Since the phone itself provides the hardware, speaker, visual screen, and the method of content delivery, the only task left is to add your branded voice assistant to an existing app. For most companies, this is the low-hanging fruit of voice AI adoption and a great vehicle for discovering more about user needs and usage. 

A good example of this strategy is Snap Inc., a self-described camera company that decided to focus on the user experience in their hugely popular Snapchat mobile app and leave the hardware manufacturing to the phone companies. Their Snapchat app has grown exponentially in the last year to include more than 400,000 lenses that allow users to customize their photo experiences and express themselves via a range of looks, backgrounds, or moods. This year, the company introduced Voice Scan to enable their users to quickly and conveniently find the right lens without needing to tap and scroll through an endless menu. 

The beauty of this approach is that you can solve for your user preferences and use cases without worrying about manufacturing deadlines for a physical product. As with most instances of implementing a voice assistant, you need to prioritize the analysis of your user data as a way to improve the experience and eliminate points of frustration. Using the mobile app first allows you to iterate quickly and solve for the greatest challenges up front.

Starting your voice-first journey by voice-enabling your mobile app gives you the freedom to learn, develop, and extend the user experience into your roadmap without impacting your physical products. But, it’s not the only way.

2. Extend your in-product voice experience into a companion app

For those early adopters like Mercedes-Benz who added voice user interfaces into their cars, the imperative now is to create an omni-channel presence with a consistent voice experience across other channels like mobile apps and websites. Just as the world’s leading brands work hard to ensure that every touch point reflects a single brand identity, all companies with voice assistants should be working toward a consistent, branded voice experience across channels.

The best example I’ve seen of an omni-channel experience is the Walt Disney Company. If you’ve had more than one experience with the company you’ll probably agree. From theme parks, to retail outlets, to media content, if you’re interacting with the Disney brand you are aware of their efforts to create a little magic and make dreams come true for the young and young at heart. “Be our guest” is at the forefront of every customer service interaction in any location at any time.

Most brands can only dream of creating the kind of brand affinity and identity that Disney has achieved, but, for those that aspire to it, making sure your voice experience matches your branding and is consistent everywhere is key.

The automotive industry was an early adopter of voice user interfaces and is still a leading innovator. Brands in this industry are already looking at creating an experience that extends beyond the car. Mercedes-Benz executives often talk about how cars are no longer just a method to travel from place to place. They understand that today’s vehicles have become computers on wheels and will soon be an integral part of the internet of things. 

To stay ahead of the curve, car companies are looking at all the ways they can help make their customer’s routines easier, driving safer, and everything faster. When predicting the future of their in-car voice assistants, leading car manufacturers understand the competitive edge that can be gained through an omni-channel approach.

In the future, voice assistants in products will transcend their humble beginnings to become a truly personal assistant that can follow users from home, to work, on road trips, and anywhere in between. For brands, completing that journey may start with voice-enabling a mobile app and then integrating that same voice assistant into a product, or vice-versa. 

Eventually, that one custom, branded assistant will flow into the company roadmap as a customer service assistant or an on-site voice-enabled kiosk. Wherever your voice assistant is available and everywhere you plan to add it later should be based on one guiding principle that informs your implementation strategies: To own and control your brand experience and valuable user data.

3. Create a central, independent hub for your voice experience

If you’re already offering a voice user interface on your mobile app, but your experience and user data is tied to a third-party platform like Alexa or Google, you’re missing out on getting the insights and the brand benefits of an independent voice solution.

Creating an independent voice assistant frees your brand to grow user engagement through improved interactions based on the data you collect and own. 

That’s not to say that you should abandon the reach and popularity of third-party platforms. While you may need those as channels for reaching some of your audience, what you don’t need is to give up your customer relationships and valuable user data. Creating an independent voice assistant frees your brand to grow user engagement through improved interactions based on the data you collect and own.