Editorial

Voice Communication Plays a Major Role in Building Trust

Published on:

April 3, 2024

Why is voice communication still a cornerstone in the digital age, amidst the myriad of communication channels available? Voice communication not only fosters stronger social bonds but also builds trust and connection with brands. It remains one of the critical channels of choice for consumers, ranking second only to email. Voice is immediate and provides a human touch, making it indispensable in customer service. In professional settings, especially with dispersed workforces, voice and video calls play a vital role in facilitating collaboration and maintaining connection. Whether entirely on-site, hybrid or fully remote, telephony serves as the cornerstone of communication systems.

Here in the Digital Age we have numerous channels to communicate with each other, and for customers and partners and vendors to communicate with businesses: email, Facebook, Instagram, online webforms, SMS, WhatsApp…the list of channels continues to grow, particularly with the increasing prevalence of AI and chatbots. But what about voice? Have people given up on telephone calls? 

The Importance of Voice for Consumers

The CMO Council, in partnership with Precisely, recently surveyed more than 2000 English-speaking consumers worldwide about which communication channels they prefer. The survey included specific questions about the most important channels of choice for these consumers, regardless of the reason for communicating with a company (engagement, exploration, service and/or support). The results? “Regardless of age, gender or regional location, one universal truth quickly came into view: Omnichannel IS the critical channel of choice.” 

Customers want multiple ways to reach brands, but the importance of voice in this mix is interesting, perhaps even surprising. It seems the good old telephone call is still the preferred means of reaching a company for many survey participants: 59 percent of customers expect a business to be available via telephone, and 50 percent want to speak with a live person who can assist them when they need help. And according to a study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, “It’s Surprisingly Nice to Hear You,” phone, video chat and voice chat exchanges create stronger social bonds than email and texting. They also build stronger connections to brands.

The Critical Channels of Choice survey found voice is second only to email among the top five expected channels of communication with a company. And when participants were asked which channel they couldn’t live without, it was the telephone! One of the main reasons? Voice builds trust. 

Voice is usually the first choice for customers when they have a particular problem or question. Checking a bank account balance or verifying an address or office hours - even scheduling an appointment - can be done via an automated system. But when specific concerns and questions arise, customers want to speak to an actual person. 

This is the power of voice, as compared to SMS and social media: it’s immediate, both in terms of time and in terms of human connection. SMS and social media are only immediate when the recipient is checking his or her texts or social accounts. Even via voicemail, there’s often no better way to explain oneself than by voice. Voice is more satisfying emotionally and often more expedient than any other channel. It’s a connection. It’s human contact. And it might be the best way to provide the best in customer service: The Critical Channels of Choice survey found: 

“Consumers expect to have phone service agents at the ready with details about their history with the brand and armed with the right information to quickly solve problems. Consumers expect to ‘see themselves’ in communication with brands they have done business with…”

Voice is also the foundation of video communication, which goes even further to connect people. On a video call, you can convey concern, emotion, a sense of humor…this is how relationships are built. Social media can’t do this, nor can AI. Which brings us to voice in the workplace. 

The Importance of Voice in the Office 

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, we’ve gotten used to dispersed workforces. The pandemic is over, but not everyone is back in the office and it might remain this way indefinitely. What’s the next best thing? You guessed it - voice and video calls. Are video and voice sufficient for interpersonal communication in a professional setting? In many instances yes, and for many teams they support true collaboration amongst team members who are most likely not in the same place at the same time. Voice is essential for building an environment wherein staff can work together, no matter how far apart they are. In a new work paradigm, voice reintroduces connection to the workplace; it reintroduces enjoyment, humanity and spontaneity. It resolves the disconnect and bridges the distance between on-site and remote work. Again, It builds trust.

Whether your business is entirely on-site, hybrid or entirely work from home, your telephony is the foundation of your communications, both with your customers and between employees. It is the cornerstone of your communication system. 

The Vodia cloud phone system is the perfect choice for any SMB or enterprise in any industry. Our feature-rich, robust telephony platform gives you voice. It’s hyper-scalable, inexpensive to install and simple to use, and we give you an extensive range of value-added call handling and management capabilities deployed via simple web interfaces. 

We’re the first choice for online retailers and for healthcare providers, thanks to our HIPAA compliance, both of which depend on voice to meet customer and patient expectations, respectively. And when it comes to cruise lines and hotels, no other cloud phone system comes close. We’re also the best phone system for call centers. And we protect your data.

What more do you need? Want to find out what our cloud phone system can do for your voice communications? Let’s talk. +1 (617) 861-3490, sales@vodia.com.

Latest Articles

View All

Webinar | Real-Time Media Streaming in Vodia PBX: AI, Call Transcription, and Security in V69.5.6

Join Vodia Networks on April 8 for a live, in-depth webinar on how real-time media streaming is powering the future of voice communication. Discover how Vodia PBX version 69.5.6 enables seamless AI integration, live call transcription using the Whisper API, and secure voice data handling. Hosted by Sales Engineer Eric Altman and VoIP Engineer Hamlet Collado, this session will walk you through real-world use cases, including OpenAI and Google Speech-to-Text integrations, MS Teams support, and new security features. You’ll also get a first look at Vodia’s AI roadmap and have the opportunity to ask your questions during a live Q&A.

March 28, 2025

The Vodia PBX On-Premise Whisper AI Deployment​

Whisper, OpenAI’s Automatic Speech Recognition system, delivers multilingual, noise-tolerant, and technical-language-ready transcription through a streamlined encoder-decoder architecture. With Vodia PBX’s integration, organizations can choose between using OpenAI’s service or hosting Whisper AI locally for complete data sovereignty and control. This on-premise option ensures that sensitive call data stays within your infrastructure while still benefiting from powerful transcription capabilities. To explore deployment options, see our Whisper AI on-premise setup documentation, review a self-hosted integration example, or follow our cloud-based call transcription guide.

March 27, 2025

Vodia at Enterprise Connect 2025: Embracing AI and Advancing Communications

Vodia Sales Engineer Eric Altman attended Enterprise Connect 2025 on March 18 and 19, where he connected with partners and gained insight into the future of enterprise communications. AI was the clear focus of the event, with discussions centered on agentic systems, chatbots, and generative technologies. “It was certainly the main element in the atmosphere,” Eric noted. He also shared his excitement about Vodia PBX version 69.5.6, which includes real-time AI integration with OpenAI and call transcription using the Whisper API. The event confirmed that AI is rapidly becoming a core component of modern communication platforms—and Vodia is well-positioned to lead the way.

March 26, 2025