In many cases this was not a problem, but when you are on a trip already it is sometimes complicated to get access to the internet.
Constantly more than 50.000 hitchhiking Offers accessible via Phone
| Since 1998 www.hitchhikers.de
provides an internet platform where people with cars and people without
cars can meet each other in order to travel together. Since the beginning the offer is free of charge and therefore is very popular. At the moment there are constantly more than 50.000 offers registered by drivers and passengers. |
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Until now users of hitchhikers.de needed
internet access to search the database. In many cases this was not a problem, but when you are on a trip already it is sometimes complicated to get access to the internet. |
| By implementing an interactive voice response system
for hitchhikers.de this problem could be solved as follows: since the beginning of the year 2003 every user can search the database through the interactive voice response system. They call the system, talk their search parameters into the phone and then the system presents database entries that fit to the requirements of the user. Since the voice computer is installed 300 miles away from the computer that holds the hitchhikers database and service, the two servers were connected with a secure internet connection to each other. This enables the voice system to send a query to the database as soon as the caller has talked the necessary information into the phone. The matching database entries will then be announced in natural speech to the caller. Now the caller can choose the offer which suits him best and can then request the system to forward the call directly to the person that offers the lift. |