Why is it important for your Voicebot & Chatbot to sound Real & Human?

“Pay attention! Solve all your problems with conversational AI voicebots. Never miss any opportunity to understand what benefits voicebots solutions can bring to your business”.

Or maybe this one could be a better starting line, “Why is it important to have a voicebot for your business? Let’s learn together!”

Maybe, both lines would not go well with your customers, although they convey the same message.

The key is to customize the message as per your industry and customers. You don’t want your customers to get greetings either in a robotic voice or in an extra zippy tone.   

The way you deliver the message is likely to impact your brand and its stakeholders. That’s why it is crucial to give a personality to your AI voicebots that can help in creating long-lasting impressions between your brand and customers. 

 For example, AI-powered voicebots in banks’ contact centers are programmed to offer answers to numerous customer queries such as ‘how to get my account statement emailed to my id’ or ‘how to reset my PIN’ and much more. However, if the voicebots fail to provide an engaging experience and add a ‘human touch’ in the communication process, the interactions would not result in lead qualification. The customers always look for unforgettable yet pleasant experiences, even for basic customer support.  

 It becomes imperative to build and program voicebots while paying detailed attention to pitch, pronunciation, speed of speech, speaking volume, synthesized intonation, accent, and even the dialect of the end-user.  

Today, conversational voicebots and chatbots have reduced a chunk of workload to a couple of dialogs. However, in the process, there might be some amount of trade-off in the personalization of the voice user interface (VUI). As a result, customers are often left disgruntled when interacting with mechanical sounds that clearly read off a script. To counter this unpleasantness, voicebots must imbibe a persona while catering to voice queries and searches to enhance the overall user experience (UX). Voicebot and chatbot technology are becoming increasingly popular as more and more businesses look to automate tasks and improve customer engagement. However, creating a voicebot or chatbot that is effective and user-friendly requires a detailed understanding of the design and development process.

This article will explore the main concepts surrounding the design and development of voicebots and chatbots persona, best practices, AI utilization, and its relationship with the UX: 

What is a Voicebot Persona?

Observe your surroundings. Think of your coworker who drawls at Monday presentations or a child talking non-stop about school. Can you vividly imagine any person fitting these descriptions? Or think of another person who had an exotic name or a distinct accent. Could you pinpoint their heritage based on these pointers? 

With every interaction, you will notice how we unconsciously collect data, use it to draw parallels with existing information, which forms the basis of our assumptions of these people. You can bracket these characteristics as the persona. And the bottom line is that every individual reflects a persona. 

In simple words, your voicebot persona is its personality. It includes their function, quirks, and everything that makes your voicebot – well, your brand! 

Why Should You Care About Your AI Voicebot & Chatbot’s Persona?

You could have the best and most powerful voicebot at your disposal, but chances are that users would still prefer something a tad more relatable. 

Why?

Because humans function by building emotional connections. Can’t agree more, right? 

And hence, ascribing a persona to your voicebots can make it easier for your customers to confide in your voicebot. Or let’s say, open up!  

Furthermore, the voicebot persona becomes an extension of the brand and the brand voice. 

Designing and Developing Voicebot & Chatbot: An Overview of the Basics

Designing and developing a voicebot or chatbot involves several key steps. The first step is to understand the user’s needs and goals. This includes identifying the tasks that the bot will be responsible for, as well as the specific user groups that the bot will be serving. Once the user needs have been identified, the next step is to create a conversational flow that will guide the user through the bot’s functionality. This includes designing the interactions and creating a script that the bot will use to respond to user input.

Once the conversational flow has been created, the next step is to test the bot. This includes testing the bot’s functionality and usability, as well as testing the bot’s response to a range of different user inputs. This step is critical to ensuring that the bot is effective and user-friendly.

While designing the persona of your voicebot, here are the three main factors that you need to bear in mind: 

• The Role: What is the purpose of the voicebot? What position does it occupy, and what responsibilities does it fulfill? Does it offer solutions, if so, then how?
• Brand Image: The overall personality of your voicebot should align with your brand perception. Do your social media handles reflect an easy-going and laid-back brand image? Then stick to it while designing the voicebot persona
• Target Audience: Your voicebot persona must also conform to the audience demographics, culture, lifestyle, and attitudes of your customer. You don’t want a voicebot that says “Wassup?” to a CEO

The Key Difference Between a Voicebot and Chatbot

Voicebots and chatbots are similar in many ways, but they do have some key differences. Voicebots are accessed through voice commands, whereas chatbots are accessed through text-based inputs. Voicebots are typically used for tasks that require verbal input, such as speech recognition, whereas chatbots are best suited for tasks that require text-based input, such as natural language processing.

Best Practices for Designing and Implementing Voicebot and Chatbot

When designing and implementing a voicebot or chatbot, there are certain best practices you can follow to ensure that the final product is effective and user-friendly. 

• One key best practice is to incorporate natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning techniques into the design process. This can help to improve the accuracy and naturalness of the bot’s interactions, making it easier for users to understand and engage with.
•  Additionally, it is important to test the bot thoroughly, to ensure that it is effective and user-friendly. This includes testing the bot’s functionality, usability, and response to a range of different user inputs.
• It is important to consider the user’s needs and goals, and to make sure that the bot is able to fulfill those needs and goals effectively.
• It is also important to consider the user experience when designing a voicebot or chatbot. This includes making sure that the bot is easy to use and that it provides a seamless and enjoyable user experience

Elements of a Voicebot and Chatbot Persona

Once you have worked out the basics of the voicebot and chatbot persona, flesh it out using the following elements: 

• Name: Keep a short, easy, and catchy name (think how Siri and Alexa are uncomplicated names!). You can score brownie points by picking a name that reflects the voicebot’s purpose
• Gender: While assigning a gender is optional, it imbues additional personality to your voicebot
• Tone and Voice: Whether you use a voice actor or a synthesizer, you must ensure that the tone and voice of the bot are pleasing to the ear
• Dialect, Language and Personality: These elements form the heart of the voicebot. It’s important to align the nuances such as accent, dialect, pitch, pronunciation, and other variations with the voicebot personality in order to build healthy engagement between your brand and customer
• Colors, Logo/Branding, and any other visual element of how the bot appears

The Use of AI in Chatbot Technology

Final Thoughts

By now, it may have become evident that voicebot persona is the new UX. It has a massive impact on the VUI and leaves the customer happy and satisfied. Don’t you think it’s worthwhile to spend some time brainstorming and giving a near human persona to your voicebot. After all, the way your voicebot interacts with your customers gives a reason for them to come back or recommend your brand.  Now, what more would your brand want?  

Did you know, AI-powered voicebots never stop learning! Would you like to have a voicebot that can converse in multiple languages without sounding too mechanical? Then, Talk to Us 

Frequently Asked Questions

What impact does a human-like chatbot or voicebot have on customer satisfaction?

A human-like chatbot or voicebot has a positive impact on customer satisfaction by providing a more natural and intuitive experience, improving customer engagement, and reducing wait times for customer support.

What are the key features that make a chatbot or voicebot sound human-like?

 Key features include natural language processing, human-like text-to-speech and speech-to-text technologies, a diverse range of responses and emotions, and a user-friendly interface.

How do advancements in AI and NLP technology impact the development of human-like chatbots and voicebots?

Advancements in AI and NLP technology have greatly improved the development of human-like chatbots and voicebots, allowing them to have more natural language processing capabilities, a wider range of emotions, and a more intuitive user experience.