More than never, the consumer's experience with brands had become more intense and decisive when considering any purchase.
According to McKinsey & Company, two-thirds of consumers' decisions before purchasing are influenced by their experience with the brand; prices often drive the rest. That is why a frictionless purchasing experience should be the holy grail for growth specialists and anyone who wants to drive sales and thrive on digital channels. You probably have seen a massive amount of tips and content about UX enhancements and A-B tests to make the conversion funnel more effective.
Working for many years in experiential marketing to help brands be closer to people I've learned that often people don't care about a brand because it is merely something that is not part of their lives. Therefore it is crucial to spark that initial curiosity that turns into a little interest and then in a - "Ok, you got my attention! What do you have for me? ". That drives consumer engagement.
Voice interactions allow us to engage with users
on a two-way conversation with an unprecedented level of practicality
Voice interactions allow us to engage with consumers on a two-way conversation with an unprecedented level of practicality, something that a few years ago would be unimaginable, and voice tech is just starting to show its potential.
The number of homes that have smart speakers is increasing exponentially. It represents a brand-new market or at least an attractive communication channel between companies and people that it is ready to be reached. However, voice tech also presents challenges that are not easy to overcome and to build an engaging interaction developing an outstanding voice user experience is just one of these challenges.
The game industry has been teaching us how to interact with technology for more than 50 years.
The game industry has been teaching us how to interact with technology for more than 50 years. We started by twisting a button from left to right to play Pong, and now we are smashing mythologic monsters as a God of War by pushing and combining multiple buttons and complex joystick movements as simple as if we have to turn the TV on with remote control. So 350 million registered players on Fortnite is no surprise.
It's a mistake assuming people will naturally know how to interact with a Voice app because speaking comes naturally to most. At CogniVocal, we have developed interactions with voice user experience (VUX) that has proved effective in engaging users. On Pirate Island, our voice game for Alexa, structured in seasons, we noticed that more than two-thirds of players come back to play again, even when they finished the season and already know the story, just because they enjoyed the experience. We did it starting by the premise that we must teach people how to interact by voice to play the game, so we created our "10 Golden Rules" which outlines how to engage people in voice interactions. We applied it initially for the game, but we can use almost all in any voice skill.
Teach the user how to interact and what to do.
Engage them with storytelling and bring them into the conversation.
Remember, the user is the protagonist; keep them motivated.
The interaction must be a chat, not a monologue.
Allow the user to make choices and surprise them.
Apply the situational design and be prepared for users demands.
Variability is crucial. Avoid repetitive responses at all costs.
Be patient with user failures and help them to overcome it.
Reward the user's achievements. They will be proud of it.
Give the user a motive to come back.
We believe that developing an excellent voice user experience and, of course, meaningful interactions and value to your audience, any company can reach opportunities to engage with people in a much more in-depth level. That is what makes people connect to your brand.
Comments