For years, voice technology has played a central part in all of our daily lives. 

We’ve relied on smart speakers to help us out with our daily routines, used voice notes to chat with family and friends - and even enjoyed the new voice-activated features our favourite social platforms have rolled out in 2020. 

But in response to this boom in consumers’ demand for voice tech, new voice-first tools and platforms are creating more opportunities for conversation between customers and businesses than ever. 

Today, we’ll be diving into how voice technology is revolutionising business in three key areas; customer support, marketing and online accessibility. We’ll also be exploring the major and transformative benefits of getting on board with these trends. 

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Voice technology for customer support

Living in today’s non-stop hustle culture, you probably won’t be too surprised to hear that two thirds of customers say that the most important aspect of good customer service is feeling that their time is valued. 

In fact, we’d hedge our bets that saving time is pretty high up on your business’ priority list too!

To save time for both you and your customers, you need to solve your buyers’ problems efficiently, conveniently and quickly. 

We believe that voice technology is the key to achieving this, as not only is talking the fastest way to communicate, new voice-first tools can help you say goodbye to time-consuming admin, assemble call lists quickly and easily, schedule important calls with your customers and communicate with your buyers directly by exchanging voice messages online. 

On top of expecting speedy responses, customers also expect to be treated like individuals - rather than ticket numbers. In fact, 84% of buyers now list ‘being treated like a person’ as a vital part of winning their business. 

This means that to truly impress your customers, you need to not only solve their problems quickly and efficiently, but also provide them with the most personalised experience possible. 

Sometimes, self-service options such as FAQ pages, knowledge centres and chatbots may suffice on their own. But as soon as your customer’s problem gets a little more complicated, chances are they’ll want to speak to a real person about it. 

That’s where voice AI can help - and where text, email and live chat solutions simply can’t replace the efficacy or meaningfulness of real human dialogue. 

Voice technology for conversational marketing‍

Conversational marketing - a two-way interaction between businesses and customers - is one of the fastest ways to move customers through your sales funnels by utilising the power of conversation. 

Done right, conversational marketing can help you build rapport with your buyers and create a more meaningful and authentic experience for your customers. 

When we think about conversational marketing, automated emails and chatbots tend to spring to mind, but these aren’t your only options. In fact, your best bet is to let your customers choose how they’d like to converse with you from a range of channels - both automated and personal. 

After all, so much of our thoughts, feelings and emotions are communicated not by what we say, but by how we say it. The subtleties of tone of voice, emotion and verbal cues have been relatively absent from conversational marketing up until recently, but there’s no time like the present to start letting your customers and prospects ‘speak’ their mind - and supercharge your brand’s marketing conversations as you go. 

Voice technology for online accessibility

As we’ve just touched on, voice technology can improve the user experience for customers around the world. 

But one of the key benefits of the rise in the popularity of voice technology is that it has created new opportunities for users with disabilities, providing people who find it difficult or impossible to type with new ways to communicate with businesses online. 

For example, voice technology allows businesses to engage people with arthritis, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis and other conditions that make talking far easier than typing or writing. 

It’s crucial that you keep your business inclusive by catering to all of your customers with the same five-star customer service, letting them communicate with you in a way that feels natural, easy and right for them. 

The future of B2C communication is here

Ultimately, if you want to make your business’ customer support and marketing channels more convenient, personal and accessible to everyone, it’s time to start investing in voice technology for your company. 

When customers come to associate your brand with fast, helpful responses that have a personal touch, they’ll feel more confident doing business with you - and you’ll see a serious boost in your customer retention, satisfaction and engagement rates. 

With consumer voice communication rapidly on the rise, there’s never been a better time to get started with voice technology. And when your customers feel heard, understood and valued, they’ll be sure to value you right back.

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