Voice tech is on the edge of revamping CX like never before. We will see how Voice AI is enhancing contact centre experiences in MENA.

Voice AI has been a trend and a revolutionary change like never before. Especially in 2024, the MENA countries witnessed this swift change driven by high internet adoption and a society that mostly favoured mobile-first communication. Significantly, Statista states that the AI market in the MENA region is estimated at USD 1414 million. Isn’t it amazing?

AI’s ascending to dominant status in the market does not only mean a trend but also proof of its superiority, enabling better customer experiences. With its rapid adaptation of digitalisation and tech-awareness, MENA provides a perfect catalyst for this transformative tool. But how can MENA contact centres use this technology to overcome the challenges they are confronted with? In this blog, we are going to learn about how Voice AI is revolutionising MENA contact centres and what future it holds.

MENA’s Embrace of Voice AI

Intensifying competition within the MENA market is compelling contact centres to find groundbreaking solutions to remain ahead. In today’s competitive business landscape, firms acknowledge the strategic benefit of using Voice AI technologies to boost operational efficiency and give outstanding customer experiences.

There is an explicit change in client preferences, such as being inclined to convenience and accessibility. MENA consumers are similar to their global peers in that they expect instant and fluent support through different channels.

Governments of MENA countries employ measures such as subsidies, grants, and business-friendly policies to encourage companies in this field. These activities foster a favourable climate for deploying Voice AI solutions by contact centres; thereby, the adoption rate is increased, and technological improvements are encouraged.

Suggested Reading: How to Measure the Success of Your Voice AI Bot?

Beyond Hype: Concrete Benefits and Use Cases

Let us understand some concrete use cases of Voice AI across MENA regions:

Marketing and Sales:

Voice AI is transforming marketing and sales strategies in MENA’s contact centres. Using lead generation algorithms and personalised recommendation engines, companies can use Voice AI to provide customers with tailored product recommendations and exclusive offers. The personalised nature boosts customer engagement, sales and brand loyalty in the competitive market.

Healthcare:

Voice AI has significantly impacted the transformation of healthcare services in MENA. Regarding symptom assessment, the Voice AI-powered virtual assistants allow patients to articulate their symptoms, resulting in more precise diagnoses and timely medical interventions. 

Voice AI platforms will also allow healthcare providers to conduct patient education initiatives that will make people knowledgeable about their health and enable them to make the right decisions. Ultimately, the healthcare outcomes will be better, and patient satisfaction will be guaranteed.

Education and Training:

Within education and training, Voice AI is instigating a revolution of learning methods throughout MENA. Educational institutions can address different learning styles and promote student involvement by developing immersive learning environments and offering personalised coaching using Voice AI-based virtual tutors. In addition, real-time feedback and adaptive learning systems provide individual learning experiences so that every learner gets the help they need to be successful.

Building Intelligent and Engaging Voicebots

Listed below are some advantages of deploying Voice AI for industries:

• Swift issue resolution: AI technology in contact centres across the MENA region facilitates solutions by offering round-the-clock availability, self-service features, and task automation.

• Cost savings: Integration of Voice AI in call centres in the MENA region cuts costs by enhancing labour productivity, reducing waiting times and optimising resource allocation.

• Enhanced customer satisfaction: Voice AI contributes to increased customer satisfaction levels by enabling personalised interactions, providing omnichannel access, and accelerating troubleshooting processes.

• Multilingual assistance: Utilising Voice AI in contact centres in the MENA region allows support to cater to the populations across different areas. This ensures customer communication in varying languages, leading to improved customer engagement.

• Valuable data insights: Implementation of Voice AI technology in MENA contact centres offers access to insights through voice sentiment analysis, voice pattern recognition and feedback mechanisms.

Suggested Reading: The Correlation between Voicebots and Improved User Experience

How are MENA businesses currently leveraging Voice AI?

Let us understand some examples of how businesses are using Voice AI in various industries:

Banking: Banks in the MENA region already use voice AI to cater for different services, including account opening, transaction confirmation and fraud detection. 

For example, ADIB call centre queries dropped by 20% and 80% were resolved through chat banking, enhancing customer experience and engagement. With the help of our support, ADIB developed the ADIB Chat Banking, the first ever Emirati customer care chatbot on WhatsApp and the web. 

As a result of the strong backend that is interconnected with the CRM systems, over 150k+ chats per month in various Arabic dialects and English are executed, thus making the job easier for customer support agents and eventually aiding them in improving their efficiency.

Telecommunications: MENA telecommunication enterprises have used Voice AI for voice banking, service troubleshooting, and upgrades. 

E-commerce: MENA region e-commerce retailers have incorporated Voice AI technology for order tracking, returns processing, and product recommendations. 

Travel and Hospitality: In the travel and hospitality industry of the MENA region, Voice AI is deployed for tasks including flight booking modification, hotel information inquiry, and concierge service. 

Challenges and Considerations

Implementing Voice AI in the MENA region poses specific challenges that require careful consideration:

• Data privacy and security concerns: As with other parts of the world, the MENA region confronts data security and privacy problems. Given the sensitivity of personal data, maintaining local law compliance and ensuring data protection are the essential requirements for the proper use of Voice AI.

• Integration with existing systems and infrastructures: The integration of Voice AI into existing designs and structures may be complex, especially in the MENA region, where it is expected to have many legacy systems.

• Availability of high-quality training data: The need to develop a Voice AI system that can precisely understand and respond to different languages and various dialects that are assorting the MENA region constitutes the quest for high-quality training data.

• Cultural differences and preference for human interaction: The MENA region’s ethnicities and nuances will influence customers’ adoption and integration of voice AI technology. For instance, there might be cases where there is a need for human participation rather than an automated system.

Best Practises To Follow

To address challenges in implementing Voice AI in the MENA region:

• Transparent data handling: Follow regional regulations and disclose data practices transparently.
• Seamless integration: Adopt uniform APIs to avoid incompatibilities with the current infrastructure.
• High-quality training data: Invest in multiple data collection methods to ensure regional languages are considered.
• Balanced automation: Put human intervention in the front seat for complex questions and empathetic conversations.

Building a Voice-Enable Future

The future of Voice AI in MENA contact centres holds promising advancements:

Integration with AI assistants: Voice AI combines AI and conversational AI to enable more intelligent interactions. This integration will empower more intelligent and smooth customer support since the advanced algorithm predicts needs and delivers proactive support.

Multimodal experiences: Anticipate creating multi-sensory experiences that unify voice with chat, video, and AR/VR. Such integrated experiences would create an integrated engagement platform, facilitating smooth transitions between communication channels depending on end-user preferences and context.

Hyper-personalisation: Voice AI will provide hyper-personalisation by employing customer data and preferences. This individualised approach will be carried out through unique experiences tailored to specific needs, resulting in stronger customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Are you ready to boost your customer retention and satisfaction? Request a demo today and discover how Voice AI can help you achieve your goals.