6 Keys to Building a Custom Wake Word that Gives Your Brand a Voice

Before the wake word has been deployed, ensure your users will get the best experience by optimizing and fine-tuning your wake word to create the best possible version. By using training data, user testing, and analytics, you’ll be able to determine the words that best resonate with your users. Once you deploy your wake word, it’ll be challenging and disruptive for users to change it, so be certain users can pronounce it, that it’s not too similar to other words, and it doesn’t generate too many false positives or negatives. Access to data will give you the insights needed to deliver a wake word that users have a positive first interaction with and continue to form deep connections with over time. 

2. Rapid wake word prototype deployment offers brand potential

Rapid wake word prototype deployment offers developers a glimpse into the potential of their branded wake word. Robust wake words usually take a few weeks to develop, train, test, and deploy. When developers are looking to test their voice assistant and need the wake word to assess the experience, a rapid prototype deployment solution can be ready in a much shorter time frame—as soon as a few days. 

A rapid wake word prototype is perfect for proof of concept and testing. A rapidly deployed wake word prototype allows you to accelerate the data validation time and get your voice assistant to production in your environment sooner.

3. Customized wake words enhance user experiences

We’ve discussed what the wake word can do for the brand: increasing brand loyalty and affinity. Now let’s take a look at the benefits to the user. Customized wake words are a vital part of a fully hands-free, branded user experience. 

A customized wake word is perfected in development with robust testing and data analytics to deliver a wake word that’s highly accurate—without false acceptances and rejections. Developers further optimize wake word performance by ensuring high accuracy in noisy environments using training data specific to the users’ unique environment—whether that’s road noise in a car, background chatter in public, or music playing in a home. Only brands that partner with a voice AI platform provider with the essential tools and expertise will have access to the data essential to the customization of the wake word to fit users’ unique needs.

Performance-enhancing technologies, such as biometric speaker ID, allow the voice assistant to understand which individual is talking—delivering greater personalization along with safer, more secure voice experiences. Speaker ID adds a layer of convenience and security when multiple people reside in the same household, use the same device in a work or healthcare setting, or require more privacy and security—like pulling up accounts that have specific filters or personalization features on them.

4. Multi-wake phrase strategies give flexibility

Extend the functionality of your voice assistant with multi-wake phrase strategies and wake words that have multiple voice assistant capabilities. Some users might benefit from being able to say multiple wake words to their voice assistant or being able to access multiple voice assistants on a singular device.

For example, on smart home devices, an additional wake word, such as “help, help,” could be programmed so that users in distress could alert emergency services without having to remember the specific wake phrase. In addition, some brands may want to feature multiple voice assistants on one device, giving users the flexibility to use whichever voice assistant best fits their needs. Giving your users these options can provide them with elevated user experiences.

5. Customized wake words deliver robust performances

Ensure consistent performances with Edge connectivity solutions and deliver highly accurate responses in a variety of connectivity environments. A locally integrated wake word operates seamlessly, reduces response time significantly, increases accuracy by always processing the wake word, and still works even when the internet isn’t available.

Locally embedded wake words work seamlessly with any connectivity option, so brands can choose which environment best meets their users’ needs, whether that’s cloud, Edge, or Edge+Cloud. By having a locally integrated wake word, users’ privacy needs are also being met. Even though the wake word is always listening for accuracy, it doesn’t send any data to the cloud. 

6. Wake words increase accessibility

Wake words increase accessibility by offering high levels of accuracy for different types of speech through inclusive training data and hands-free operation. Wake words are inherently more accessible for those with mobility difficulties, allowing users to speak their commands and queries instead of having to push, type, or swipe and thereby removing the barrier of “touch-to-talk.” 

However, accessibility can be further increased to encompass those with speech impediments, older adults, or children by introducing the right training data to the model. For example, young children often haven’t developed the pronunciation of certain sounds, and by adding that data to the model, conversational AI can be taught to understand children’s imprecise speech.