Onclarity Inc., Develops First Hands-Free Software

[Editor]

Plano, TX - November 2

Dallas based software developer, Onclarity Inc., has just launched what it claims is the world’s first hands-free voice-activated home inspection software. According to Onclarity, the new program – Interspect Voiceâ„¢ – eliminates the need for other hand-held devices, enabling inspectors to document their findings via a wireless headset.

Many inspectors document their on-site findings using digital voice recorders, but Onclarity says that this is much more than that. The program is said to use an inspector’s voice commands to quickly and accurately indicate inspection status, transcribe voice comments, record inspection notes, and insert pre-defined comments and issues, commonly known as “boilerplate,â€

[Chad Fabry]

At first glance it appears that it's just damn good business to offer a discount to members of an organization that is heavily populated by neophytes who may have yet to make their first software purchase. The problem with an exclusive offering such as this is it polarizes the home inspector community as a whole and possibly even offends the vast majority of inspectors that have decided to not be affiliated, or have demonstrated their opinion by being affiliated with another home inspector organization.

If this software is to home inspection what butter is to bread I still don't see myself supporting this company.

[hausdok]

Oh, I dunno,

I suppose that if ASHI or NAHI really wanted to get a discount for their members they could make it happen.

These people aren't going to care much about association rivalries - their business is selling software. They know that not everyone will want it, so they need to get as many as possible to at least try it. The more inspectors they can get to try it, the more chance there is that it will stick with some.

NACHI probably just beat the other associations to the punch. I doubt that this company wouldn't offer the same discount to other organizations if they thought that wide exposure of their products to those organizations through their official conduits were possible. If they didn't, they wouldn't be very bright business people, would they?

If I were an independent or belonged to another association and was looking for software, tried their demo and wanted it, I'd just tell them that if they want my business they need to give me the same discount they gave members of the other organization. Bet it would happen.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Scottpat]

This is owned by Michael Rowan who also owns Inspection Depot. Michael is a big supporter of NACHI and Nick and provides NACHI with the majority of the educational offerings. Next to Pro-Lab (Mold is Gold folks)Inspection Depot and Michael Rowan are Nicks largest supporters. These guys are smart business folks who realize that new inspectors will buy anything.

[member deleted]

Chad,

I usually don't get involved in the association bickering, but could not help but to strongly disagree with your statement: "At first glance it appears that it's just damn good business to offer a discount to members of an organization that is heavily populated by neophytes who may have yet to make their first software purchase."

Without defending ANY organization, I think this statement is very ignorant!

Scott,

InterSpectVoice is not owned by Michael Rowan! That is Steven McNeese's software.

Kevin

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Kevin A. Richardson

Chad,

I usually don't get involved in the association bickering, but could not help but to strongly disagree with your statement: "At first glance it appears that it's just damn good business to offer a discount to members of an organization that is heavily populated by neophytes who may have yet to make their first software purchase."

Without defending ANY organization, I think this statement is very ignorant!

So you think it's a *poor* business decision to offer a discount to members of an organization that is heavily populated by neophytes who have yet to make their first software purchase?

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[member deleted]

Jim,

Well, I was not referring to the decision to market to members of an organization. I was referring to the "assumption" that Chad made that NACHI was heavily populated by "Neophytes."

If I was in the business of selling software to inspectors (which I am not), I would market to ALL of the organizations. I would think that each organization has a large portion of their membership base that are new to the profession.

Example:

ASHI Current Membership:

Members: 3,848

Candidates with Logo Privileges: 199

Candidates: 2,443

Retired Members: 108

Total: 6,704

(Taken from the ASHI Reporter - Nov 06)

Kevin

[kurt]

Who cares what association they, um, associate with? I can't imagine a more hassle filled idiotic way to generate a report. Most home inspectors can't write anyway; can you imagine what will happen when they're allowed to talk?

Those that have practiced for years to gain the necessary skills to dictate effectively don't need software; they've got competent secretarial help, or they're excellent typists & crank it out themselves.

Imagining there's magic software that will generate a great document from someone talking is still yet another way to really mess up a report.

"Hi, let us show you how our software can really make things confusing in a completely new way!"

[member deleted]

Kurt,

I agree!!

Kevin

[Scottpat]

Originally posted by Kevin A. Richardson

Chad,

I usually don't get involved in the association bickering, but could not help but to strongly disagree with your statement: "At first glance it appears that it's just damn good business to offer a discount to members of an organization that is heavily populated by neophytes who may have yet to make their first software purchase."

Without defending ANY organization, I think this statement is very ignorant!

Scott,

InterSpectVoice is not owned by Michael Rowan! That is Steven McNeese's software.

Kevin

Sorry, Michael Rowan owns the domain name and website www.interspectvoice.com . He must be marketing if for him.

[member deleted]

Scott,

Where did you come up with that information. If you do a WHOIS lookup on www.interspectvoice.com, it is registered to Steve McNeese.

Just wondering!

Kevin

[Scottpat]

Well I made a mistake. I typed in www.inspectorvoice.com Sorry and glad you caught this.

Registrant:

Inspection Depot

7700-2 Square Lake Blvd.

Jacksonville, Florida 32256

United States

Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)

Domain Name: INSPECTORVOICE.COM

Created on: 26-May-06

Expires on: 26-May-07

Last Updated on: 26-May-06

Administrative Contact:

Rowan, Michael michael@inspectiondepot.com

Inspection Depot

7700-2 Square Lake Blvd.

Jacksonville, Florida 32256

United States

(904) 338-9823 Fax --

Technical Contact:

Rowan, Michael michael@inspectiondepot.com

Inspection Depot

7700-2 Square Lake Blvd.

Jacksonville, Florida 32256

United States

(904) 338-9823 Fax --

[member deleted]

Scott,

Honest mistake as they are very similar.

Thanks for your reply and take care.

Kevin

[randynavarro]

Kurt, I can't find the thread elsewhere where you are strongly impressed with the InspectExpress software.

I thought you were a Filemaker guru!? What happpened and why?

BTW - if you remember what forum that was under, kindly re-direct me so we can have the conversation over there.

[kurt]

Originally posted by randynavarro

Kurt, I can't find the thread elsewhere where you are strongly impressed with the InspectExpress software.

I thought you were a Filemaker guru!? What happpened and why?

BTW - if you remember what forum that was under, kindly re-direct me so we can have the conversation over there.

I forget too; I could search it, but it's not important.

I run my little gig in Filemaker, and I'm working on an upgrade to better utilize digital photos in the output.

I'm also always in the hunt for something better. There is a definite need in my biz for "Word" narrative documents when I do the condo HOA stuff, commercial, or historic properties. The Filemaker thing is good for basic home inspections.

The new InspectExpress has enhanced photo placement & organizational features. It's also a much more buffed out "finished" version of HI software. Cramerware works fine, but it's sort of 90% complete; as an example, installing it requires going into System Folders & dinking around w/ .ini and .exe files, etc. Yuuk. Pain in the ass.

Mark is brilliant, but sometimes one wants & needs some support, which Mark doesn't provide, per se. He's open to questions, and he's always been cool when folks buttonhole him @ IW, but he's not really a software vendor, and he make no bones about it.

IE, OTOH, is a real product w/support & (seemingly) regular updates & enhancements. The latest round of upgrades is a good example of what I mean.

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Kevin A. Richardson

Jim,

Well, I was not referring to the decision to market to members of an organization. I was referring to the "assumption" that Chad made that NACHI was heavily populated by "Neophytes."

If I was in the business of selling software to inspectors (which I am not), I would market to ALL of the organizations. I would think that each organization has a large portion of their membership base that are new to the profession. . .

Indeed.

It strikes me as a very poor idea for them to offer an exclusive deal to NACHI members unless their goal is to alienate members of the other orgs.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Chad Fabry]

Without defending ANY organization, I think this statement is very ignorant!

Hi Kevin,

Things are what they are and opinions are opinions. I have nothing against new folk or NACHI members that are new folk. To intelligently argue the demographics is impossible because all the data is misrepresented.

My point was exactly as Mr Katen reiterated...it doesn't make sense to alienate 3/4 or 7/8 of the inspector community as a whole.

I'm stepping out of this conversation now. I've been on a withdrawal program and this foray back into politics has left a bitter taste in this building science practioner's mouth.

[member deleted]

Chad,

Hope you make it back to this thread on more time to hear me say that it was nothing personal. I don't get into politics either, but I was in a foul mood that day.

My apologies

Kevin

[Richard Stanley]

Chad for President. He is undoubtedly the best candidate available in the State of New York. (I know that is not saying much, but, meant as a compliment).

[Chad Fabry]

Yeah, me or Hillary. It's a damn sorry state of affairs.

I'm a less than diplomatic asshole and Hillary's claim to fame is she's married to one.

[Brian G]

Originally posted by Chad Fabry

I'm a less than diplomatic a**hole and Hillary's claim to fame is she's married to one.

I would argue that Mr. Hillary is more commonly associated a different anatomical member. [:-magnify [:-dev3]

Brian G.

I Gotta Work on My Impulse Control []

[malban]

I questioned the exact way the spoken commands and data get recorded. Eventually I got the answer that a transmitter/receiver for the headset would plug into a laptop USB port.

Trying to picture dictating an entire inspection, with no visual confirmation that my input was stored accurately, made me pretty ill.

Just a couple of critical mis-translations or missed commands could leave me in some deep doo-doo.

I guess I would feel a bit bad if I got back to the office and the report was gibberish due to some "glitch", too.

I think, for now, I'll just continue poking in my inspection with a stylus on the touch screen. I'll know what I record and not have to teach the machine a vocabulary.

When a couple of you guys test this and green light the system, I can always reconsider. I'd be glad for some input from experienced inspectors who try this out.

Originally posted by kurt

Who cares what association they, um, associate with? I can't imagine a more hassle filled idiotic way to generate a report. Most home inspectors can't write anyway; can you imagine what will happen when they're allowed to talk?

Those that have practiced for years to gain the necessary skills to dictate effectively don't need software; they've got competent secretarial help, or they're excellent typists & crank it out themselves.

Imagining there's magic software that will generate a great document from someone talking is still yet another way to really mess up a report.

"Hi, let us show you how our software can really make things confusing in a completely new way!"

[smcneese]

Hello All. When I first saw this thread with a few replies, I did not want to get involved in the organization politics. But, since there have been so many replies that are inaccurate or based on a lot of speculation, I figured I would chime in.

First, let me address the organization discounts and Onclarity's association with these organizations. We are actively involved in all of the organizations that have local representation. As we began to market Interspect Voice it certainly made sense to work with the various organizations to announce our product and offer discounts. TAREI and NACHI were the only associations that have worked with us directly to offer a discount to their members and send out press releases to their members. ASHI so far has only responded with information on how to purchase ads in their magazine. The article posted on Inspector Journal was based on the press release sent out by NACHI and therefore only reflected the discount for NACHI members. To set things straight, we will offer the same discount to members of other associations, but had hoped those associates would see the benefits and would work with us to make that announcement.

Originally posted by malban

I questioned the exact way the spoken commands and data get recorded. Eventually I got the answer that a transmitter/receiver for the headset would plug into a laptop USB port.

Trying to picture dictating an entire inspection, with no visual confirmation that my input was stored accurately, made me pretty ill.

Just a couple of critical mis-translations or missed commands could leave me in some deep doo-doo.

I guess I would feel a bit bad if I got back to the office and the report was gibberish due to some "glitch", too.

I think, for now, I'll just continue poking in my inspection with a stylus on the touch screen. I'll know what I record and not have to teach the machine a vocabulary.

When a couple of you guys test this and green light the system, I can always reconsider. I'd be glad for some input from experienced inspectors who try this out.

Second, let me address the confusion about the voice technology in Interspect Voice. Voice is not mandatory but supplements an extremely intuitive interface for documenting inspection results, generating the report and tracking your business. As far as voice goes, this is not the same as using Dragon or other 3rd party products to capture spoken dictation in the note fields. In fact, dictation is usually not necessary with well defined notes and templates. Yes, the wireless headset connects to your laptop via a USB port. The voice commands are used to document your findings, set inspection status, create rooms, navigate between items, etc. Visual display is replaced with positive responses from the computer via the wireless headset - there is no way to get lost.

In the event you need to document issues with dictation when pre-defined notes won't work, the system supports dictation with technology imbedded directly in the product. With any recognition system, dictation is only as good as the training provided. All training in Interspect Voice can be accomplished in 1-2 hours not years as indicated in one of the responses. Additionally, Interspect Voice constantly adapts and trains while you are actually using the dictation functionality. Properly trained profiles will achieve dictation accuracy in the high 90% and often 100% range. Because dictation could result in mistranslated text, the exact audio spoken is always available for review immediately or whenever you want to play it back. That way if you dictate something and don't check it onsite, you can always get back to exactly what was said even if the transcribed text from the dictation is wrong.

I hope this clarifies some of the misunderstanding. I am happy to discuss any of this or answer any other questions you might have. Feel free to post here or call me directly. You can reach me at 800-975-3017 and choose the Sales option.

[randynavarro]

Well, I'm eager to see how this whole thing really does work. I've always fantasized about technology that would make me better and faster.

Not quite sure I want to take the $1100 + gamble right now, but I will certainly keep on my 'front burners'.

[kurt]

OK. I retract my "stupidest idea I've heard in a long time" analysis, and withdraw to mild skepticism. It sounds technologically advanced, but........

How many systems, components, templates, boilerplate phrases, and logistical exercises do we have to recreate so another warm body from HI school can create a report product? (It makes me think of pasteurized processed cheese food.) While I'm technologically dazzled by the idea of talking to my computer from deep in a rathole crawlspace, I've also played around w/gadgetry enough to figure out........

All these gadgets suck. Even a simple Bluetooth headset is yet one more device that needs a lithium ion battery & constant recharging. I spend amazing amounts of time dealing w/all my time saving extravagances.

"Hal, open the door Hal. Hal, I'm caught in the crawlspace and I have to get out. Hal. Open the door Hal......"