prohibited the use of them for business purposes. While eliminating things that were not worth the cost even if they could be used commercially, we arrived at Ondoku.

I thought there was an overwhelming advantage in terms of price. I have a yearly contract, and the number of characters that can be used is large, so I can create new messages and edit them without worrying about usage restrictions.

Actually, before introducing Ondoku, I was using a demo site that allows you to read text out loud. It was highly functional, but after using it for a while, it closed down, and the only way to continue using it commercially was to purchase an expensive license.

I think Ondoku is a service that has a good balance between price and functionality.

Have your company's issues been resolved (improved) compared to before introducing Ondoku?

After introducing Ondoku, we have been able to create voice data at low cost. If we had asked a professional to add their voice every time we changed the message in the parking lot, it would have cost 100,000 to 200,000 yen each time.

When providing information in the parking lot, we take great care in choosing the words we use, as the information can reach customers directly. The basic rule is to have multiple people revise the message many times to make sure it's not too long and that the use of honorific language is correct.

If you outsource the work, it will be costly to redo it. I also like that with Ondoku, I can brush up on my skills while listening to actual voices on the spot.

How often do you currently use Ondoku?

Currently, I only use it once or twice a month. As I used it more and more, I came up with a pattern, and now I can complete my work by simply reusing the audio data and changing the broadcast order.

However, when it comes to launching a campaign in a hurry, Ondoku comes into play as it can be used immediately within the company. The created audio is incorporated into the public address system and used in conjunction with online BGM to provide smooth information to customers.

If you have any further improvement requests for Ondoku, please let us know.

It would be nice if it had a function to optimize the accuracy of voice conversion to suit each user. I think it will be interesting if the usability improves day by day by using learning functions like AI.

Because the audio is delivered directly to the customer, we cannot compromise on intonation, so we are currently creating it through trial and error each time. If I think it's even slightly different, I try changing it to hiragana or katakana, or adding punctuation marks.

It's the same with any text-to-speech tool that has intonation quirks. I think that if Ondoku were able to naturally read out the words frequently used by each company, it would lead to differentiation.

How do you plan to use Ondoku in the future?

Recently, we are planning to use Ondoku to create the words that will be used in the "IVR" that responds to customer inquiries by automated voice. At first, we started using the broadcast system in the parking lot, but as we continued to use it, we began to see it expand.

Also, in terms of areas that may be necessary in the future, I would like to mention a multilingual reading function. However, there are currently not that many foreigners using the parking lot.

Therefore, if the number of foreign users increases in the future, I think it will be an opportunity to actively use Ondoku.

Currently, digital signage images are being displayed on a large monitor installed at Sukiyabashi Exit. We haven't installed any speakers, but in the future it might be fun to play messages created with Ondoku as well, which would have a different impact.

Utilizing Ondoku has increased the flexibility of voice information and reduced costs by more than 100,000 yen! Thank you for sharing this wonderful example.

Ondoku is a text reading service that is free for commercial use. We support over 80 languages and dialects, with a total of over 650 speakers. You can listen to the voice types and sample voices of the supported languages here .

Try Ondoku for free now

Text-to-speech software "Ondoku" can read out 5000 characters every month with AI voice for free. You can easily download MP3s and commercial use is also possible. If you sign up for free, you can convert up to 5,000 characters per month for free from text to speech. Try Ondoku now.

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