Voice assistants are changing the way we use technology and the way we live. They have drastically improved over the last five years and are finally available for every application, offering a custom experience for every user.
So how important is a voice assistant in the context of a mobile app? Why integrate a voice assistant into your application?
1. Enable a highly engaging user experience
Voice assistants engage users like no other interface. Users can speak to the applications naturally to ask for whatever they’d like and can do so while multitasking. This also reduces the cognitive effort for the user to get what they want from the application, and applications that take advantage of voice assistants are seen as easier to use than applications that do not.
According to a recent PwC report, “Consumers see voice assistants as the smarter, faster, and easier way to perform everyday activities.” and that 93% of consumers are satisfied with their voice assistants; 50%, very satisfied. Voice assistants help people feel organized, informed, happy, smart, and confident.
2. Make your application frustration free
Common problems with existing Graphical User Interfaces that use touch, type, and mouse are that users have to figure out how to use the application, and oftentimes miss the value of the app and get frustrated in the process. This friction is a top reason why users drop off from applications after a single use.
With a voice assistant in your app, users are able to ask for exactly what they want and get help when they need it. This is a natural way for users to discover your application value and for you to make the perfect first impression. Voice also guides the user during the initial onboarding flow to prevent single-use drop-offs and bring every user to the “wow” moment of your application faster.
3. Offer 24/7 support, without the costs
Customer satisfaction and retention are key to every application and service, and it can be costly to keep support staff up and running 24/7 around the world. This is why many companies have opted out of 24/7 support in favor of FAQs and help center articles with endless amounts of information for users to “self-service” support.
But for users, this form of “self-service” via articles is cumbersome, and they often get overwhelmed with the amount of information and don’t know what to do with it. Voice assistants are able to instead take questions from the user, and guide them through the problem, continue to gather information as a real customer service representative would, and bring the user to the right solution. This form of support can not only get the user information, but can also point them to the proper workflow and help them enter the information necessary to make the user successful.
4. Build your brand
As the usage of voice assistants increase, brands are seeing them as a channel to interact with their customers in an intimate and personal way. Just as we socialize with others, we’re also in a way socializing with our voice assistants that understand our unique context and circumstances when we use them.
Voice assistants aren’t just personal assistants, but also entertainers, and soon to be providers of emotional support.
5. Understand what users really want and improve your product offering
The X-factor of adding a voice assistant to an application is the user feedback and usage data that comes back from users when interacting with the assistant. With a voice assistant, users will be asking for exactly what they want, and in a way that’s natural for them.
Armed with this information, you’re able to get deep insights on how to improve the application experience and product offering to maximize the value of your application.
6. Personalize your app experience for every user
Voice assistants are able to be personalized for every user, in any application workflow or scenario. Voice assistants are able to understand the voice and visual context of applications and respond best to the user that fits that situation.
That means for every user, they can be responded to based on their locality, language, and preferences. Top brands are already doing this with search services, and voice assistants can do the same for every user in every application.
7. Provide a ubiquitous experience
Voice assistants provide a consistent experience for the user, no matter what type of application or device they’re using. If users go from your mobile app to your web app, the assistant will let them pick up right where they left off. This also applies across different applications that have voice assistants. Voice assistants are able to take information from one application and use it in others, known as a connected ubiquitous experience.
Voice assistants offer immense benefits for both businesses as well as the app users – from saving costs on customer support to offering a personalized and productive voice experience to the users. Voice assistants are still new, but the door is closing for companies to take full advantage of them before it’s too late.
If you’re looking to lead the way and integrate a voice assistant in your application, get started today with the most advanced conversational voice AI platform, Alan AI.
