We live in a voice-first world. From asking a smart home assistant to switch on the lights, or play a song to dictating a text while driving, consumers have embraced the speed and convenience of voice commands. This fundamental shift in behavior has reshaped their expectations for all digital interactions. This shift has also impacted the way the customers look at how to search for information at work and interact with the systems in place.
In their research recap “Prepare for the Voice Revolution” PWC reports the majority of survey respondents said searching online with voice assistants like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa is easier, more convenient, and faster than speaking to a human or texting on a phone.
The question is no longer if voice search is coming to your organization, but whether you are prepared to deliver a seamless experience that boosts productivity.
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Although younger mobile-first consumers are driving adoption, PWC states, they aren’t using the tech as frequently as their 55+ counterparts. Older folks who enjoy the ease of accessibility are more likely to use voice to search for information, products and services. Overall, 71% of all survey takers preferred using voice commands rather than typing into a search box.
Of course, 40% of searches still come from desktop/laptop browsers. Noticing the trend, e-commerce companies are adding voice search capacity to their enterprise search solution. Unfortunately, the customer experience for voice search on a desktop or laptop poses unique challenges compared to voice search performed on mobile devices.
For your business, this translates into a clear opportunity. Integrating voice search into your enterprise search solution isn't about chasing a trend; it's about:
Boosting Productivity : Being able to use voice search and NLP makes it easier for employees to accomplish their tasks.
Enhancing Accessibility : Providing users with the option to speak out loud what they are searching for helps create an inclusive environment for all users.
Future-Proofing Your UX : Adopting voice search positions you as a forward-thinking leader.
Here’s the challenge everyone is ignoring: 40% of enterprise work still happens on desktops and laptops. While smartphones have built-in speech-to-text, many desktop browsers do not support this functionality natively. This creates a fragmented and frustrating experience:
Whether it's a customer who tries to use voice search to shop for home essentials or an employee looking to use the company portal to look for important documentation. When a query is met with silence or an error, the promise of convenience turns into a moment of friction, breaking their workflow and undermining trust in your tools.
At SearchBlox, we believe in providing solutions that keep pace with the latest advancements in search topology. You can turn on voice search on the website for every user, on any device, in any browser. We've solved the desktop voice search problem so you don't have to.
Our enterprise search platform includes advanced Voice Search capabilities that are seamlessly integrated. Here’s how we deliver a consistent and reliable experience:
Speech-to-Text Conversion: We leverage powerful integrations that make it easy to convert spoken commands into text directly within the browser.
Intelligent Query Processing: The converted text is then processed by our core AI search engine, which uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand the full intent behind conversational queries.
Instant, Relevant Results: The user receives accurate, personalized search results in milliseconds, creating a smooth, end-to-end voice experience that feels like magic.
It all happens behind the scenes, ensuring that every employee enjoys the same convenience they’ve come to expect from their personal devices.
Voice search is rapidly evolving from simple commands to complex, contextual queries. This shift requires an enterprise search solution that understands natural language and context.
By integrating SearchBlox, you're adding more than just a microphone to your search bar. You are investing in a conversational AI platform that understands user intent to deliver precise, relevant answers irrespective of whether the query was input via voice or text search.
Voice search is more than just the latest marketing buzzword that will be forgotten in a couple of years. The advancements in AI technology and NLP are increasingly moving us towards a world where voice search is the new norm. Don't let a technical gap on the desktop hinder your organization's productivity and innovation.
Empower your customers with the modern, efficient search experience they deserve.
