Enhance Your Apps and

Products with AI Voice

How top brands are increasing retention and
engagement with synthetic voice

W E L L S A I D L A B S / / W E L L S A I D L A B S / / W E L L S A I D L A B S / / W E L L S A I D L A B S / / W E L L S A I D L A B S / / W E L L S A I D L A B S
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Contents

Introduction

Why Voice Matters for Trust and Engagement

Use Cases of AI Voice Integration

Apps and Products

Programmatic Content
Advertising and Marketing

API vs. Studio Voice Content Creation

Conclusion
When you think of some of the most prominent tech
products of the last decade, many of them have something
in common: Computer-generated voice. From smart
devices that millions use in their homes every day to the
self-checkout kiosk in the grocery store, artificial voices are
everywhere.

The AI voice revolution is not limited to billion dollar tech

companies. App developers and content creators of all
kinds are turning to synthetic voice to increase engagement
with products, improve retention, and create innovative
experiences that delight users.

A compelling voice is an incredible catalyst for increasing

engagement with your product and building brand loyalty.
The challenge organizations face is scaling up voice so that
it sounds genuine and realistic.

In the past, synthetic voice technology delivered robotic,

rigid, and sometimes comical sounding voices, leaving
brands limited in their ability to use artificial voice that
would be a net positive to their user experience.

Now that advancements in AI have helped synthetic voice

approach human parity, organizations of all sizes are scaling
up their voice infrastructure, improving customer service
interfaces by adding vocal audio, converting long form
articles to voice, and creating immersive app experiences
that incorporate a realistic human voice.

This ebook summarizes the synthetic voice API use cases

that harness the power of AI voice at scale, and how your
organization can leverage this incredible technology.
Why Voice Matters for Trust and Engagement
As technology advances, digital experiences lift off the proverbial page and come to life, becoming
increasingly human.

Sometimes, this is a factor of convenience, for example in the case of hands-free apps. However, there is
also a psychological element that app developers can take advantage of when designing products: sonic
branding.

Think of the literal voices of popular brands. Probably several come to mind, from famous people like
Matthew McConnaughey with Lincoln automobiles or non-celebrities like the Geico lizard.

Sonic branding extends from the voices and sounds in a digital ad, all the way to the tones
of a mobile app and the hold music on a customer service call. Immersive experiences build
brand recognition and trust at every stage of the customer journey with your product.

“
“The days where a customer has to go to the business
is slowly disappearing, now customers expect you to
come to them. Not in the form of ads, but by being
there when you need them. Ultimately, that’s why voice
adoption is inevitable.”

MIGUEL NAVARRO
Former Head of U.S. Voice at TD Banking

Read full article 

Once trust is established with the branding

of a product, engagement is the next hurdle.
Churn and low engagement go hand-in-
hand. Conversely, upgrades and retention are
correlated with healthy, regular engagement.

Expanding your application beyond the barriers

of a screen is crucial for increasing trust and
engagement.
How Synthetic Voice is Used
There are a range of language processing products powered by artificial intelligence.

First, let’s define the various kinds of synthetic voice technologies and how they are used.

Text to Voice Voice to Text

Used when text needs to be converted to speech The opposite of Text to Voice, this refers to the
at scale or converted automatically in order to process of converting a vocal input into written
provide a voice clip. Some examples include text. For example, converting sales calls into
converting long form articles to voice narrations, searchable text in an application like Gong.io
or integrating spoken instructions into a so that the content of sales calls are easily
wellness app. searchable by anyone in an organization.

For the purposes of this discussion, the focus is Check out the Sequoia Capital map of
on Text-to-Speech (also called “TTS”) or “Text- “Generative AI” for examples of other exciting
to-Voice” technology. language processing apps.
 Use Cases for AI Voice in Apps,
Products, and Advertising

It’s clear that voice content can improve engagement and trust. Here are
some specific examples of how AI voice powers different use cases.

The primary use case categories are:

App and product Advertising

Programmatic
experience and marketing
content creation
enhancement voiceover

First, let’s look at how synthetic voice improves app experiences.

App and Product Experience
From mobile apps to enterprise training platforms, high-quality synthetic voice greatly improves the
user experience. Among other benefits, information retention is better with voice, allowing users to
absorb messaging using visual and auditory senses. When combined with video, viewers retain 95% of a
message, compared to 10% from text alone.

of a message is retained by users

when text is of a message is retained by users

95% combined with 10% from text alone
video

Here are some real-world applications and examples.

LIFESTYLE APPS

Pear Health Labs

PEAR uses AI to create “personal adaptive coaching” for a variety of wellness apps. These applications
range from supporting fitness wearables apps to training intelligence apps for military and first
responders.

PEAR customers use their proprietary AI to build training plans, while AI voice provides a consistent,
branded delivery option for delivering information. With this technology, wellness app creators and
instructors can scale their personal training across locations and platforms.

EDUCATIONAL APPS

The Explanation Company

This category covers a wide range of informative apps, but one of the biggest segments is educational
content for children. The Explanation Company seeks to “build the internet for children,” with search
functionality built for early readers.

Using synthetic voice, the app can interact with young learners who don’t have the literacy skills to use
traditional search engines. Then, it can answer questions with conversational AI, rather than text alone,
engaging a whole new generation of app users.
 INFORMATIONAL APPS

Uptime
An exciting new way to consume content across the digital world is with apps like Uptime that
aggregate material from lots of sources. Uptime “packs thousands of life lessons extracted from best
books, courses, documentaries, and podcasts into 5 minute Knowledge Hacks.”

The average time in-app for Uptime is 10 minutes, with an 11% click-through rate on each “Knowledge
Hack.” By providing a variety of consumption options, including AI voice, apps like Uptime are finding
ways to appeal to a broader user base.

10
minutes
The average time in-app for Uptime
11% click-through rate

Programmatic Content Creation

One of the most exciting uses of AI at scale is the ability to create voice content at scale. What would have
taken hundreds of hours in a traditional recording studio can now happen in minutes.

The applications for programmatic content creation are evolving all the time, but here are a few examples
in the areas of streaming, customer interface, and audiobook creation.

STREAMING

Super Hi-Fi
Outside of audio advertising, Generative AI is changing the way audio streaming is done. Companies
like Super Hi-Fi are using synthetic voice to integrate with branded audio content.

By using AI-powered automations, Super Hi-Fi can help terrestrial and satellite radio stations and
streams create more immersive experiences that drive engagement and brand loyalty. Check out the
AI voice radio DJ that Super Hi-Fi created.
 CUSTOMER INTERFACE

Curious Thing
Conversational AI gives you a new competitive edge by enabling proactive communication and
automated support at any stage of the customer journey. Curious Thing helps companies use artificial
intelligence to provide custom content, relevant to their needs and questions at that exact moment.

The Curious Thing tech improves the experience for the customer, who can now get the information
they need at exactly the right time, while also allowing scaling without additional headcount for the
company that uses Curious Thing.

AUDIOBOOK CREATION

Speechki
Synthetic voice has the ability to enable widespread audiobook creation, especially with products like
Speechki. Using AI voice and simple editing tools, the Speechki platform can create an audiobook in
just 15 minutes.

Unlike conventional audiobook recording, this process is cost-effective for academic journals and
independent publishers. Audiobook platforms like Speechki drastically increase the amount of audio
content available for listeners.

Creating an Audiobook
TRADITIONAL VOICEOVER

$8K Average Production Cost

1 month Production Time

1/10 Average Production Cost

AI VOICEOVER

15 mins Production Time

Advertising and Marketing
One of the ways that AI voice is revolutionizing voiceover is with the ability to not only render in real-time,
but to also create infinite variations of content.

With unique, listener-centric voiceover, brands can tailor a message to a specific audience. The application
of this is obvious for audio advertising, but it extends to other exciting marketing uses. Custom video and
video avatars are also taking the AI marketing space by storm.

AUDIO ADVERTISING

Decibel Ads
Artificial intelligence is changing every aspect of audio advertising- targeting, bidding, and content
creation. Companies like Decibel are focused on helping brands create bespoke ads, quickly and easily.

With what they call “listener-level targeting” and synthetic voice, Decibel customers can create and test
multiple versions of ads in just a few minutes.

CUSTOM VIDEO

SundaySky
When a customer hits a roadblock in using a product or has a question about an invoice, SundaySky
empowers companies to create videos just for that customer. With bespoke content made in real-time,
the video is personalized with their name, account details, and more.

Not only do SundaySky videos help with conversion, they allow companies to upsell and retain
customers through superior support materials. Synthetic voice creates the immersive experience that
brings the custom video to life.

VIDEO AVATAR

Synthesia
Moving beyond video voiceover, Synthesia’s lifelike video avatars make digital learning material come to
life. Whether used for training modules, customer support, or product marketing, the Synthesia avatars
improve retention of information.
One Synthesia customer reported a 30% increase in engagement with e-learning materials for a training
module. By using video avatars for training materials, others reported being able to reduce video
creation time by 80%.

increase in engagement reduction in creation time

with video with avatars

30% avatars added 80% for training
to module materials
 API vs. Studio Voice Content Creation

Depending on your voice goals, a manual “studio” creation method or a synthetic voice API will
work best.

In many cases, companies who want to integrate AI voice with apps or products will start with a
studio service subscription for proof of concept before transitioning to a more robust API format.

Here are some guidelines for which option may work best.

Studio Service API

Works well for teams building Ideal for automated voice content
complex voiceover projects together creation using streamed audio
WORKFLOW

Scalable across multiple platforms,

Scalable to staffing availability
users, formats
SCALE

Best for pre-generated audio content Approaches real-time delivery, depending

delivered asynchronously on other automations needed
SPEED

Allows for hands-on adjustment of AI Enables infinite variations of copy with

voice characteristics different voice avatars
VARIATION

For most applications, an API will be the most efficient method for scaling AI voice to the level
that supports a growing user base. Look for API providers with robust customer support and an
established track record of reliable service.
 Conclusion

With audiences expecting increasingly immersive and engaging experiences,

the most successful brands will be those who

embrace the opportunity to incorporate sound
with their products.

Fortunately for creatives and product innovators, synthetic voice is more

lifelike, scalable, and versatile than ever. As the many use cases in this
document show, the possibilities are endless.

Keep creating.

Learn more about AI voices at wellsaidlabs.com