Integrating voice search with applications successfully will be one of the challenges for financial services firms over the coming years. For example: how to account for the different ways users ask questions; anticipating how users speak differently to the way they type a message, and how to engender trust between customers and the devices they are speaking to are some of the questions firms will need to answer.
According to Vasiliy Malychev, UK mobile lead at Google, some of the most basic technical questions represent the greatest obstacles. How does a customer know they have completed a voice transaction? “One of the limitations of voice search so far has been that people are initially happy to do a search over voice. But when it comes down to the actual completion of a transaction, users will turn to traditional means like typing on their device.”
The tone of voice adopted by the device when it responds to the user can be critical. “For example, in banking, too casual a tone for somebody trying to conduct a transaction can give the wrong impression,” Malychev said.
The QA Financial Forum London, which takes place on March 12th, will feature a presentation by Malychev on QA for Personalised AI and Voice. He will reference how financial firms among Google’s client base are implementing voice technologies, and the challenges of testing for artificial intelligence outputs.
Malychev believes the apprehension towards voice stems partly from concerns over privacy, especially when sensitive financial information is involved. He explained: “A user may be hesitant to say something out loud compared to typing it in when they are in a public space. The perception around whether devices are actually listening to us, or whether they are analysing every bit of data we give them adds to our privacy concerns. This challenge is not unique to voice, but it gets amplified with voice.”
As voice search gets implemented more and more, Malychev noted it will mean more activity on mobile devices, rather than desktop. “There will be a need to deal with greater mobile traffic and the onus will be on firms to deliver an exceptional and meaningful mobile experience,” he said.
