As we have moved to virtual vendor briefings, I have increasingly been excerpting short segments (with permission from vendors), as part of my Analyst Cam series.
This insight from a Cognizant survey caught my eye
"When we look back on the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ll realize that one of the unhailed victims of the devastating virus is the touchscreen. Not only did the virus make us wary of unhygienic surfaces, but the lockdowns and social isolation that followed also spurred renewed interest in interacting with a human-sounding voice. Both realities have served to catalyze the beginning of a large-scale shift toward the voice interface."
So, I looked forward to their webinar titled "From Eyes to Ears" featuring Jason Pedone, SVP Mobile Banking and Emerging Channels at Truist, the 6th largest US bank and Mark Taylor, SVP at Cognizant Interactive. It was moderated by Manish Bahl, AVP at the Cognizant Center for the Future of Work.
I have excerpted below about a third of the webinar. I would encourage you to watch the whole session by registering here - it has audience polls and questions in addition.
Manish organized the session into three sections and my excerpts follow his guidance:
- State of Voice, at the beginning
- Challenge of Voice, starting at 8.55
- Future of Voice, starting at 18.24
Some of the topics covered include:
- why voice interfaces have accelerated during the pandemic
- the brand challenge when Alexa or Siri becomes the "channel master"
- privacy, trust issues
- how voice can invoke empathy that visual interfaces cannot
- blending of voice and visual content
- many vertical examples - particularly in banking, healthcare and retail
Lots to think about when it comes to voice interfaces.
