How to Use Voice Transcriptions for Customer Analytics

Your business customer service team spends hours on the phone each day. They address customer concerns, answer questions, and provide support. And, while some important details are logged, other valuable insights, emotions, and recurring themes can easily be missed once the call ends.

Voice transcription captures all of these details for more informed decision-making.

When combined with voice intelligence—AI and machine learning techniques— call transcriptions can reveal patterns, track sentiment, and highlight actionable insights.

Let’s explore how voice transcription for customer analytics can help improve your user engagement strategies.

What is voice transcription?

Voice transcription, or audio-to-text conversion, is the process of converting audio from voice or video calls into written text, allowing businesses to store conversations in a searchable, readable format. Transcription can occur in real-time during a call or afterward from recorded audio.

Transcripts allow sales teams to quickly search for specific topics or scan through discussions. This capability streamlines their workflow and reduces the time spent on manual call reviews.

Additionally, these text-based records enhance agent monitoring and boost operational efficiency. Managers can review transcripts to gain clear insights into how employees handle customer interactions.

Types of voice transcriptions

Transcribed voice conversations offer valuable information from customer interactions. Getting these transcriptions can either be done manually or automatically. Here’s how these two types of transcription work and what they offer:

Manual transcriptions

Manual transcription involves listening to audio or video recordings and typing out everything that is heard. This do-it-yourself (DIY) method may appear cost-effective at first. However, it can quickly become time-consuming and labor-intensive, especially for those lacking transcription experience.

Additionally, manual transcription can be error-prone. These mistakes can affect the accuracy of the final transcript and result in misunderstandings in customer interactions.

Automatic transcriptions

Automatic voice transcription uses speech recognition technology to convert spoken words into written text. Unlike manual transcription, this method is much faster, as the software processes the audio in real time or within minutes, depending on the file length.

Plivo’s Voice API improves the transcription process with automatic speech recognition (ASR) via its GetInput XML Element. This feature enables businesses to capture user input through both speech and dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) inputs.

When a call participant speaks, Plivo transcribes their words and sends the text to a specific action URL. This transcript is used by your application to trigger an instant response to the customer’s request. 

For example, if a caller says, “I’d like to speak to a representative,” Plivo immediately transcribes this statement and sends it to a URL like https://yourapp.com/handle_request. Your application can then respond by transferring the call to an available agent or providing relevant options based on the caller’s request.

Plivo’s ASR can capture partial speech recognition results in real time, making live conversations more dynamic and responsive. Plus, transcriptions are instantly available to your applications, helping you act on customer feedback right away.

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How businesses use voice transcriptions for analytics

Voice transcription services can analyze high volumes of customer interactions to extract valuable insights. This data is a valuable resource for improving customer satisfaction and internal workflows. 

Here are a few ways businesses are using voice transcriptions for customer analytics.

Sales-driven customer insights

Voice transcription captures key details from customer conversations that might otherwise get lost. Sales calls, courtesy follow-ups, and support inquiries offer different insights, helping businesses better understand their customers.

For example, sales calls gives you a direct look into customer needs, questions, and pain points. You can assess their interest levels, identify upsell opportunities, and even spot objections that come up frequently.

Transcriptions from support calls, on the other hand, can reveal product concerns or unmet needs, which could lead to product development opportunities.

With these transcriptions, businesses can identify patterns in customer behavior and sentiment. This analysis allows you to fine-tune your sales and marketing strategies to better meet customer needs.

Customer experience improvement

Call transcripts provide a detailed record of interactions essential for improving the customer experience.

These transcripts make it easy to identify recurring issues, monitor how well agents handle customer concerns, and uncover areas for improvement in your service. 

For example, transcripts from support calls can help you identify where common pain points arise. If multiple customers mention similar problems, you can quickly address those concerns, ensuring they don’t escalate into larger issues.

This efficiency is further enhanced with AI-powered transcription software like Plivo, which offers benefits such as:

• Extensive language support: Use speech recognition for 27 major languages and their regional variants.
• Speech adaptation with hints: Improve accuracy with custom words and phrases, ensuring better recognition of proper nouns, homophones, and industry-specific terms.
• Prebuilt models: Choose from a range of ready-to-use IVR configurations, saving time when setting up voice systems.
• Simultaneous input detection: Allow customers to interact using either voice or keypad input, offering more flexibility with prompts like, “Press 1 or say ‘yes’”.
• Profanity filter: Automatically mask inappropriate language in transcriptions to maintain professionalism.
• Advanced end-of-speech detection: Detect when a speaker has finished talking for smoother conversation transitions.
• Interim transcription results: Receive transcription updates in real time, reducing response times and allowing for quicker interactions.

Legal purposes

Voice transcriptions play an important role in ensuring transparency and accountability in business communications. They provide an accurate record of conversations between parties, which can be valuable in legal matters where agreements may be contested or misunderstood.

Call transcriptions can show that businesses are following industry regulations and internal policies. This is particularly important in regulated fields like finance, healthcare, or telecommunications, where businesses must maintain high standards of accountability and transparency.

However, before using voice transcriptions for legal purposes, check the privacy laws in your state or country regarding call recording and transcribing.

Laws around recording conversations and using those recordings vary widely. Some areas require all parties’ consent, while others may allow recording with only one person’s agreement. Additionally, regulations often specify how recorded conversations can be stored, shared, and used, making it essential to understand the legal requirements in each location.

Personalization with sentiment analysis

Voice transcripts from sales and support calls can add a personalized touch to customer interactions.

Techniques like sentiment analysis offer insights into customer preferences and emotions, giving businesses a deeper understanding of what resonates with their audience. With this knowledge, companies can tailor their responses, enhancing the overall experience and fostering stronger connections with customers.

For instance, in a travel planning service, you might discover that words like "adventure" and "explore" spark excitement in customers, evoking thoughts of fun and spontaneity. On the other hand, terms like "schedule" or "itinerary" might create stress, as they can imply rigid planning rather than a relaxed, enjoyable experience. Missing these subtle customer reactions can limit the impact of your marketing and sales messages. Voice transcription captures these emotional nuances, allowing you to adjust your language to better resonate with your audience.

Call intent discovery

Call intent discovery helps businesses understand why customers are calling—to seek support, ask for information, or provide feedback,

Voice transcriptions assist in intent discovery through tools that use natural language processing (NLP). This technology automatically scans transcribed conversations for specific keywords, phrases, and patterns that indicate the customer’s intent.

For example, phrases like “I need help with…” signal a support-related call, while “Can you tell me more about…” might indicate an interest in product information.

Understanding call intent allows businesses to

• Improve call routing: Once the call intent has been identified through transcription, businesses can automatically direct customers to the appropriate team or resource. For instance, a customer with a billing issue can be quickly routed to the billing department without having to go through multiple transfers. 
• Enhance support: Businesses can identify and proactively address recurring issues, leading to faster resolutions and fewer customer complaints.
• Make data-driven decisions: Identifying trends in call intents allows enterprises to make better business decisions. This approach ensures that customer feedback directly influences product improvements, ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction.

Enhanced agent performance

Voice transcription lets managers closely review conversations, analyzing how agents handle tasks like problem-solving and dealing with unhappy customers. 

Reviewing the transcript enables managers to provide precise, data-driven feedback on employees’ strengths and areas for improvement, moving beyond subjective impressions. This approach helps managers focus on measurable insights, fostering more targeted coaching and professional growth.

For example, a manager might focus on:

• Language: Was the agent professional?
• Problem-solving: How well did they resolve the issue?
• Product knowledge: Did they show strong knowledge of the company’s products?

Transcriptions also highlight knowledge gaps. If several agents struggle with the same issues, it may indicate the need for extra training. Incorrect terminology or failure to follow protocols can also be spotted and corrected.

Managers can then design personalized training, ensuring agents are prepared to confidently handle different customer inquiries.

Better accessibility

Voice transcriptions make information more accessible to individuals with hearing impairments. This written record ensures that everyone, regardless of hearing ability, has access to essential information shared in audio formats.

For businesses, transcriptions demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, allowing for more equitable communication.

When a person with a hearing impairment calls a contact center, the audio of the conversation is captured and processed in real time. Speech recognition technology converts the spoken words into text, which is then displayed on the caller’s screen. This allows the individual to read along as the customer service representative speaks, facilitating a clear and engaging dialogue.

Unlock customer insights with Plivo’s voice transcription features

Plivo’s Voice API and audio streaming features make it easy to connect with AI-driven transcription and sentiment analysis tools. This flexibility lets businesses customize their solutions, facilitating improved customer interactions with efficient automation.

With Plivo, you can automate call quality checks to get helpful insights. These insights boost agent performance and customer satisfaction, making it easier to spot and fix issues quickly.

The Voice API also supports ASR using the Record API or Record XML element. 

Plivo provides accurate transcriptions at affordable rates, especially for English-language audio. Whether you need it for quality control, compliance, or personalized service, Plivo’s technology can handle your voice-to-text conversation needs smoothly.

Contact us to learn more about how Plivo can optimize your voice transcription processes and help you deliver a better customer experience.