With voice technology constantly evolving, it is getting more sophisticated while consumer preference in voice-assisted services is rising. Voice assistants, such as Apple’s Siri and those embedded in voice-assisted devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home, are transforming everyday life. Jonny Combe, UK CEO at global mobile parking payment provider PayByPhone, discusses how voice technology currently affects motorists and delves into what it may mean for the smart car of the future.

Hatfield, Hertfordshire, May 2020 – Technological innovation has dramatically changed human behaviour. It influences how content, information, products and services are accessed, and with the world so connected, people are increasingly dependent on technology in everyday life.

“One area where we are experiencing a rapid change is voice technology. It’s having an ever-greater impact on our personal and professional lives,” says Jonny Combe, PayByPhone UK CEO. “It’s estimated that by 2023, there will be eight billion digital voice assistants in use around the world Citation. In the UK alone, 2.7 million households currently own at least one voice assisted piece of technology Citation, which begs the question, why is voice technology becoming so popular?”

High level of personalisation

One of the main reasons behind the popularity is the level of personalisation voice offers. Today, people are generally familiar with basic voice-assisted instruction, for example, asking an Amazon Echo what the weather is like or instructing a Philips Hue bulb to turn on. But Combe suggests more sophisticated technology will open the door to more advanced personalisation.

“We’ll see a shift in simple personalisation as connected technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) continue to develop. Technology’s ability to tune into the emotional wellbeing of humans will result in advanced personalisation as voice technology gets smarter and more intuitive. And voice technology will increasingly attract consumer buy-in and become such a big part of a daily routine that people won’t be able to imagine life without it,” he says.

The future is here

There are already voice-activated home assistants that can help people manage their health needs by reminding them to take medication at certain times, to dispense appropriate medicines on a regular schedule, and even to offer regular healthy living advice. The fact that voice assistants are highly compatible with wearable devices, such as the Apple Watch and Fitbit, further explains not only their popularity but also why the technology will continue to become increasingly accepted as it evolves.

Smart cars

Voice-assisted technology has not just infiltrated the home, another area where it’s already having an impact is cars.

For many people, driving is a big part of their daily lives and the in-car experience is a vital part of each journey. European workers spend on average one hour and 24 minutes a day Citation driving to work and back.

By 2028, digital voice assistants are expected to be integrated into nearly 90% of new vehicles Citation as car manufacturers compete to create the best possible in-vehicle experience.

Combe explains, “As connected cars and autonomous driving develop into the mainstream, digital voice assistants are set to become core to in-vehicle operations and control. After all, voice technology lies at the very heart of a connected car – in the future, we will get in and just tell it where we’d like to go.”

With voice-only in-vehicle control being the ultimate connected car goal, it’s little surprise that there are some incredibly innovative in-car voice driven technologies being introduced that are already transforming the driver experience.

Today’s in-car voice assistants

Zazzle Media’s 2018 The State of Voice Search Report Citation shows that almost 40% of drivers in the UK are likely to use voice assistants in their car. Apple CarPlay holds 29% share of the automotive market, with Android Auto at 18%. By 2025, it’s expected that Apple CarPlay’s dominance will increase to 55% and Android Auto to 34% Citation. Amazon Echo is also finding its path towards in-car use.

Currently, in-car use of this technology works by connecting to the driver’s smartphone when in the car, enabling hands-free control of phone calls, to-do lists and music.

Technology is already at a level where drivers can be supported via digital voice assistants regarding traffic jams, for example, and this will continue to advance in the next five to ten years.

Combe says, “We can see from current and projected long-term trends of our own PayByPhone users, that consumers’ desires are clear. We’re experiencing a much higher demand from drivers who want voice-assisted options within the PayByPhone app. Drivers simply want to park their car and to pay for their parking with their voice, making the mobile parking payment experience even more convenient than it already is.”

PayByPhone has addressed this by making its app compatible with Apple’s Siri and provides Amazon Echo Auto compatibility in the US too. With Siri, once a shortcut is configured, a motorist simply has to say: “Hey Siri, park me at work” and the app will process the parking payment. Combe says, “It is basically like having a Personal Parking Assistant in your pocket.”

These options will become more commonplace in 2020 and beyond as more motorists demand voice technology as a key part of their driving experience.

The future of voice in cars

In the future, parking will be one of the key actions that’s completely driven by AI-powered voice technology. By extension, parking services, including parking payments, will become completely autonomous too.

“There are some hurdles to overcome, however, before this is a widespread reality. The first phase in this development will be for connected cars to have a single point of sign-in for the parking service within the car. In a second development phase, connected and autonomous cars will be able to take care of the parking process themselves without the active involvement of the driver,” Combe says.

When fully connected cars become the norm, voice technology will play an instrumental part in helping to provide the ultimate in-car experience, completely shaping the driver’s journey.

“It’s the in-car driver experience that will distinguish the successful and popular autonomous cars, and their manufacturers, from the rest, and the development of voice assistance technology is inextricably tied to this, sitting at the very centre of the ultimate connected car’s ecosystem. The future is without doubt a connected one, and one where digital voice technology may well hold all the cards,” concludes Combe.