Five9 has introduced Virtual Voiceover, a new capability that offers life-like conversational AI synthesised from human voices.
Virtual Voiceover provides users with a selection of synthetic voices from which they can select the one that best represents their brand. The users can then type their prompts into an IVA task flow and the audio stream renders it in real-time. Businesses can also make changes to their IVA scripts as their needs shift.
Callan Schebella, EVP, Product Management, Five9, said:
“In our experience, the more life-like an IVA can sound, the better the reception it will receive from the customer who is speaking with it.”
“We’re continually looking for the latest and greatest technologies to enhance the Studio platform, and we are excited to partner with WellSaid to bring this new innovation to our customers.”
While building this capability, Five9 partnered with its first Virtual Voiceover partner, WellSaid Labs.
The partnership will also allow Five9 customers to make their own voice avatars based on their existing voice talent, such as a trusted company spokesperson.
WellSaid can create the custom avatar and provide guidance on scripting, recording, and audio specs to ensure the highest quality results.
Five9 worked with Alex Baratta, Ph.D. senior lecturer in language, linguistics and communication at the University of Manchester, and film and television voice coach Liam French Robinson to produce the most suitable voice for Virtual Voiceover. Baratta and Robinson selected a voice actor based on key vocal traits for customer service.
Baratta said: “We look at key elements such as pitch, volume, speed, and intonation.”
“And within those categories, there are micro-level details that contribute to whether a voice is perceived as warm, engaging, trustworthy, or any other judgements made regarding how we perceive people based on their vocal quality.”
The custom Five9 voice avatar will be available in Studio 7, as well as WellSaid’s 25 standard voice avatars. The new capability will be available to Five9 Inference Studio 7 users free of charge, while Studio 7 is currently in controlled availability and will be generally available in early 2022.
In November, CX Today spoke with Scott Black, the Senior Director for Business Development at Five9 find out more about their new CX marketplace.
