Voice is Evolving – Not Disappearing: Why It Remains the Heartbeat of Customer Experience
–By Chris Angus, VP of CX Expansion at 8×8
The rise of sophisticated digital channels like RCS are giving the customer more options away from voice – and while it’s great that customers now have more options for engagement and connection, it doesn’t mean the end of voice – far from it.
Voice remains the most natural human channel. It’s instinctive, emotional, and immediate. And thanks to advancements in AI, that “voice” – over a phone call, a WhatsApp, or a voice note – may not always be from a human, but it will still feel human.
While some raise an eyebrow, this is actually a good thing – good for customers, good for contact centre staff, and good for contact centre leaders.
AI + Voice: The New Intelligent Front Door
We’ve reached the point where AI and voice are merging into a single, intelligent entry point for customer engagement. Routine tasks like checking a delivery, resetting a password, confirming an appointment can now be handled instantly, accurately, and conversationally by AI-powered voice systems.
What excites me most is how naturally this technology now works. Voice is becoming the interface for intelligence, not just the medium for conversation. We increasingly see AI handling emotional nuance, sentiment, intent, and multilingual conversations in real time. Customers don’t need to adapt to the system – the system finally adapts to them.
And those outdated IVRs we all learned to dread? They’re on their way out. The traditional “Press 1, Press 2” experience will soon flatten into a simple, intuitive: “How can I help you today?”
From there, AI will do a real-time data dip, understand who the customer is, what they likely need, and route or resolve accordingly. No menus. No friction. Just conversation.
AI That Enhances Human Work – Not Replaces It
One of the biggest misconceptions about AI is that it threatens jobs. In reality, the opposite is true. When I look at the contact centres that are thriving, they’re the ones using AI to take away repetition, not responsibility.
When AI handles the predictable tasks, human agents finally get the chance to lean into what they’re brilliant at: empathy, creativity, contextual problem-solving. Their work becomes more interesting, not less. Their morale improves. Attrition drops. Customer loyalty increases.
I’ve always believed AI’s role is to elevate, not erase. It ensures that when a customer needs a human being, that person is available – present, unstressed, and equipped with the context they need to deliver a brilliant experience.
Omnichannel Is Essential – But Voice Is Still the Glue
Customers expect to move fluidly between channels: starting in chat, shifting to WhatsApp, escalating to voice, receiving follow-up messages automatically. That flexibility is essential.
But voice is still where experiences are rescued, emotions are soothed, and trust is rebuilt. No matter how digital the journey becomes, voice is the anchor.
What’s changing is how customers use voice. With smart glasses, smartwatches, and hands-free devices becoming mainstream, people are walking around talking to their tech. Typing is becoming optional. Audio engagement is suddenly everywhere. Look at the rise in voice notes as an example of that.
This is a huge opportunity for businesses. As the world becomes more voice-driven, the organisations that embrace natural, spoken interaction – across all devices – will differentiate themselves quickly.
Voice Is Becoming Smarter, More Contextual, More Human
AI has transformed what voice can do behind the scenes. Real-time transcription, sentiment detection, intent recognition, contextual routing; these capabilities are no longer futuristic. They are here now, and they’re becoming standard.
What this means in practice is that businesses can finally treat voice as the intelligent channel it should be:
● Understanding not just what a customer says, but how they feel
● Detecting frustration before it escalates
● Automatically adapting tone and responses
● Tailoring the conversation in real time
This blends the strengths of automation with the strengths of human conversation, and the result is an experience that feels faster, smarter, and more personal.
Voice Must Also Become More Inclusive
There’s another reality we must confront: voice AI still has ground to cover when it comes to inclusivity. Accents, dialects, and regional speech patterns aren’t always handled well.
As someone who speaks with customers across the UK and internationally, I know how important this is. If we want voice technology to be trusted universally, it must accurately understand everyone – regardless of their accent – and ideally respond in ways that feel local and genuine.
The future of voice can’t be uniform. It must reflect the diversity of the people using it.
Data: The Enabler of Every Voice Breakthrough
All of this intelligence – seamless escalation, AI-driven routing, contextual understanding – relies on high-quality data. Not more data, just better data.
If your systems don’t talk to each other, your AI can’t help you. If your CRM is outdated or incomplete, your AI will ask customers to repeat themselves. If your channels don’t share context, your automation becomes frustrating instead of helpful.
The success of voice in 2026 will depend entirely on how seriously organisations take their data foundations.
A Human Future, Enhanced by AI
Voice isn’t disappearing. It’s becoming more powerful, more intelligent, and more human. It remains the channel customers turn to when it matters. And with AI, we’re making that experience faster, more intuitive, and more rewarding for both customers and employees.
I firmly believe contact centres are no longer cost centres – they’re opportunity hubs. And voice, enriched by AI and backed by smart data, is the most important tool we have to unlock that opportunity.
Because when done right, voice doesn’t just solve problems. It builds relationships.
