Report: Voice Assistants in Enterprise Applications

Voice Assistants in Enterprise

Applications
by Pyaari devi Sharma

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Report: Voice Assistants in Enterprise Applications

Voice Assistants in Enterprise

Applications
Voice Assistants in Enterprise Applications

Abstract

At present the introduction of an AI-powered voice assistant (VA) not only in

transactional scenarios but also in non-transactional ones has increased the

interest of customers as well as industries. But, nevertheless, while such

technologies are convenient and simple, the adoption of these technologies for

some specific scenarios, and above all transactional ones remains largely

problematic. An integrated approach to collective research work provides a

clearer understanding of consumers and the factors contributing to their

adoption of voice assistants either in business or domestic environments.

This includes the factors supporting the negative effects including the

perceived construct as cognitive biases, procrastination, and privacy risk

against daily use, especially VAs for transactional purposes. Evidence suggests

that while nudging techniques may improve intention, they also result in

procrastination, and therefore trust and functionality interplays are more

complex than shown. Privacy in terms of data use and the practices that relate

to the privacy policies pose a moderating threat to the understanding and

related value of the VAs. On the other hand, it indicates that privacy concerns,

especially about information misuse are less damaging to perceived value

when the brand image is credible.

In business circumstances, mostly in such areas as hospitality, the

implementation of voice assistants eases communication and improves service

delivery between the hotel and the guest which in turn boosts work processes

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Report: Voice Assistants in Enterprise Applications

1
and customization of services. Despite the fact that there are more positives

than negatives, the mass of use in the hospitality industry is not very large due

to problems with user satisfaction or the creation of appropriate evaluative

criteria.

Moreover, unintentional manipulation in voice frameworks is a new problem in

this as such forms of design have the potential of using all possible means to

cause a user to do certain things that will in turn profit the firms and not their

customers. Evidence has started to emerge on the defining features of and user

responses to these patterns, which all heighten the need for voice interface

designers to design ethically.

Lastly, there are also system-level developments showing prospects for AI back

interactions - for instance, speech-to-text features encased within the

informational systems and enterprise resource planning software demonstrate

how business workflows can be optimized with the help of artificial intelligent

interactions.

From the studies, it is evident that all trends, changes, and challenges that may

occur in the future regarding the implementation and ethical use of voice

assistants across various industries have been provided by these studies.

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Introduction

Recently, there has been a tremendous hike in the usage of AI-enabled voice

assistants like Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Assistant, resulting in over

30% ownership in the United States and a tremendous rise in countries like

Japan. The use of most non-task-oriented VAs, such as listening to music or

checking the weather, is very high; however, these customers have constraints

for using VAs for transactions based on issues of privacy and security regarding

transactions and loss of money. Such resistance is called consumer inertia and

procrastination, hereby reflected in a generic term known as consumer

resistance. The nudging methods, such as default selection and reminder, have

some potential to reduce such behaviors but are rarely studied if they can

activate more transactional usage. The paper fills the said gaps by examining

the cognitive biases, nudging, and consumer comfort with technology influence

on a buyer's resistance to VAs for transactions. Hopefully, this study can

provide some findings about how marketers may use such knowledge in

planning strategies to be applied toward raising the adoption of VAs for

transaction purposes.

The rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized various

aspects of consumer interactions, with AI-enabled Voice Assistants (VAs) such

as Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Assistant at the forefront of this

transformation. These voice-activated assistants have become household

staples, transforming daily activities and providing a seamless and efficient

interface between users and their devices. As a result, VAs have experienced

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Report: Voice Assistants in Enterprise Applications

skyrocketing adoption rates, particularly in developed markets like the United

States, where ownership has surpassed 30%, and in Japan, where VA usage is

expected to surge fivefold by 2024.

Yet, despite their widespread use, a considerable gap remains between the

high adoption of VAs for non-task-oriented purposes and their more limited use

in transactional activities like online shopping or financial transactions.

Voice assistants offer a unique way to engage consumers, facilitating hands-

free interactions and providing immediate responses to user commands. The

proliferation of VAs in tasks like information search, entertainment, and

controlling smart home devices showcases their growing importance in the

everyday lives of consumers.

Literature Review

Voice assistants (VAs)

A virtual assistant (VA) is a collection of AI-driven software agents that utilize

natural language processing algorithms and function through dedicated

devices, such as smartphones or smart speakers (Hoy, 2018). While

smartphones tend to be more personal, smart speakers can be accessed by

everyone in a household. As a result, using VAs on smartphones is generally

expected to be more personalized compared to using them on smart speakers

(Edwards, 2021). VAs are designed to listen continuously for a wake word—like

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Report: Voice Assistants in Enterprise Applications

"OK, Google" or "Hey, Alexa." Once activated by this word, VAs can engage in

real-time conversations with users and perform various tasks, including

searching for and reading requested information (such as online news, weather

updates, and reports), controlling IoT-enabled devices, playing music, booking

rides, placing online orders, and more. Beyond task-oriented interactions, users

also report feeling an emotional connection with their human-like VAs

(Schweitzer et al., 2019).

Decision avoidance

Anderson (2003) defined decision avoidance as the tendency to evade making a

choice, either by delaying it or by opting for an easy way out that requires no

action or change. When confronted with tough decisions, consumers often slip

into a decision-avoidance mode to alleviate their discomfort (Van Putten et al.,

2013). The theory of decision avoidance is grounded in three psychological

concepts: 'inertia' or the 'status quo bias' (K. Lee & Joshi, 2017; Samuelson &

Zeckhauser, 1988), 'inaction' or the 'omission bias' (Van Putten et al., 2013;

Ritov & Baron, 1992; Tykocinski et al., 1995), and 'delay' or 'choice deferral'

(Dhar & Nowlis, 1999). Expanding on this theory, Joseph (2005) suggested that

inertia can show up as the non-adoption or outright 'rejection' of an innovation

Ontological Approaches.

Today, technologies such as Speech Recognition (SR) and the supporting

hardware have matured to a point where they can significantly enhance web-

based user interfaces. The key tasks users typically perform include: (i)

navigating to a website, even through links not visible on the current page, (ii)

filling out input forms (e.g., text, numbers, selection lists), and (iii) executing

actions (e.g., submitting or canceling forms).

2.1. Voice Activity Detection

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Voice Activity Detection (VAD) methods differ in their processing techniques,

but they generally share the same goal. A VAD method should effectively

distinguish between speech and non-speech data within an audio signal. Most

often, speech segments are organized into chronological data chunks for

further processing, which helps eliminate irrelevant information (noise). VAD

methods can be categorized into two main types: those based on energy

thresholding and those utilizing machine learning.

User Studies On Voice Assistants

Current research focuses on two main areas of voice assistants: (a) the

technological side, which aims to enhance speech recognition, integrate

emotions into voice, and improve privacy and security features, and (b) user

behavior and acceptance, which primarily examines how users interact with

voice assistants and the factors that influence their acceptance and adoption

of these smart devices. Since this work is more aligned with the second area,

we will provide an updated overview of the literature concerning the usage and

acceptance of voice assistants.

Underlying Technologies of Voice Assistants in Enterprises (Used Till Now)

Several key technologies support voice assistants in enterprise applications.

These technologies have developed to address the increasing demands for

accuracy, scalability, and security in business settings. 3.1 Natural Language

Processing (NLP) NLP is essential for enabling voice assistants to comprehend,

process, and produce human language. It encompasses various subfields,

including natural language understanding (NLU) and natural language

generation (NLG). Businesses depend on strong NLP frameworks to ensure their

voice assistants can manage complex inquiries and respond in a way that feels

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natural. One popular NLP framework is: BERT (Bidirectional Encoder

Representations from Transformers): Created by Google, BERT has greatly

enhanced language understanding in voice assistants. GPT (Generative Pre-

trained Transformer): OpenAI's GPT models are commonly utilized for

conversational agents because of their capability to generate coherent and

contextually relevant responses. SpaCy and NLTK: These open-source NLP

libraries are often employed for custom implementations in enterprise voice

applications.

Speech Recognition and Synthesis

Voice assistants depend on speech recognition technologies to transform

spoken language into text and utilize speech synthesis to turn text back into

speech. The main technologies involved are:

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR): ASR takes voice input and converts it into

text that machines can understand. Major players like Google Cloud Speech-to-
2
Text, IBM Watson Speech to Text, and Microsoft Azure Speech Services are

frequently used in businesses.

Text-to-Speech (TTS): TTS systems create human-like voices from text. Google

Text-to-Speech, Amazon Polly, and IBM Watson Text-to-Speech are popular

choices for enterprise applications that need voice outputs.

Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI):

Machine learning algorithms, especially deep learning models, have greatly

enhanced voice assistants' ability to comprehend natural language and deliver

relevant responses. AI models allow these assistants to learn from user

interactions and improve over time, offering more personalized and context-

aware replies. Many businesses use pre-trained models from cloud providers

like AWS, Microsoft, or Google, or they may develop custom models tailored to

their specific needs.

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Cloud Computing and Edge Computing:

Cloud platforms are essential for the deployment and scalability of voice

assistants. Services like Amazon Alexa for Business, Google Cloud AI, and

Microsoft Azure Bot Service enable companies to utilize powerful computing

resources for real-time voice processing.

Edge computing is becoming increasingly important as it allows data

processing to happen closer to its source. This approach reduces latency and

improves data privacy, which is vital in sectors where security and compliance

are top concerns.

Applications in Different Enterprise Sectors

Voice assistants are becoming essential in various sectors, such as healthcare,

finance, retail, and manufacturing.

Healthcare

In the healthcare sector, voice assistants facilitate appointment scheduling,

provide medical information, and even support surgical teams by offering

hands-free access to patient data.

Finance

In finance, voice assistants enable customers to check their account balances,

initiate transactions, and receive updates on stock market trends.

Retail

Retailers are leveraging voice assistants for inventory management,

automating customer service, and enhancing the in-store shopping experience

by guiding customers to products or answering their questions in real time.

Manufacturing

Manufacturers are utilizing voice technology to optimize warehouse operations,

track assets, and improve quality control processes with voice-activated

devices.

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Future Applications of Voice Assistants: Untapped Sectors and Areas

Voice assistants are currently making significant strides in sectors like

healthcare, finance, retail, and manufacturing, but they are also set to expand

into new, unexplored areas soon. The growth will be driven by emerging

technologies, evolving business needs, and advancements in artificial

intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP). Here are some key

sectors and specific areas where voice assistants have promising future

applications that remain largely untapped.

Future Implications of Voice-Based Digital Assistants in Hospitality

The increasing connectivity of devices and the Internet of Everything highlights

the ongoing technological advancements in hotels. The key question is the role

that voice assistants will play in this evolution. The conceptualization of

speech-based interactions between hotels and guests is illustrated in Figure.

Producers of digital voice assistants are striving to integrate their technology

into a wide range of devices, enabling brands to easily develop voice-

compatible products such as TVs, headphones, smart plugs, bulbs, locks,

security cameras, soundbars, watches, and even toothbrushes. This strategy

allows major technology manufacturers to gather data from a broader array of

sources for their AI software to analyze and learn from. Consumers are

becoming accustomed to a hyper-connected experience through voice

interfaces, utilizing not only standalone or smartphone-integrated assistants

but also nearly every device they interact with daily. This trend is likely to

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influence hotels in the future, as in-room smart speakers may become less

relevant when guests can access voice assistants from any digital device in

their rooms. However, the capability of in-room voice-activated devices to

comprehend and communicate in various languages and accents has been

recognized as a crucial factor.

Important factors to like voice assistants

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Assistance Control home Functions/Features Performance Personalised

Recommendation devices experience system

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Important factors to resist voice assistants

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High price

Lack of performance

No added value No transparency Present usage Privacy Concerns

1. Construction and Engineering

Hands-free Project Management

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Voice assistants have the potential to revolutionize the construction and

engineering fields by enabling hands-free project management. Workers on job

sites could use voice commands to interact with enterprise resource planning

(ERP) systems, allowing them to report progress, order materials, and receive

real-time updates on tasks without needing to handle mobile devices or

computers in hazardous environments.

Site Inspections and Safety Compliance

Voice technology could streamline site inspections by allowing engineers and

construction workers to use voice commands to document observations, log

defects, or access building plans while keeping their hands free. Additionally,

voice-controlled systems could alert workers to potential safety hazards,

thereby enhancing on-site safety compliance.

2. Legal and Judicial Systems

Voice-Assisted Legal Research

In the legal field, voice assistants could greatly reduce the time spent on legal

research by quickly retrieving case law, statutes, and other legal documents

through simple voice queries. Lawyers could access pertinent information

during meetings or court sessions without the need to manually search through

databases.

Courtroom Assistance

Within the judicial system, voice assistants could assist courtroom clerks and

judges in managing case dockets, transcribing proceedings, and accessing

legal references in real-time, leading to smoother and more efficient legal

processes.

3. Education and Training

Interactive Learning

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Voice assistants have the potential to transform education by fostering more

interactive and personalized learning experiences. Future innovations might

include voice-controlled tutoring systems that can answer students' questions,

provide tailored feedback, and evaluate student performance in real-time, all

without relying on a traditional computer interface.

Voice-Activated Virtual Classrooms

Integrating voice technology into virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)

classrooms could lead to immersive educational experiences where students

engage with 3D models and learning materials through voice commands. This

approach would be especially beneficial in fields like engineering, biology, and

history, allowing students to navigate virtual environments using voice

instructions.

4. Agriculture and Farming

Voice-Controlled Farm Management

In the future, farmers might utilize voice assistants to manage and monitor

farm equipment, irrigation systems, and drones for crop surveillance. Voice

commands could facilitate real-time weather updates, soil condition analysis,

and livestock tracking, enhancing efficiency in everyday farming tasks.

Hands-Free Data Logging

Farmers could also leverage voice assistants to record data on crop yields,

livestock health, or machinery performance while they work, simplifying the

process of documenting essential information without interrupting their

activities. This technology could further integrate with AI-driven analytics

platforms to provide predictive insights regarding crop cycles and weather

trends.

5. Public Transportation and Smart Cities

Voice-Controlled Traffic Management Systems

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In the future, voice assistants may be integrated into the infrastructure of

smart cities to enhance the management of public transportation systems. For

example, traffic operators could utilize voice commands to control traffic lights,

monitor congestion levels, and adjust public transport schedules in real time,

ensuring that urban operations run smoothly.

Voice-Enabled Public Services

Voice technology could be incorporated into smart city frameworks, enabling

citizens to engage with public services through voice assistants. For instance,

individuals might be able to pay for parking, report maintenance issues in the

city, or receive real-time updates on public transport delays via voice-activated

kiosks or mobile applications.

6. Energy and Utilities

Voice-Controlled Energy Grid Management

In the energy sector, voice assistants could aid energy grid operators by

allowing hands-free monitoring of power stations, controlling energy

distribution, and managing load balancing in real time. This capability could

help prevent blackouts and enhance the overall efficiency of energy

management systems.

Customer-Facing Utility Management

Utility companies could also provide voice-enabled customer service, allowing

users to pay their bills, track energy consumption, or report service outages

using voice commands. This would improve customer engagement and

streamline operations for both consumers and utility providers.

7. Supply Chain and Logistics

Voice-Controlled Supply Chain Optimization

Warehouse workers and logistics operators could utilize voice assistants to

manage inventory, track shipments, and optimize delivery routes with simple

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voice commands. This technology would enhance efficiency and minimize

human error in the supply chain by streamlining manual processes.

Voice-Powered Predictive Maintenance

Logistics companies might adopt voice technology to monitor fleet vehicles and

equipment for predictive maintenance. Operators could issue voice commands

to receive alerts about potential failures, check maintenance schedules, or

request repairs, ensuring smoother logistics operations.

8. Entertainment and Media Production

Voice-Controlled Content Creation

In the future, media professionals may rely on voice assistants for content

creation, editing, and production tasks. For example, filmmakers could use

voice commands to adjust camera angles, and lighting, or control CGI effects,

simplifying complex production workflows.

Interactive Entertainment Experiences

Voice technology could be incorporated into interactive entertainment

platforms, providing personalized experiences where users engage with

characters, games, or storylines through voice commands. This could extend to

video games, live performances, or immersive theater experiences.

9. Environmental Conservation and Research

Voice-Enabled Environmental Monitoring

Conservationists and environmental researchers could employ voice

technology to monitor ecosystems in real-time. Voice assistants could collect

data from sensors, track animal movements, or observe environmental

conditions, allowing researchers to concentrate on analysis and fieldwork

without the burden of data entry.

Field Research Assistance

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Researchers in remote or hazardous locations could utilize voice assistants to

access information, document observations, and communicate with team

members, enhancing the efficiency and safety of field research operations.

Result
3
The result of this Research paper based on above content

The paper examines the disparity between the growing use of voice assistants

(VAs) like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri for everyday tasks

(such as playing music, checking the weather, or managing smart devices) and

their limited application in transactions like online shopping or financial

activities.

Consumer Resistance to Transactions: A significant finding is that consumer

inertia, fueled by concerns over privacy, security, and potential financial loss,

results in hesitance to use VAs for transactions. While VAs offer convenience for

non-transactional tasks, consumers are wary of trusting them with financial

matters.

Cognitive Biases and Decision Avoidance: The paper points out that cognitive

biases, particularly decision avoidance, play a role in consumer reluctance.

Users may postpone or steer clear of using VAs for transactions to evade risk or

discomfort. This aligns with theories such as inertia (status quo bias), omission

bias, and choice deferral, which illustrate the hesitance to adopt new

technologies for significant activities. Nudging Techniques: Strategies like

default selections and reminders—common nudging techniques—have the

potential to lessen consumer resistance but are not yet fully utilized to promote

the transactional use of VAs. The study indicates that these methods could

encourage more transactional engagement if implemented effectively.

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Impact of Technology Comfort: A consumer's comfort level with technology

affects their readiness to use VAs for more complex tasks. The study suggests

that enhancing familiarity and trust in VA technology could significantly boost

its adoption for transactions. Applications for Marketers: Marketers can

leverage these insights to develop strategies that promote the transactional

use of VAs, such as highlighting privacy and security features, providing nudges

like default transactional settings, and fostering trust through user education.

Conclusion

The research paper highlights a notable disparity between the common use of

AI-enabled voice assistants (VAs) for everyday tasks and their limited

application in transactional activities, primarily due to consumer reluctance.

This hesitance is rooted in worries about privacy, security, and the risk of

financial loss, which leads to avoidance and uncertainty when it comes to using

VAs for online shopping or financial transactions. The study points out that

while VAs have become popular for simple tasks like playing music, checking

the weather, or managing smart home devices, consumers remain hesitant to

employ them for more complex and high-stakes actions. Cognitive biases,

including inertia and omission bias, play a role in this resistance. To address

these concerns, the paper proposes that nudging techniques, such as default

options and reminders, could effectively encourage consumers to use VAs for

transactions. However, these methods are not widely used to promote VA

adoption for these purposes. Furthermore, the research emphasizes that

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boosting consumer comfort with technology and tackling privacy and security

concerns are essential for building trust in voice assistants. In summary, the

paper offers valuable insights for marketers and businesses, suggesting they

utilize these findings to create strategies aimed at reducing consumer

resistance, building trust, and encouraging the use of VAs for transactional

activities. By addressing cognitive biases and implementing targeted nudges,

companies can foster greater adoption of VAs for secure and convenient

transactions.

The proposed voice interaction framework enables users of IS to input

information and navigate complex functionalities more quickly, enhancing

productivity. Additionally, users with physical limitations (hands-free and eyes-

free) will now be able to utilize this system, which was previously inaccessible

to them. Testing of the VAD algorithm showed satisfactory results for signals

with SNRs greater than 5.

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1. Even though, Although Wordy sentences Clarity

2. Speech to Text → Misspelled words Correctness

Speech-to-Text

3. the above Determiner use (a/an/the/this, etc.) Correctness

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