Communication comes in many different forms today. We’ve got everything from instant messaging and social media, to video collaboration to keep us connected. Yet, despite all of those options, voice is still at the heart of our interactions.
When you need to convey empathy and understanding to a customer, you talk to them over the phone. When you have a complex issue to discuss with a colleague, you rely on your voice. Around 92% of all business and customer interactions still take advantage of voice.
Even with all the new technologies for communication emerging in the world around us, voice is still important than ever. The good news is that the way that we talk is also being enhanced and improved by the arrival of everything from machine learning, to artificial intelligence.
Speech Recognition and AI-Powered Conversations
One of the most valuable areas of speech technology, is the way that we can use spoken words and conversations to glean useful information. We look into the biometric nuances of voice to protect clients from toll fraud and other cyber-criminal attacks. In the same way, businesses can use analytics and intelligence to optimise customer experience too.
For instance, in a contact centre environment, speech recognition in an artificial intelligence application could help to analyse the sentiment of a customer. With insights into how a client feels, an agent can quickly pivot a conversation to keep it moving in the right direction. Additionally, the same biometric markers that help to identify a customer can also be used to instantly deliver information about that client to an agent. This means that professionals can use valuable contextual data to deliver more relevant conversations.
Elsewhere in the CX world, speech technologies are also delivering a new solution for service.
Leading companies, all the way from Amazon and Microsoft to Google and Apple, have started experimenting with speech recognition as a way of helping customers to help themselves. Conversational chatbots and voice assistants are beginning to better understand the unique elements of conversations that are crucial for a new kind of self-service. Chatbots can use keywords to deliver useful information to customers in instants.
Research and Markets believes that the speech recognition market will be worth $18 billion by 2023. As this industry continues to grow bigger, the opportunities that we see in the speech realm will continue to increase.
Speech Technology Use Cases in the Office
The individual nuances that separate one voice from another might not be recognisable to humans. However, as our experimentation with the world of artificial intelligence continues, many vendors are beginning to learn that they can use machine learning in a range of ways. For instance, with speech analytics tools and AI bots, it’s possible to gather useful information about the customer journey.
AI-powered analytics can help with mapping the customer journey, recognising trends in customer conversations, and even supporting agents in delivering better results to their clients. On top of that, speech technology can also give us more instant access to useful information in any business environment.
Aside from assessing sentiment and identity in the call centre, speech technologies can give employees access to useful assistants that they can use in all aspects of their role. For instance, you could soon have an office where ordering paper for your printer is as simple as talking to a virtual assistant in your laptop or collecting information is as quick as making a verbal request.
In meeting rooms, voice technology is already available to help collaboration between teams move more smoothly. A meeting room bot can use voice to recognise an employee, update the settings of a conference call, and provide immediate access to a directory of contacts. At the same time, these bots can also record meetings with a single verbal command, bring up data, or showcase information in seconds.
Voice Biometrics and Security in Speech Technologies
Voice assistants can identify users in a meeting room, help with scheduling conversations according to free slots in shared calendars, and more. Now that we can talk to machines more efficiently than ever, there are even opportunities for improving security too.
For instance, voice biometrics are increasingly appearing as a valuable tool for businesses that need to protect their customers from the threat of toll fraud. Biometrics in the voice world use a unique customer fingerprint, created by the various nuances in their voice, to separate one client from the rest of the world. Using this technology, it’s easier for automated systems to immediately determine whether a customer is who they say they are.
Since call centre attacks continue to increase, by up to 113% per year, there’s never been a more valuable time to invest in new security solutions.
The same kind of biometric technology can be used for everything from two-factor authentication strategies, to other in-depth security measures. This could mean that we begin to rely on voice for not just communication in the years to come but also for security and privacy purposes too. As the demand for new ways to keep information safe grows, biometrics could be more valuable than ever.
What’s more, because most biometric systems come infused with machine learning, we can also rest assured that the technologies that are built today will continue to grow more efficient and reliable in the years to come.
The Future of Voice
Voice is one of the most valuable tools in the communication industry. It has always been a crucial part of the way that we connect human to human. However, now voice is also becoming an element in how we connect from human to machine.
In a world where people and digital components are becoming more intertwined, speech technologies could be the key to making the most of the most intelligent technology on the market. With voice technology, businesses can make their teams more productive, support better customer experiences, and even strengthen the security of their operations.
Voice isn’t just an old-fashioned aspect of communication. It’s a crucial component of how we can continue to evolve as an entire species.
