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How does a voice assistant provide a great user experience? User research has shown that it often comes down to performance factors such as the ability to deliver helpful suggestions and access to vital information, the accuracy of search results, and the reliability of things like navigation or point of interest identification. Depending on the use case, all of these elements may contribute to positive voice experiences that build lasting impressions with the user. While users agree about what makes a voice assistant useful, the businesses that deploy them also have a common goal: create exceptional user experiences to grow the bottom line.
Positive user experiences are essential to good reviews, increased Net Promoter Scores (NPS), creating brand evangelists, and users recommending the product to others or purchasing again in the future. A poor user experience, though, can do a lot of damage to a company. According to a study by PwC, 32% of customers would leave a brand they loved after just one bad experience, proving that consistent, positive interactions are key to retaining loyal customers.
Whether it’s a kiosk at a QSR, a smart TV in a hotel room, or a mobile app for trains, brands are voice-enabling their products and services to create user experiences that are fast, convenient, efficient, and hands-free. Although voice strategy goals are consistent across businesses in a variety of industries, how each brand implements a voice assistant can vary greatly.
8 key industries leading the way for voice AI innovation include:
Leading brands in each of these industries have already established voice assistants and voice-enabled products that are setting the standard for others to follow. Let’s take a deeper dive into what’s happening in the voice-first era in these industries.
Houndify Banking & Finance Infographic
Voice assistants in banking and finance create exceptional user experiences on mobile apps, websites, and contact centers. Users of voice-enabled mobile apps for banking are getting the answers they need quickly, securely and fiction-free, and voice assistants in call centers are finally delivering on the promise of fast and easy resolutions to a variety of customer concerns.
Voice-enabled mobile apps offer key benefits to users, including:
Conversational AI call centers have immense advantages for financial institutions by offering personalized experiences and natural interactions. According to the Opus Research Survey, 94% of respondents say customer service is the number one business function fulfilled by voice assistants. Instead of having to listen to lengthy and complex menus in legacy IVR systems, conversational AI allows the user to state their need simply by asking. Advanced technologies also provide the voice assistant with the ability to look up and analyze account information in seconds that would otherwise take minutes for a human operative to find.
94% of respondents say customer service is the number one business function fulfilled by voice assistants.
Opus Research Survey
Hotel rooms can become completely touchless—eliminating guest concerns about contact with common surfaces.
Also, voice assistants can improve on a variety of tasks that guests would otherwise have to call down to the front desk or head downstairs to talk to the concierge to achieve. For example, a voice assistant can manage wake-up calls, requests for more towels or blankets, reserve a table at the hotel restaurant, provide local information, order in-room dining, handle maintenance requests, and some can even perform guest checkouts.
As voice assistants continue to evolve, those connected to the cloud could offer personalized experiences to guests by customizing future bookings by saving stay preferences, such as room temperature, lighting, drapes opened or closed, wake-up calls, and the number of towels, pillows, or blankets required.
Want to discover more about voice AI in the hospitality industry? Check out our infographic, “Voice AI Boosts Trust in Hospitality.”
QSRs are serving up voice assistants on their mobile apps, kiosks, drive-thrus, and drive-ins to make it easier than ever for customers to order their favorite meals. Quick-service and fast-casual restaurants increase customer loyalty and user experiences from voice AI technology through the following advantages:
With conversational AI, voice assistants have evolved from understanding simple commands and scripted questions to processing complex and multi-part queries, making for more natural, conversational interactions. This allows for users to ask at a voice-enabled drive-thru, drive-in, or kiosk what they want even if they don’t know exactly what it is called or where it is on the menu.
Personalization offers tailored ordering experiences for loyal and returning customers.
Users can control their smart home technology via voice at any time, even while they are at work or driving home.
The importance of having a voice user interface that mimics humans and understands complex and compound queries is the foundation upon which good user experiences are built. In addition, specialty content domains help the voice assistant understand the user’s request within the context of the device’s purpose.
For IoT devices that already employ a voice assistant, the future outlook includes consistent customer experiences, an increased number of voice-enabled channels, and increased breadth of use cases supported by voice, according to the Opus Research Survey. By having an omnichannel experience, IoT companies will further be able to support their customers and meet them where they are.
Find out more about how custom voice assistants benefit IoT devices in our infographic, “AI-Powered IoT Devices Improve Convenience and Efficiency.”
Retail is buying into voice assistants for omnichannel experiences that provide users with a fast, convenient, efficient, hands-free experience across multiple devices, including mobile apps, websites, and kiosks.
Mobile apps are a natural first step for integrating voice assistants since they already come equipped with the necessary technology, a microphone and a speaker. Voice-enabled mobile apps also provide superior filtering functionality for users, so they don’t get lost in a sea of unrelated suggestions and buried products. Instead, users can set filters naturally and quickly, just by using their voice.
Voice-enabled mobile apps also provide superior filtering functionality for users, so they don’t get lost in a sea of unrelated suggestions and buried products.
Telecom is dialing in voice assistants to provide faster, more convenient customer service that leads to greater customer loyalty in contact and customer service centers.
Voice assistants can make contact center interactions more personal and efficient by recognizing the phone number of the caller and associating it with the name and profile on record, making the customer feel heard and understood and increasing customer loyalty. Also, conversational voice AI can eliminate much of the frustration many people experience with legacy IVR systems by saving time and allowing callers to speak just as they would to another human.
Telecom providers that already implement voice AI in their contact centers may want to consider monetization as their next step along their voice roadmap. According to the Opus Research Survey, 88% of telecom respondents stated that monetization is important compared with other goals. By monetizing voice solutions, telecom can further provide value to their users while proving the ROI of their voice AI investments.
Discover more about voice AI in the telecom industry by reading our infographic, “Contact Centers and Mobile Apps Get a Boost from Voice AI.”
Houndify Transportation Infographic
Transportation is navigating voice-enabled technology through airlines, trains, buses, trucks, and rideshares to improve user experiences. Voice assistants create better interactions in the transportation industry through a variety of advantages, including:
With voice-enabled mobile apps, websites, and kiosks, users can book their next flight, train, bus, or rideshare just by using their voice. Voice search also offers a more streamlined and quicker filtering process instead of engaging in a series of types and swipes. By voice-enabling kiosks at airports, train stations, and bus terminals, customers can buy tickets, check-in, and receive answers to common questions without having to touch any surfaces, increasing hygiene and convenience.
Voice search also offers a more streamlined and quicker filtering process instead of engaging in a series of types and swipes.
The entertainment industry is tuning in to voice assistants to provide users with fast, relevant search results, personalized experiences, and quick access to their favorite media.
In addition to basic functions, such as turning up and down the volume, changing channels and settings, accessing streaming services, and pausing and turning off the TV, custom voice assistants in smart TVs built with advanced voice AI technologies can understand complex and compound questions and remember previously stated questions—making them more conversational.
With voice AI, users can search for music, turn the volume up and down, pause, repeat, and skip songs. In some applications, users can also ask more complex questions like, “Play party music,” where the voice assistant needs to know the user’s specific tastes and preferences to personalize the experience. Entertainment apps are also using voice assistants to offer quick, convenient, hands-free customer experiences for either the entire app or specific functionality.
Entertainment and media companies that already use voice assistants may want to increase the number of voice-enabled channels, which is the top future outlook for voice, according to respondents of the Opus Research Survey. Providing more devices that are voice-enabled will lead to a greater customer experience by offering more points where users can have a fast, convenient, and hands-free experience.
Learn more about voice assistants in the entertainment industry with our infographic, “Consistent User Experiences Top Entertainment & Media Voice Roadmap.”
By voice-enabling a variety of devices from a mobile app to a smart TV, companies in these 8 industries are providing exceptional user experiences through convenient, fast, efficient, and hands-free interactions. Companies within these industries that currently don’t have a voice AI roadmap should seriously evaluate the benefits of voice technology before their customers turn to better experiences in a voice-enabled competitor.
At SoundHound Inc., we have all the tools and expertise needed to create custom voice assistants and a consistent brand voice. Explore Houndify’s independent voice AI platform at Houndify.com and register for a free account. Want to learn more? Talk to us about how we can help bring your voice strategy to life.
Kristen is a content writer with a passion for storytelling and marketing. When she’s not writing, she’s hiking, reading, and spending time with her nieces and nephew.
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