Yesterday I heard a news item on BBC news related to a company that specialises in converting voice mail messages to text messages. Apparently, there are privacy laws that could be violated through this process. I wasn't desperately interested in this, but I was interested in why anyone would like to lose the sound of a human voice over a text message and also the implications of this.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8163511.stm
The human voice is a powerful method of communication; it is a personal connection between the caller and the receiver. Think of when you receive recorded (cold call) messages and how monotonous they are - because the voice is reading something automatically. Many people complain when they call a business and receive a bombardment of automated responses with a recorded message.
Also, when you convert a normal conversation into text, you lose some of the subtle messages from pauses, inflections and energy. Unless the text message is carefully punctuated, there are likely to be misunderstandings. It becomes the equivalent of an automised voice - in text.
So why should we wish to lose the human voice and read a text message instead? Could it be that a manufacturer has created another toy and it is just a fad, or do we really wish to lose human contact with each other?
From a personal perspective, I prefer to send and receive voice mail messages and my market research confirms this. As a business we wish to demonstrate that we are human beings and customers want this too. I do send text messages - but only to people I already have some contact with and have established a relationship with.
From a business perspective, I would avoid using this method until - as I have done - I have established a relationship, thus making a quick method of communication permissible. I don't want to hear automated voices or text messages when I am contacting a company, unless I know them well. And remember that large companies that we complained about (except BT) now have a human voice at the other end of a phone within a couple of clicks. What does that tell you about using the voice?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8163511.stm
The human voice is a powerful method of communication; it is a personal connection between the caller and the receiver. Think of when you receive recorded (cold call) messages and how monotonous they are - because the voice is reading something automatically. Many people complain when they call a business and receive a bombardment of automated responses with a recorded message.
Also, when you convert a normal conversation into text, you lose some of the subtle messages from pauses, inflections and energy. Unless the text message is carefully punctuated, there are likely to be misunderstandings. It becomes the equivalent of an automised voice - in text.
So why should we wish to lose the human voice and read a text message instead? Could it be that a manufacturer has created another toy and it is just a fad, or do we really wish to lose human contact with each other?
From a personal perspective, I prefer to send and receive voice mail messages and my market research confirms this. As a business we wish to demonstrate that we are human beings and customers want this too. I do send text messages - but only to people I already have some contact with and have established a relationship with.
From a business perspective, I would avoid using this method until - as I have done - I have established a relationship, thus making a quick method of communication permissible. I don't want to hear automated voices or text messages when I am contacting a company, unless I know them well. And remember that large companies that we complained about (except BT) now have a human voice at the other end of a phone within a couple of clicks. What does that tell you about using the voice?
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