We live in an ‘always on’ society, in which mobile has become the first screen of contact for sharing and consuming content. In many cases, a few taps on the screen can replace human interaction with the emergence of m-commerce, payments and shopping through social networks and apps.
Yet, the human voice is still valued within the marketing and technology sphere: we’ve seen WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage make voice recording a focal part of their updated platforms. Google has made ‘OK, Google’ part of the evolution of their platform on mobile, as well as through Android wearables. What with everyone using these small walkie-talkie like interactions, Siri is starting to make some sense.
Voice is key to m-commerce; a few words from an agent on the phone can very quickly reassure consumers of their intent to purchase, activating further brand experiences. Digital marketers and brands are becoming aware of the power of the voice across the board. But where does the human voice fit in as part of the customer journey? And how does it affect a consumer who is prepared to make a purchase?
We recently carried out some research to investigate the role of the human voice as an activator to purchase. We found that the voice is one of the milestones for relationship building, between brands and customers and consistently across the globe. There were a number of top findings from our research, which include:
Always look to relate to your customer: Customers not only feel more confident speaking to an agent on the phone, but exactly half of those questions said that speaking to someone who they could relate to and who had bought a similar product to them would make them feel more confident in purchasing.
The modern customer values human interaction: Just under three quarters of consumers confirmed that speaking to an operator via telephone would give them confidence and peace of mind that they’re getting exactly what they want; 64% of people get frustrated when only able to interact online.
The online search with voice for further investigation: Over two in five people (42%) surveyed said that they were more likely to buy as a result of speaking to someone on the phone following research online.
The modern customer still interacts physically with a brand - by visiting a store or picking up the phone after carrying out independent pre-purchase research about the desired product. There is a point at which there is a gap between the delivery of the brand and the expectations of the customer. It’s imperative that brands look at the data to be collected in order to drive actionable insight, so that they improve the overall experience given to the customer.
By Bhavesh Vaghela, CMO of ResponseTap.
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