Businesses are now realizing the need to incorporate voice search in their customer experience strategy to better engage customers and enhance their interactions with the brand. Here is a glimpse into how voice search is disrupting customer experiences.
The voice technology offers endless possibilities with voice search, voice assistants, and voice recognition, that not only drive more traffic to your websites but also change how customers interact with businesses.
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Let’s see how voice search can amplify your customer experience strategy. But first, let’s take a quick look at stats and facts about voice search:
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Since voice search is radically changing the way customers search, businesses see this as an opportunity to engage and interact with customers, to make their experiences intuitive, simple, and hassle-free.
Let’s find out how voice search is becoming central to the customer experience strategy.
1. Helping More People Find Your Brand
When users perform a voice search, they expect quick and relevant answers. Brands are now focusing their SEO techniques by designing and optimizing web and online content, keeping context and intent in mind. Voice-optimized content not only ranks higher on the search engine results page but also helps users find one best answer for their query.
Some brands are taking it further by reducing clutter from users’ search results.
For instance, Estee Lauder partnered with Google Home to create Liv, a voice-activated skincare expert. Liv answers beauty related questions like pre-bed-time routines, cleansing tips, etc. Moreover, Liv gives consumers one result instead of swamping users with thousands.
Voice search optimization is now the hottest trend. Google is testing Speakable, a new voice support schema — “The speakable schema.org property identifies sections within an article or webpage that are best suited for audio playback using text-to-speech (TTS). Adding markup allows search engines and other applications to identify content to read aloud on Google Assistant-enabled devices using TTS. Webpages with speakable structured data can use the Google Assistant to distribute the content through new channels and reach a wider base of users.”
Although Speakable is only available to Google’s Publisher Center and Google News Producer media publishers, brands will be able to use this schema in the future, helping more customers find one best answer and brands to be heard!
Learn More: The Key Voice Search Features to Use in Your SEO Strategy
2. Tapping Into Moments of Context
The story doesn’t end with the customers finding a brand. In an effort to be relevant, brands are focusing on usefulness and the context of searchers’ queries. Most voice search algorithms understand the context of search queries using a wide variety of data points, such as location, the time of day, previous queries, browsing history, etc. Brands have now started leveraging data from devices, networks, systems, etc. to develop a deep understanding of customer search and create unique and connected experiences. The key is to pick up on moments of context and then map meaningful results to fit the customers’ requirements.
For example, Dom, Domino’s Pizza’s virtual ordering assistant lets customers call out their order via mobile devices while on-the-go and personalizes ordering by suggesting additional items and helps customers locate deals or coupons.
Domino’s have also created Alexa skill, where a customer can order pizza using just six words, “Alexa, ask Domino’s to feed me,” and it can instantly place their favorite order.
Learn More: Voice Search Habits and Their Impact on Local Businesses
3. The Age of Virtual Dialogue
As voice search evolves to be more conversational, the cycle of questions, answers, and further questions becomes natural, simple, and efficient, paving the way for a virtual dialogue.
Voice-activated devices are now the new browser. With embedded capabilities of a voice-based device, a customer can search and engage in a dialogue from anywhere.
Voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, Cortana, Google Home are helping brands connect with a wider demographic especially kids and seniors. Most voice assistants can now differentiate between voices leading to more personalized messages and content.
Apart from responding to questions and taking orders, voice is adding new dimensions to marketing and sales, says Jaime Punishill, Chief Marketing Officer, LionBridge. He also observes, “When email entered the scene, expected customer service response time went from weeks to hours. Now, voice search and conversational marketing will help move response time from hours to near time or real time.”
Voice search has enabled technology-human communication making conversations natural and seamless, encouraging customer retention and loyalty.
4. Simpler, Faster Experiences
Everyone loves technology that saves time and is easy to use — voice search fits the bill perfectly. Hands-free and always available, voice search provides instant gratification to customers, making their lives convenient.
For example, Whirpool is cleverly using voice-technology to zoom past their competition. They partnered with Amazon to power up voice-activated appliances that can converse with customers, answer their questions, and guide them about things to buy.
Such stellar experiences help foster brand-customer relationships and build brand loyalty.
5. Voice Assistance to Delight Customers
Brands are now focusing on innovative ways to create frictionless experiences for their customers. Communicating with devices using their voice, without the need to even tap a button leads to groundbreaking experiences.
For example, Nestle partnered with Alexa for a custom skill GoodNes to enhance user’s cooking experience. When her hands are occupied whipping cream, she can ask GoodNes for the next step of the recipe. Customers can use GoodNes Alexa to find breakfast ideas, nutritional information, ingredients, email recipes, shopping list, etc. combined with a visual experience too on your computer or tablet browser.
6. Enhanced Personalization
Voice recognition is probably the biggest breakthrough that can open doors to precisely personalized experiences. Google Assistant and Alexa can recognize individual voices to cater to customer preferences in shopping, music, content, etc.
Although in its nascent stage, brands can collect voice data to understand tone, accent, and other voice features to dig deep into customer’s intent and deliver personalized results for individual customers.
Key Takeaways for Your Customer Experience Strategy using Voice Search
Voice search marks the beginning of a new era and early birds will surely have a competitive advantage, as customers stick to businesses that are focused on solving their problems and making their lives efficient and simple.
Here are some actionable tips to help you shape your customer experience strategy around voice search:
1. Be Found
Early adopters who can optimize their online content for voice search optimization will have a significant advantage of being discovered by customers. To do so, consider creating an easy to read sitemap, rethink your keywords, ace the Google featured snippets, create high-quality content and focus on answering common questions (or FAQs).
2. Think Customer First
For seamless and connected customer experiences, think like a customer. Anticipate what they are likely to search, how they will phrase their query, context of search, and what problems you can solve for them.
3. Create Alexa Skills or Google Actions
To leverage the power of voice search, many brands have partnered with Alexa and Google Assistant to create relevant skills or power up their smart devices that can deliver personalized customer experiences.
4. Act Fast
Get there before your competitors. Planning and implementing a voice search strategy will not only give you an edge but will also give you more room for experimenting with technology and finding better solutions to customer problems.
There you have it, a voice-based customer experience strategy. These four steps will surely help you build your foundation into the world of voice.
Have you started planning your voice search optimization strategy yet? Tell us on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.