More and more people are using voice to quickly access information. Smartphones and other voice-enabled devices, like Alexa, have introduced the convenience of just saying: “what’s the weather today” while getting ready, “set a timer for twenty minutes” while you’re cooking, or “direct me to the nearest gas station” while driving.
But when people visit a website (whether on their phone or desktop) that experience tends to disappear. They’re pushed back into text-based keyword searches and static filters where they have to figure out how the website wants them to ask for something instead of being able to ask in a way that feels natural to them.
To improve the search experience on their websites, brands are turning to AI agents (aka AI chatbots or digital assistants) that let visitors ask questions in their own words and receive responses that are specific to their situation. It’s a powerful strategy to personalize how each visitor interacts with your brand.
But one thing teams often overlook is whether that assistant can also support voice interactions. You can personalize the answers all you want, but you’re not personalizing the way someone interacts with your brand without offering different modalities. And that matters because people use and prefer voice for all kinds of reasons.
Not only does it improve access for those users who may not be able to use text as a channel, but it also offers convenience for those people who find typing on a phone to be too slow or frustrating. Sometimes a question is long or needs to communicate urgency or detailed context and speaking is just easier. And, a lot of people are just used to talking to their devices everywhere else in their life, and they expect to have the option now.
This is why brands that incorporate different channels and modalities into their AI strategy are the ones getting personalization right. At the end of the day, you want to give people options and meet different needs without forcing everyone into the same path.
If you want to see how voice-enabled digital assistants can make your visitors experience more personalized on your site, you can book a demo with our team.