The Rise of Voice Technology

According to new statistics, more than 84% of businesses are expecting to use voice technology when dealing with customers within the next year. So, what has caused the rise of voice assistants in the business world?

The survey, which was conducted by call centre solutions provider Pindrop, also found that 28% of businesses across the US, France, Germany and the UK, are already using voice technology for customer service. Additionally, 94% expect that they will use Voice AI in order to serve its customers within the next two years. For customer centered organisations, why has voice technology become an important part of the customer service experience?

Voice Technology to Drive Customer Satisfaction

According to the new report, the operation of voice technology is a key component in providing greater customer satisfaction and delivers a competitive advantage when it comes to rival businesses. 94% of managers surveyed are firm in their belief that Voice AI can deliver better customer satisfaction results, with 88% of those asked also citing it as a leading way to get the edge over their main competitors. Interestingly however, is the statistic that only 57% believe that it has the potential to reduce the cost of customer transactions. This could mean that more emphasis is being placed on voice assistants enhancing overall communication and problem solving, rather than providing a process for purchases and cost cutting.

Cortana the Leading Choice in Voice Technology

Whilst it’s a businesses choice on the type of voice technology they hope to implement into their organization, a supporting survey from IT business solutions provider Spiceworks shows a clear favorite leading amongst the pack. When asked as to which assistant they planned to support in the future, Microsoft’s Cortana came out on top. Closely in second was Apple’s Siri, followed by Google’s Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa. It’s not difficult to see both Google and Amazon’s assistants as a popular choice for businesses – both companies have seen a dramatic increase in consumer interest and sales over the past few years, whereas Microsoft’s reliability and previous advancement in the business sector is likely why Cortana is regarded as the top option currently.

Voice Technology Still Prone to Recognition Errors

It isn’t completely smooth sailing for voice assistants being used in the business arena however. A recent study reports that 35% of issues associated with voice technology can be blamed on speaker recognition errors. Of these errors, 31% are said to be a result of excessive background noise whilst 22% is down to user pronunciation. In terms of productivity and efficiency, it’s likely that voice technology still requires a few tweaks and alterations to become an asset to businesses, rather than a hinderance.

Does your business currently use voice technology?  If so, are you impressed with it’s capabilities?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.