Globant released a recent report[1] on the rise of voice-activated technology in 2018. In this post, Globant CTO Diego Tartara shares data from the report and insight into what businesses can do to adapt to voice technology.
Voice-activated technology is here and more accessible than ever before. Thirty-nine million Americans[2] already own smart speakers, and we’re witnessing voice drive evolution in areas outside of personal gadgets. GE, for instance, recently introduced a line of voice-connected home appliances[3].
But the widespread popularity of voice-activated technology for consumers has an unexpected side effect. Consumers are also employees, and their personal excitement about voice solutions now has organizations considering how to best implement the technology internally. In fact, one–third of companies[4][5][6] believe voice will be their biggest differentiator in 2018.
However, stakeholders cannot let their personal feelings or fascination with voice – or that of their peers – stand in the way of intelligent investments that improve internal logistics and enhance experiences for end users (customers and employees).
The role of voice in personal and professional settings
Eagerness to implement voice technology is often rooted in a common goal – staying competitive. Seventy-five percent of decision makers view companies that offer voice interactions as more sophisticated than those that cannot, and there’s a clear link between emerging solutions like voice and feeling prepared for the future.
That’s a fair assumption. Modern technologies like voice, AI, and blockchain are positioned to help organizations engineer digital experiences that account for new expectations and desires. But decision makers only earn the sophistication they’re after when their organizations implement new solutions with a great deal of critical thinking