A voice assistant or voicebot is a tool based on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning that enables immediate, natural and efficient interactions between users and companies.
Consumers are increasingly using them to research and purchase products, as well as to contact customer service centers. We find it in our cell phones (Siri or Google Assistant), in other devices such as Echo Dot (Amazon) or in customer service by phone.
Why do organizations invest in a voice assistant?
Although they had been around since the 1950s, virtual voice assistants faced technological challenges that made other modes of communication, such as typing, a priority in enterprise deployments.
Over the years, most of these technological barriers have been overcome. These tools have even incorporated elements (such as voice tones) that exceed the capabilities of other automated assistants, such as chatbots.
A Capgemini Research Institute survey found that organizations are increasingly relying on natural language understanding (NLU) to enable automated workflows with voice commands for document management, customer relations and human resources.
Great experiences equal greater loyalty
Brands that offer a good experience through conversational assistants foster higher levels of customer loyalty.
After using the chat and voice bots, consumers generated more trust in the company (72%), shared their positive experience with family and friends (71%) and gave high ratings or shared positive comments on social networks (64%).
In search of more human conversations
64% of users want their virtual assistants to be more human-like. This demonstrates the importance of the human in interactions: personalized, contextualized and relevant conversations take precedence.
Nearly half of consumers would show greater loyalty to a company (and be more likely to spend) if their interactions with AI were similar to those with a human.
Chatbots often lack factors that convey emotion, leading to ambiguity and lack of empathy. Voice assistants, on the other hand, can be designed with a personality, tone and accent that varies according to the context of the conversation and location. This means that, for example, it is possible to create a voicebot that speaks with a Uruguayan Spanish accent. Another aspect that makes it more natural is that the bot incorporates the caller's name and treats the caller as "tú" or "vos" (i.e., it omits the formality of "usted").
They can also be configured with a particular voice. Suppose a company uses the same speaker for all its audio-visual communications; her voice can be used to converse with customers on a call.
While it may seem like a tool of the future, voicebots with accents and idioms are already a reality. At Hey Now we specialize in bots and are able to create a voice assistant that meets all requirements. Our voicebots can also be configured in English and reuse data from other automated channels that have already been trained (such as a chatbot), making them easy to implement. They integrate with any system and are ideal for the financial and healthcare sectors.
By:
Fabricio González, Head of Quantik Lab ( Quantik's idea incubator).
Fabricio has a background in Systems Engineering and Business Administration (refresher course at the University of Salamanca) and a Product Management certification from the Pragmatic Institute (USA). He has been involved in consulting and software development for projects related to various industries for more than 20 years.
