A Voicebot report revealed the number of smart speaker owners stood at nearly 90 million users in 2020. A 40 million user increase since 2018! This huge increase in the voice tech market came as no surprise as businesses around the globe observed how a large user base uses voice tech for almost anything – shopping, finding answers to common queries, seeking customer support, keeping track of the day, scheduling meetings and so much more.
Naturally, voice technology has begun to disrupt business around the world and CEO’s are looking to leverage this technology for growth. The next question is how?
- Digital Voice Assistants
Enterprising B2B brands like Salesforce are already lending their voice to the whole digital assistant conversation. The cloud software company has launched Einstein Voice, which is an extension of its Einstein AI platform.
The digital assistant allows sales managers to operate cloud services and dictating memos without touching a screen or typing anything. Einstein Voice can also be integrated with similar technologies to efficiently deliver team pipeline updates, calendar appointments, and other key priorities to the team.
Another exciting product called Einstein Voice Bots from Salesforce enables customers to build their voice-activated assistant and brand it accordingly and engage the end-user on any smart speaker. - Voice-Search Optimization
According to geekflare.com, more than one billion voice searches are conducted in a month, and 40% of adults and 55% of teens use voice search daily. According to a PWC report, more than 70% of consumers would rather use their voice assistants to search for the things they want to buy. Not just that, users are also finding it more convenient to research the market for their desired offerings or engaging with businesses online with a simple command.
Thus, voice search has begun a marketing trend revolving around voice search optimization. If a business hasn’t updated its online information to meet the voice search optimization parameters, it is going to miss out on all the potential customers who use voice search for making purchases. - Operational Efficiency
Businesses are always looking for ways to make their operations more efficient. After all, business efficiency rewards the leaders with more savings in terms of time and costs. Thus, many business leaders have adopted voice technology for their internal operations too. According to Capgemini research, 76% of these organizations were very happy with the ROI voice tech gives them.
The AI used in voice apps and smart speakers can help businesses enhance their operational efficiency. For example, it can take care of task tracking, time management, scheduling meetings, setting up reminders, etc. - 24×7 Availability
A smart skill or a voice app can respond to the users’ commands and requests at any time. You don’t need to have the actual customer support staff for the same. Moreover, a lot of repetitive tasks can be automated efficiently with AI imitating a human mind so well.
This means voice technology can be a business’s most affordable way to maximize client satisfaction while they are expanding their user base. - Personalization
2021 has already proven that businesses will opt to personalize their approach to their audience by showcasing information that appeals directly to their clients. According to a Gartner study, smart personalization engines can be a great tool to identify and act on potential client intent. In some cases, increasing profits by up to 15%!
Apps and smart skills provide data that is useful to understand the ideal user better. For example, you can analyze the number of times a particular kind of voice search query brought the user to your business page. This gives you an insight into the search and buying patterns of the user.
To conclude the future of voice technology is NOW. Continued evolution of artificial intelligence will only enhance the power of voice, leveraging usability to all industries. Voice technology has already become an additional interface for marketing purposes and coexist with other mediums like digital, print, TV, and radio. It brings an entirely new way of interacting with customers and adds a higher value to their user experience.
