New Study: Contact Center Professionals Share Insights on Voice CX & IVR
With the proliferation of omnichannel communications like webchat, email, and social media, the customer experience is more varied and dynamic than ever before. But where does that leave the traditional voice channel? How does its volume compare to other contact channels, and how are recent innovations like AI voice perceived by people managing customer engagements every day?
BLEND surveyed 175 contact center professionals to get their thoughts on voice branding for IVR, AI voice, omnichannel, and language support.
Key findings suggest that the telephone is still relied on heavily to service customers, that audio and UI quality greatly influence caller sentiment, and that AI and machine learning are already widely accepted and adopted within the industry.
Survey Highlights:
- 70% say the telephone receives “more” or “much more” volume than other contact channels
- 78% say their IVR voice talent is “important” or “very important” to their brand and customer experience
- 80% say their phone system’s voice talent has improved their customer experience
- 78% have a positive opinion of AI voice recordings for automated phone applications
- 74% have deployed AI or machine learning in their IVR flow
Contact center professionals acknowledge the importance of voice quality.
With the voice channel being a critical customer touchpoint, a supermajority of over 75% of contact center professionals recognize that their IVR voice is an important extension of their brand and overall customer experience.
The automated voice that greets callers is effectively a company’s front door and is the first impression and humanizing factor of a huge technology investment. Our respondents understand that association and replied accordingly.
Voice user interface design is the perfect complement to voice recordings.
Even the perfect sound can’t save a confusing menu. When the right script is paired with the perfect voice, callers are happy and the brand benefits.
VUI design is the other professional services component of an IVR system. Its features and functionality only benefit the company and user if callers are routed effectively with simple instructions for optimizing the experience.
82% of respondents said that VUI design is important or very important to their overall Voice CX.
Again, with the technology so costly and the stakes of the customer engagements so high, contact center professionals overwhelming affirm the value of a well-designed UI.
Voice quality has made a positive impact on the customer experience.
Clear, brand-consistent, and professionally produced audio puts voice technologies in the best possible position to succeed with callers.
80% of respondents agree or strongly agree that the voice talent used on their phone recordings has improved their overall CX.
The “customer experience” is a broad, all-encompassing brand impression spanning every customer touchpoint. Contact center pros giving voice quality its kudos relative to an omnichannel engagement is a strong indicator for a commitment to voice as CX continues to evolve.
And more specifically, using a professional voice talent has improved caller satisfaction.
From increasing one-call resolutions to reducing error inputs, high-quality voice prompts make it easier to self-serve within IVR systems.
79% of contact center professionals believe their IVR voice talent has improved their caller satisfaction.
Caller satisfaction is a metric unique to the voice channel and is more directly impacted by voice talent quality. The responses are very similar to ‘overall CX,’ but with a small uptick to the a ‘5’ response, representing the highest level of importance.
The phone is still the workhorse of customer contact channels.
With the emergence of other support channels, our respondents still rely most heavily on the phone to serve customers.
Nearly 71% of respondents experience higher volume for phone calls than other support channels.
In our sister study targeted to general callers, respondents indicated that the phone is still the prevailing contact channel for urgent support matters. With this in mind, we anticipated that call volume would outweigh other channels in our ‘company’ survey, but the 70.8% tallied far exceeded expectations and speaks to the continued perseverance of the telephone.
AI and machine learning are already the norm within IVR flows.
The modern voice channel is a dynamic mashup of human expertise and AI innovations.
Already widely used within BLEND’s localization business, the language industry at large, and our corporate localization customer base, AI and machine learning seemed to be just a half-step behind in the voice space. But an affirmative response of nearly 75% indicates that AI is already ‘here,’ widely understood, utilized, and impactful within CX.
Most companies offer non-English language options.
Domestic and international calling audiences are diverse and multiple language options are the standard.
78% of contact centers offer multilingual support options.
For North American firms, Spanish and French Canadian are widely supported, and European brands typically pair English CX with the local language at a bare minimum. Offering four or more language isn’t uncommon for global brands, particularly those in the technology, healthcare, and financial spaces.
And for those that don’t offer more than English, most are considering a language expansion.
Further emphasizing the importance of a multilingual CX, English-only brands are carefully discerning their language options.
72% of contact centers that aren’t already offering language support are considering it.
While budgets, language partners, and deployment logistics need to be considered, the overwhelming majority of monolingual CX providers understand that language options are beneficial to the brand.
AI voices are already widely accepted by telephony professionals.
For those involved with their organization’s IVR platform, the perception of AI voice recordings is overwhelmingly positive.
Nearly 78% of contact center pros hold a favorable opinion of AI voice recordings for IVR applications.
AI voice quality is improving at breakneck speed. With several factors to compare with ‘human’ voice, but numerous advantages, AI voice will clearly influence the voice experience in the years to come.
A majority believe their customers would respond positively to AI voice.
Tactfully integrated into their telephony platform, most CX professionals think AI voice would benefit their call-handling processes.
67% of respondents say callers would accept AI voice recordings on their IVR.
Call center professionals are suitably qualified to speak to how they’d handle testing, tuning, and integration of AI voice within their caller experience, with a firm understanding of their audience. Our responses indicate that a mass shift to AI or human-AI hybrid voice experiences is inevitable and approaching quickly.
To Sum It Up
BLEND was surprised to learn how resilient the telephone is relative to more recent contact channel innovations. Further, it’s reassuring to know that the people stewarding caller interactions recognize that high-dollar voice technologies and contact center operations deliver the best experience when combined with humanizing voice-overs and deftly crafted UI from talented professional services teams.
We knew AI and machine learning were already prominent within contact center operations, but they’re more widespread than anticipated. Within call flows and for audio presentation, AI is held in high regard, and our respondents believe in its ability to deliver satisfactory experiences to customers.
With most respondents confirming that the telephone carries the load for customer contact volume, it makes sense that the majority already offer language support, and that languages are top of mind for the organizations that haven’t yet localized their call flows and voice menus.
About This Study
As a leader in voice-over and localization services for IVR, CX, and voice-first technologies, BLEND wanted to gauge corporate opinions of the modern voice channel and customer experience.
The survey was conducted by BLEND in April 2024 among contact center professionals using an email invitation and online survey. A $100 gift card was raffled to one winning participant. The survey ran for a month and was closed with 175 tallied responses.
Press Inquiries
For questions, comments, or press opportunities, contact BLEND at [email protected].
About BLEND’s Localization & Voice Recording Services for IVR
BLEND is a leading provider of language and voice services for IVR, CX, and voice technology platforms. Offering more than 25,000 linguists and voice actors around the globe, BLEND helps companies humanize their voice applications in 120 languages so they achieve a faster ROI on their technology investment, improve their caller engagements, and deliver a natively local experience for every market they do business.
From its Atlanta-based studio facility, BLEND records 7.5 million words annually in nearly 6,000 recording sessions, specializing in the creation of brand-authentic personas for voice-first applications. Both ‘human’ and AI voices are offered, and companies are guided to the best solution for their unique use cases, audiences, languages, and budget.
Participating in the pioneering recording sessions for groundbreaking voice applications like Siri, Alexa, and OnStar, BLEND Voice (formerly GM Voices) has played an important role in the development of virtual assistants, voice-assisted technologies, and AI voice.
For voice-over assistance for any technology, media, or application, or to coordinate custom auditions or samples, contact us today.
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