Voice communication solutions are still an essential part of the business technology stack. Even in an environment overwhelmed by growing trends for video, messaging, and other communication strategies, voice remains essential.
Up to 69% of employees say voice communications strengthen their relationships with their colleagues. Plus, 65% of consumers still expect to be able to reach a business over the phone. However, how companies invest in voice solutions is evolving, responding to changes in how teams work and the wider technology landscape.
To ensure you’re prepared for the future of voice in 2024, it’s important to examine the trends that are shaping business communication strategies.
1. Cloud Voice Communication Becomes Mandatory
Demand for cloud-based voice communication solutions has steadily increased for the last few years. By 2032, the market is expected to reach a value of $51.5 billion. For years, companies have flocked to the cloud to access greater scalability, agility, and even cost savings for their communication stack.
However, in 2024, switching to the cloud is no longer just an option; it’s a necessity. The PSTN switch-off taking place at the end of 2025 will require all companies in the UK to have their own IP-based communication solution. Additionally, worldwide, other governments and communication vendors are pushing consumers steadily toward the cloud.
Going forward, business leaders from all industries will need to ensure their communication strategy is primed for the cloud. The good news is that teams will have more options than ever, from multi-cloud solutions to innovative global cloud calling systems
2. Growing Demand for Mobility
Even with return-to-office mandates pushing employees back into traditional workplaces, the demand for mobility is growing. Remote, hybrid, and in-office employees all want to continue using the devices they feel most comfortable with to communicate both internally and externally.
At the same time, field workers need access to solutions that allow them to leverage the same communication tools as their peers on the move. This means more UCaaS, and cloud voice communication providers are beginning to invest more heavily in mobile solutions.
Leaders like Cisco are integrating cellular networks into UCaaS platforms, and other vendors are offering advanced options for 5G connectivity. For companies in 2024, considering the needs of “mobile” teams will be crucial to success.
3. Flexibility, Integration, and Consolidation
One particularly prominent trend in the world of voice communications is integration. As companies continue to leverage various communication channels, software solutions, and tools, they need to ensure all of these components of their tech stack are connected to drive workplace efficiency. As a result, many voice providers are becoming more flexible.
They’re offering businesses the opportunity to add voice to existing apps through CPaaS or leverage advanced voice capabilities in platforms like Teams with “Bring your Own Carrier” solutions. Some vendors are even helping organizations bridge the gaps between different tools for external and internal communications.
Unified UCaaS and CCaaS platforms are growing particularly popular in 2024 as companies look for more ways to reduce data silos in their ecosystem and improve workplace efficiency. Going forward, we can expect to see more vendors bridging the gaps between voice solutions.
4. Improved Options for Voice Communication Scalability
Accompanying the rising demand for flexibility in the voice communication landscape is a need for greater scalability. The digital world makes it easier for businesses of all sizes to expand their communication ecosystems and their reach with cloud providers.
Vendors of UCaaS and CCaaS systems offer “Bring your own Carrier” options to companies to allow them more control over their business telephony strategy. Additionally, these solutions ensure companies can more rapidly expand across borders, leveraging global phone numbers and connections without needing a physical presence in different countries.
At the same time, voice vendors are branching into the omnichannel landscape to allow companies to scale their strategy with more communication channels. Many vendors now offer bundled packages for everything from SMS and messaging to voice minutes.
5. Artificial Intelligence
AI has emerged as a mainstream technology for virtually every aspect of the business landscape today. In the voice communication landscape, AI can deliver many benefits to businesses and their teams. It can assist with improving customer experiences and security with identity intelligence and biometric authentication. AI solutions can also help improve call quality, automatically eliminating noise from conversations and monitoring call issues.
AI systems built into voice solutions can also improve communication clarity, transcribing and translating conversations in seconds. Some cloud voice solution providers even offer companies the opportunity to build their own AI voice assistants, which can help route customers to agents based on intent or track customer sentiment.
With the right AI tools, businesses can also unlock new levels of productivity and efficiency. AI solutions can help with forecasting call volumes for better resource allocation. They can record calls automatically and redact sensitive information from files. Some solutions can even draw deeper insights from your voice data to help with business decision-making.
6. Increased Emphasis on Security
The shift into a new era of voice communications brings with it new security and privacy challenges to overcome. Regulatory guidelines are evolving to dictate how businesses should collect, manage, and store voice communication data.
At the same time, consumers are demanding a greater focus on security from their favorite brands, with 53% specifically looking for excellent data protection. In 2024, this means companies investing in the future of voice will need to be more cautious about their approach to security and compliance.
Business leaders must explore everything from biometric identity solutions like voice printing to two-factor authentication and advanced threat detection systems. Additionally, there’ll be a greater focus on leveraging compliant recording solutions to ensure communications are captured and stored correctly from many voice channels.
The Future of Voice Communication in 2024
In 2024, we’re stepping into a new era for voice communication. While voice remains crucial to the business technology stack, companies will need to reconsider their approach to telephony. Alongside shifting technologies into the cloud, organizations must carefully consider their approach to security, AI implementation, automation, and user experience.
In this new landscape, working with the right vendor and implementing a comprehensive strategy will be crucial to future-proofing your business communications.
