Voice user interface or VUI, is one of the hottest topics in the industry these days and it shows no signs of going away anytime soon. Just imagine being able to control your device without touching it, no more struggling with tiny buttons or clunky touch screens. In fact, we’re looking at a future where we will have very little to no access to screens all together because our devices are smart enough to respond to our commands and perform functions based on them.
A Little Background
In recent years, voice user interface (VUI) has been making great progress in research and product design. It’s widely used on smartphone assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, Alexa and Bixby. VUIs have also expanded beyond mobile devices to vehicles through apps like OnStar Go and Tesla’s Summon feature.
Benefits of VUI technology
VUI technology uses speech and natural language recognition to give users an interface that’s as easy to use as talking to a human. What’s more, it can be used from anywhere, by anyone, with any device. This means VUIs are simple, intuitive and accessible; these qualities make them great for everyone but in particular those who might otherwise find traditional interfaces hard to use—including kids, people with disabilities or those who don’t speak a given language well.
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Customer engagement and retention
VUI has become a ubiquitous channel of communication with customers. In a VU model, it becomes easier for customers to connect with brands and it also eliminates issues such as human errors while giving feedback to businesses. It’s just not easy but more convenient, faster and personalized when you engage with your customers through voice UI. Thus, customer retention rate can easily be maintained by implementing VUIs.
Auto Response to Customers
Auto response is one of those features that has been used by tech firms in their operations. With VUI technology, you can communicate with your customers at a faster rate as compared to any other human resource. It will be easier to put an end to rude messages from frustrated customers as your chatbot will handle all customer complaints. This has opened new doors for businesses and gives them a competitive edge over others operating on similar platforms.
Saving time for Customers
VUIs take care of mundane tasks for customers. They save their time and energy by helping customers with tasks like placing orders, reordering products or checking order status. This way, VUIs make it easier for customers to fulfill their needs, which in turn boosts customer satisfaction, loyalty and brand awareness. For instance, Skype’s virtual assistant has been super helpful for users who place orders on e-commerce platforms.
Technology Changes Faster than You Think!
We interact with technology more and more every day—from smartphones to smart televisions, virtual assistants like Siri and Cortana, and even Wi-Fi. Although VUIs are getting smarter as time goes on, they still have a long way to go before we can be free of physical interfaces. That’s why businesses must take advantage of voice technologies while they’re still in their early stages. If not now, when?
Technology leads from behind, you make up the pace!
It might sound cliche but its true that technology follows human needs and then tailors itself according to them. It’s always like humans start using technology and over a period of time it will change according to their needs. In our case, no one thought about using a phone for more than calls and text messages but now with apps use cases have gone manifold. We cannot say what will be invented in the coming 10 years but things are going to change tremendously and we are just at the beginning.
Conclusion
From Apple’s Siri, Google Now to Amazon’s Alexa, everyone is fighting for user preference in developing VUIs. In addition to its widespread use in smart home technology, voice control can be applied to industrial automation, healthcare and hospitality with promising benefits like increasing efficiency of workflows, increasing customer satisfaction and cutting operational costs. While there are many challenges that still need to be addressed before VUIs can get mass adoption, it won’t be long before these drawbacks are solved as well.
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