Sean Gilligan is the Founder & CEO of a global company Webanywhere. He knew his sales team preferred to talk than type, but sending voice notes via WhatsApp on mobile apps seemed like the only way they could communicate while remote working. At work, his team used laptop computers and had to stay logged into a variety of systems and platforms as part of their daily routine. He wanted everything integrated into one place where he could easily communicate with all his employees, but couldn’t find anything that would allow him to do this effectively enough. Sean has offices in both the US and the UK, where he spends most of his time.

Connecting UK and US teams

As you might imagine, the need for real-time communication was a big challenge at Webanywhere. This was Sean’s first time working on such a large scale and he had no idea how to manage it all. Sean needed a different way of communicating with one another and sharing work across different platforms and locations.

Another challenge was making sure that everybody could access voice notes whenever they needed them. There were times when Sean would send voice notes via WhatsApp but then others would have trouble accessing them because they weren’t coming through on their computer or mobile device as expected. Sean knew that if he wanted everyone involved in voice note conversations, then he’d need something better than just using WhatsApp alone!

Sean knew his sales team preferred to talk than type

When Sean found out that his sales team preferred to talk than type, he knew his problem was a common one. He’d heard that WhatsApp voice notes were the answer to this problem—but when he tried them on mobile apps, it turned out that sending voice notes via WhatsApp on mobile apps didn’t work well at all.

Sending audio messages from your desktop computer with Sound Branch is so much better! You can easily send and receive voice notes from anywhere in the world without having to worry about switching devices or platforms. Plus, you can record up to 2 minutes of audio.

Voice Notes on Computers alongside Mobile Apps 

At work, his team was based in the UK and US. As part of their daily routine, they had to stay logged into a variety of systems and platforms as part of their daily routine. For example:

• Google Workspace – it was used for communication between teams around the world;
• CRM – this is where they kept all customer information and records;
• Jira – this provided support for employees using new applications or having trouble with existing software.

When you need to send or receive voice notes on desktop computers, use Sound Branch

If you’re using a desktop computer or laptop, Sound Branch is the best way to send and receive voice notes.

Sound Branch is an online platform that makes it easy to send voice notes from any device. You can also use Sound Branch on your desktop computer or laptop—no matter whether it’s Windows or Mac OS! Sound Branch has several advantages over other methods of sending audio files:

• It’s free to start with premium options
• It works across all major operating systems with web, mobile apps, Alexa and Google Assistant
• It’s fast and easy-to-use
• All voice notes are transcribed and can be searched

I hope that by hearing Sean’s story, you can see how Sound Branch can help your team achieve more. If you have any questions about this article or anything else in the world of Sales or Customer Service, don’t hesitate to Sign Up Free for Sound Branch for Business. 

Need to take your content on the go? Want to be able to easily access it from multiple devices? Sound Branch may be the answer you’re looking for, as it’s an innovative new platform that makes it easy to turn your voice notes into high-quality podcasts that are free to host, free to listen to and free to share on social media. Sound Branch makes podcasting faster and easier than ever before, so if you’re looking for podcast hosting with the added benefit of social sharing, this may be the right solution for you!

Creating an idea for a podcast

What are you passionate about? What topics do you find yourself constantly talking about with your friends? These are the things you should consider when starting a podcast. You need to be interested in your topic to keep recording episodes week after week, otherwise your podcast will fizzle out. Keep your niche small and specific to maintain a loyal audience, but make sure it’s something you’re genuinely interested in discussing. Once you’ve decided on a topic, creating a podcast is easy with Sound Branch.

Creating a playlist and inviting guests

Creating a playlist on Sound Branch is easy and only takes a few minutes. You can either use the default template or create your own custom playlist. Once you’ve created your playlist, invite your guests via email. You can also add other people’s voice notes to your podcast episode. Sound Branch makes it easy to record and syndicate your podcasts, without any need for editing.

Recording you playlist

Podcast episodes are created with voice notes as building blocks. You can record your voice note anywhere, anytime. All you need is a microphone and an internet connection. Once you’re done recording, simply upload the voice note to Sound Branch. Then, our algorithms will turn your voice note into a podcast episode. You can syndicate your episode to Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Plus, you can share your episode with your friends on social media.

Publishing your podcasts

As a podcaster, you’re always looking for new ways to reach your audience. With Sound Branch, you can easily syndicate your podcasts to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts. Plus, with our user-generated voice notes, you can easily create podcasts without any editing. Simply record your voice note and we’ll turn it into a podcast episode. You can then publish your episode by associating it with a playlist. It’s that easy!

Sharing your podcast

Now that your podcast is live, it’s time to start promoting it! Share your episodes on social media and write blog posts about your topics to help attract new listeners. You can also submit your podcast to directories like iTunes and Stitcher, which will help people find your show. And don’t forget to reach out to other podcasters in your niche and build relationships – guest appearances on each other’s shows can be a great way to grow your audience.

Get Started with Sound Branch

Whether you’re a seasoned podcaster or just getting started, Sound Branch is the perfect platform for you. With our easy-to-use recording interface and social sharing features, it’s never been easier to create and share your podcasts with the world. Best of all, our service is completely free to use. So what are you waiting for? Sign up today and start podcasting!

The bad thing about working from home is the extra layer of added communication.  Having collaborative meetings at the workplace has moved to online. When there was a time when you could turn around and brainstorm with your colleague now requires it to be scheduled on a calendar. This is tiring and it leads to employee fatigue.

What if communication within the workspace can be trimmed to bit sizes via podcasts?

Well, let’s have a look at how podcasting tools like Sound Branch can be used in your workspace.

1. Easy Status Updates and Day end Catch Ups

Say there’s a team of 10 marketing executives. The boss has decided to set up a scrum call at morning 10 AM every day for  30 minutes. Everyone shares their agenda for the day and discusses roadblocks.

This is 30 minutes of your valuable time just hearing out what your colleagues are up to. This process can be simplified by creating a weekly playlist and uploading snippets of your day’s agenda.

2. Short Interview Introductions

Interviews can be conducted easily and communication skills can be tested with voice notes. Say goodbye to the days when you had to go through resume after resume when the HR personnel can listen to their voice notes from the candidate. This way the first round of an interview can be completed faster.

This can also be used to test a candidate’s skill where questions can be sent to the candidate and the person can respond with their answers.

Voice notes from candidates makes an HR professional’s work much easier.

3. Feedbacks Gathered Easily

Let’s say there is a new design that you’ve worked on and requires your team’s feedback. You can set up a call and give them a walkthrough. The drawback with this approach is that there can be time constraints when a person needs to jump into another call or they might not be fully immersed in your presentation for unknown reasons.

You can make this process easier by creating a project group and requesting your time to share their feedback within a given timeline. This cuts the whole approach of scheduling a meeting and also saves everyone’s time and everyone’s inputs are captured in a repository which makes it easier to go back if more clarity is required.

4. Announcements Made Engaging

A company will have announcements to be made at any given point in time. It could be the latest deal that was signed with a client or achieving milestones.  Does it sound like a good idea to mail this to the entire team when they already have 100s of unread emails sitting in their inbox? Obviously, not.

What if the announcements can be shared as a podcast entry to their entire team? They can carry on with their work while they can listen to the announcement at the same time.

Announcements can directly pop up right on your employee’s timeline.

5. Pick Brains with your Ears 

Veteran employees can create a podcast channel to share their latest marketing insights which can be either open for the public or their closed group.  This helps veterans to share their valuable knowledge with their entire team to implement it in their day-to-day tasks.

This bids adieu to the days when we had to sit for a long time when someone shares their experience or takes a lecture. Instead, the person can share her secret mantra from her couch while enjoying the fire and the employees can listen to them in the morning to get their motivation up and going.

Podcasts can be broadcasted to all the employees.

6. Welcome new employees

When a new employee joins a company in the remote work era, it’s going to be tough for that person to get to know the entire team and vice versa. This might keep them close-knitted only to the team they work for. If there was a physical workplace, the situation is different where they get to know each other with their physical presence.

With the help of tools like Sound Branch. They can share the introduction and voice notes of their key interests for everyone to get to know them outside of work.

With hybrid work models taking over the way people work, companies need to adopt at the earliest to keep their employees happy. With platforms like Sound Branch, companies can make the transition to a new communication model that makes working from home much easier.

For over a decade now we have been debating over the communication practices or flexibilities that millennials desired at their workplace. And Gen Z has been clubbed in these discussions for the most part. But at the same time, it’s important to not assume that the needs and priorities of Gen Z regarding internal communications will be the same or similar. 

Being the digital-first generation who’s glued to their mobile phones for most part of the day, it can be safely assumed they love technology. It is evident from the studies that 98% of Gen Z owns a Smartphone and more than half of the generation spends about 10 hours everyday on different devices everyday. 

You may then ask, how would Gen Z prefer to communicate in the workplace?

Encourage face-to-face communication

Having grown up in an environment where they were completely surrounded by digital technologies, Gen Z always had an inclination towards in-person communication. 

According to a report, 72% of the Gen Z workforce prefers to have face-to-face communication. And 40% of them expect to communicate daily with their supervisors, lest they feel that something is not well. 

Though this generation is always used to online communication, in matters of professional communication, they prefer to have it face-to-face, else it becomes difficult for them to comprehend certain differences in tone and expectations. Again when it comes to difficult conversations, most of them prefer to have it over text rather than direct communication. 

Embrace new technology  

Equality and knowledge sharing are two of the most critical aspects that Gen Z considers in their workspace. 

Take the example of Sound Branch, which is an extremely smart solution designed to enable and support organization communication and learning through voice-based apps. 

Through this app, its founder Sean Gilligan introduces us to the concept of nano-casting and how it can be leveraged for public broadcasting, sharing team updates, recruiting new team members, and much more. 

Using this voice-based social communication app, you can now easily:

• Communicate with voice-based messages — You can share voice notes through private or group channels. It helps in saving the time to type the message and as we speak four times faster, we can utilize time better. 

• Hire using voice based notes – You can encourage a personable hiring experience by using voice notes to create audio profiles that can be shared with the hiring committee.
  
• Create podcasts that require zero editing knowledge — You can now create podcasts as easily as sending an email. Editing is one of the major hassles of podcasting. With Sound Branch you can simply create voice notes in 20 seconds and then stitch them together without taking any pain to edit those voice notes. Then, you can publish and share them through the popular distribution channels like Spotify, Google Podcasts, Alexa, Apple Podcasts, and more.

The best part is now you can connect your favorite apps and tools with Sound Branch and enjoy a hassle-free experience. Here are the most popular ones that will help you get started:

• Amazon Alexa — Use it to play your inbox, timeline, or conversations 
• Google Assistant — Listen to your voice messages using Sound Branch commands
• Google Drive — Enjoy the flexibility of adding voice notes to your Google Docs 
• Slack — Share sound bites through your Slack channels or apps
• Twitter — Attach sound bites to Twitter and share them with your followers
• Totara Learn — Bring learning forums to life by lending a voice to your Learning Management System (LMS)

Final thoughts 

Voice-based apps are indeed a smart solution that are meant to adopt and address the ‘new normal’ world of remote working especially after the unwanted repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Sounch Branch has the potential to not only encourage effective communication at the workplace but also save time by creating your own podcast website. 

We’re sure you’re there with us on this journey. Book a demo call to learn more about the product and how it functions. 

Clubhouse is a phenomenon at the moment. The invite-only audio app is becoming popular during the lockdown and has risen up the App Store ranks. Users join clubs or rooms for live audio conversations. The experience is similar to listening to podcasts but instead, you can speak up and get involved in the conversation. When audio rooms are small listeners are able to speak when invited up by the host. The problem is when rooms get large it’s really just live digital radio. Most people don’t get to ask a question or voice their opinion.

Sound Branch is more democratic and inclusive. If Clubhouse is the synchronous social audio app then Sound Branch is its asynchronous twin. Sound Branch is audio-only but is asynchronous in nature. Whilst Clubhouse is live Sound Branch is on-demand and works by users posting voice notes and listening when they want to.

There are pros and cons to Clubhouse’s twin Sound Branch. It’s good to frame the differences between the two audio apps with the similarities between listening to live music vs playing songs on Spotify. Whilst the majority of people would find a live music experience more memorable the vast majority of people don’t attend live music events. Instead, they listen to streaming music on their chosen smartphone apps. Clubhouse is a live experience Sound Branch’s strength is it’s on-demand nature.

On Clubhouse you have people joining audio rooms from around the world. Some people join in the middle of the night others early in the morning. It’s fair to say that some people don’t join because they’re asleep. Clubhouse does not record audio so there’s no way of playing back any sessions that you miss. You can speak to people on Clubhouse using audio but you can’t share a hyperlink, add images or text. Sound Branch allows you to add images, links and text to voice messages.

Clubhouse started very exclusively with venture capitalists and various celebrities before opening up to the public. Currently, people are given a number of invites they can send on. Much of the success of Clubhouse has been born out of it scarcity and it’s exclusivity. Sound Branch is quite the opposite. There is no waitlist for Sound Branch which makes it inclusive for anyone who wants to sign up for a free account. Not only is the audio app free but it’s accessible via Alexa, Google Assistant, iOS, Android and the web. Clubhouse currently is only available on iOS. Clubhouse and Sound Branch share similar traits being united by audio but they are divided by their approach.

Sound Branch means time zones don’t matter because you can tune in when you want. You can post voice notes and everything is recorded and transcribed. Transcriptions mean that all the audio is searchable and accessible. You can even create a traditional podcast from the social audio curated from Sound Branch. This works through playlists where are you can invite other users to join in the conversation. You can re-order voice notes, delete voice notes which are inappropriate and publish to major podcasting platforms such as Apple podcasts, Spotify and Google podcasts.

Sound Branch is learning from Clubhouse and will soon launch live audio. Sound Branch started in 2016 and is the older of the two audio apps. Both apps are well suited to the pandemic and social distancing where we often find a lack of empathy online. People are tired of video calls and want the ability to multitask. Listening to audio allows you to cook, garden or do other work simultaneously.

If you’ve got screaming kids in the background or other inappropriate noise you can mute yourself on Clubhouse but you do miss out. Alternatively, Sound Branch gives you greater flexibility when handling interruptions. You can join a conversation even if your environment is noisy. You simply wait for a quiet pause and then post your short voice note and playback audio. This means you can still be part of conversations rather than missing out.

Clubhouse audio rooms can last many hours. Sound Branch and it’s asynchronous nature means that conversations can go on for many days, not just many hours. On Clubhouse an audio room naturally comes to an end. Conversations on Sound Branch, in theory, can go on forever.

In conclusion, there is a golden age of podcasting. Podcasting doesn’t have a social graph and is quite one-dimensional. Both Clubhouse and Sound Branch make audio social. You can meet new and interesting people globally in both applications. Which one you choose really comes down to how much time you’ve got and what is your mood. If you don’t have an iPhone you will have to wait for Clubhouse. Sound Branch is already available for all smartphones, smart speakers and the web.

If you don’t like being put on the spot and you’re introverted then Sound Branch allows you to pause to think before you speak. There is no simple answer to whether live audio or async audio is better. It really does depend on the use case. I can imagine many cash-rich time-poor individuals finding Sound Branch more efficient in fostering conversations. Sound Branch and it’s audio-on-demand nature gives greater flexibility for busy schedules diaries and other personal commitments that we all have to juggle.

Clubhouse has helped with the renaissance of the audio medium. It will be one of many apps that start to change the way we communicate and interact. Clubhouse and Sound Branch are both a force for good against fake reviews and fake news. The empathy of audio and its authenticity is a breath of fresh air rippling through the Internet. It’s getting people talking more and texting less. Bring on the audio revolution. I can see users who join audio rooms on Clubhouse continuing over on Sound Branch so that conversations never end.

There are lots of question and answer forums out there but none using voice. Reddit, Quora, Stack Overflow, TripAdviser – the list goes on.

Comments on particular issues can give insights but voice comments and intonation of the voice gives greater trust. 

Sometimes people want to watch a video for help, and other times reading text is just fine. When you have emotional issues to discuss, this is when voice comes in. It could be, for example, advice for new mothers. MumsAnywhere.com, an audio forum for mums by mums, is a great example of where voice can have an impact. Thousands of mothers on Mums Anywhere help each other with questions and answers all driven by voice notes. Users can listen to advice, and the listening to the voice gives users the wisdom of the crowd, and the empathy of the human voice. Founder Claire Morritt invented Mums Anywhere to solve a problem she had when she was pregnant with her first child. Gestational diabetes was diagnosed late in Claire’s pregnancy which led to much anxiety. Claire would often type emotional questions into Google only to get plain text returned. This simply amplified the anxiety. Emotional problems need platforms where emotions can be expressed and this is where the human voice wins. 

Another voice forum has been created by James Knight, a business coach. James’ business, IMA Strategies, is designed to enable better connections in the workplace. Once people complete the IMA questionnaire, they are given a colour to explain their personality type. Personality types can be High Red, High Yellow, High Green or High Blue. Red and Yellow are big picture thinkers who prefer a faster pace. Blues and Greens are more interested in the detail and prefer to work slower. Greens and Reds are logical in their approach to business whilst Yellows and Blues are creative. Now everyone is unique and all have our own DNA and particular level of intelligence, but IMA allows you to better understand the people you work with. People with the same colours tend to be on the same wavelength, and our communication approach needs to be adapted to fit the personalities in question. James has set up IMA Nation as a podcast site to allow people to listen to audio explaining their strengths and weaknesses. Members of IMA Nation can join groups and discuss all sorts of issues using voices notes. 

Everyone likes a good discussion, and discussion forums have been around for years online. Whether it’s the bottom of newspaper articles, product reviews or self help support groups. Enabling audio forums for your brand gives greater authenticity and truth to comments. In a world of fake news and fake reviews, listening to genuine people and their tone of voice goes that little bit further when building communities online. 

Useful Links 

Mums Anywhere

https://mumsanywhere.com/

IMA Nation

https://ima.soundbranch.com/timeline

Audio broadcasting has been around for decades, but the first podcast – an audio programme, usually part of a series, available to listen to or download over the internet – dates back to 2004. There are now thousands of podcasts available on every topic imaginable, from health and well-being to true crime, comedy and politics

As well as becoming one of the fastest-growing forms of digital entertainment, podcasts have also carved a niche for themselves as business marketing tools. So what are the benefits of podcasting for business, and how do you go about using podcasting to market your business? 

While we all watch videos or read blog posts, podcasts are often a much easier way of accessing information. After all, you can download podcasts to listen to offline, whenever and wherever you want – on your commute, at the gym, while you cook dinner or even in the bath!  As a result – and because we often listen to them through headphones – podcasts feel much more personal and intimate than other forms of digital media. This means there’s an instant connection between the presenter and the listener. Deliver interesting, engaging content week after week and your listeners will stay loyal to you. Podcasting is a unique opportunity for you to promote your brand, raise your profile, share your knowledge and develop long term relationships with prospective customers and influencers all around the world.

So how do you start a podcast for your business? There are four key steps.

Identify your audience and decide on the style and content

Who is your ideal listener? Once you know who your podcast is for, you can tailor the style and content to suit them. How many presenters will you have? Formal or informal? Will each episode focus on one key topic or will it be more magazine-like, with tips, Q&As and guest interviewees? Do you have existing content you can repurpose? 

Record and edit your podcast

You probably have everything you need to record your podcast in your pocket – a smartphone! You can record your podcast directly to your phone’s voice memo app, export it and edit it using software like Audacity. However, editing takes a long time, so perhaps the easiest way is to use an app like Sound Branch, which enables you to record your podcast in short segments, delete and re-record any sections, and drag and drop them into a playlist ready to export. 

Publish and distribute your podcast

We listen to podcasts through Apple, Google and Spotify, but how do you get yours out there? Your podcast needs to be uploaded to a podcast hosting platform, who will publish it online and also distribute it to all the major podcasting directories. If you use the Sound Branch app, your podcast can be pushed out to Spotify, iTunes, and a whole host of other podcasting sites quickly and easily. 

Promote your podcast

Publishing your podcast is only the start: you now need to find an audience for it. Here are a few tips to make sure your podcast reaches the right listeners:

• Choose a strong title and create eye-catching imagery to make your podcast stand out 
• Stick to a regular schedule so listeners know when to expect new episodes
• Create engaging, interesting content to keep people coming back
• Share your podcast in your newsletter, on social media and by word of mouth
• Create a community of listeners you engage with and encourage them to tell their friends
• Invite guest speakers and ask them to promote the podcast to their followers 

So now you know why podcasting is such a valuable marketing tool for your business, what are you waiting for?

Download Sound Branch and you could have your first podcast ready to go in just a few minutes!

2019 has been a year of ambitious development and growth for voice technology.

Google, Amazon and Microsoft have all invested heavily, making improvements to their software as well as introducing new capabilities and features. Ventures Anywhere have mirrored this investment into the sector, driven by a belief in its potential and a commitment to be industry leaders. Our pioneering developments in voice tech have included: 

Sound Branch – a unique ‘voice notes’ social-platform, which allows users to share short and easy-to-record audio files, which can then be converted into professional podcasts or used for a plethora of business purposes – such as feedback, recruitment and analysis.

Mums Anywhere – the first ‘reality radio’ – providing a platform for its users to share and access advice/tips from other parents. After positive promotion from mummy influencers such as Ferne McCann, Marnie Simpson, Cara De La Houd, Cally-Jane and the Modern Midwife, MumsAnywhere ranked 15 on the social charts in January 2018 and to date has had 10,000 downloads.

In the next 12 months, it is certain that voice-activated services will become a much bigger part of our everyday lives – at work as well as home. In fact, by the end of this year, the voice market is predicted to be “a $601 million industry” according to a report from Technavio. However, this be a conservative estimate as, by 2021, it’s believed there will be more voice assistants on the planet than there are people (according to research firm Ovum). This growth represents a huge shift in the nature of human interaction with digital technology.

As ASR (automatic speech recognition) continues to improve and AI becomes more and more cognitive, the use of voice tools will undoubtedly become increasingly mainstream. However, voice technology is by no means new, despite its recent surge in popularity with consumers.

Below is a condensed history of the key milestones in the sector. These illustrate that (as with all technological advances) growth is exponential – as developers strive forward by ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’.

Voice Technology – Key Milestones

• 1952 – Davis, Biddulph and Balashek at Bell Laboratories build Audrey, Speech Recognizer for strings of digits
• 1981 – The Applied Voice Input Output Society (AVIOS) is founded
• 1982 – Husband & Wife Dr. James Baker and Dr. Janet M. Baker found Dragon Systems
• 1987 – Jo Lernout and Pol Hauspie found Lernout & Hauspie
• 1994 – Mike Phillips and Bill O’Farrell found SpeechWorks
• 1994 – Nuance Communications founded as a spin-off of SRI International’s Speech Technology and Research (STAR) Laboratory
• 1994 – Wildfire Communications launches the Wildfire Assistant
• 1995 – The Quarterly ‘Speech Technology Magazine’ begins publication
• 1995 – Microsoft Releases its Speech API, SAPI 1.0, on Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.51
• 1999 – Mike McCue and Angus Davis Found Tellme Networks
• 2000 – SpeechWorks goes public
• 2000 – Orange purchases Wildfire Communications for $142MM
• Jan 2004 – James Siminoff and William Price found PhoneTag
• May 2005 – Microsoft launches Microsoft Speech Server
• 2006 – Mike Phillips and John Nguyen break off Nuance and launch Vlingo
• Mar 2007 – Microsoft Acquires Tellme for $800MM
• April 2007 – Nuance Communications Acquires BeVocal
• 2008 – The Association for Voice Interaction Design (AVIXD) is founded
• Jun 2008 – Nuance Communications sues Vlingo for alleged patent infringement
• Dec 2008 – PhoneTag rebrands as Simulscribe
• Dec 2009 – Nuance Communications acquires Speech to Text provider Spinvox
• Sept 2009 – SimulScribe Signs Exclusive Partnership Agreement with Ditech Networks
• Feb 2010 – Siri is published as a mobile app on iOS
• April 2010 – Apple Acquires Siri
• Nov 2010 – Nuance Communications acquires PerSay
• June 2011 – Google Announces Voice Search
• June 2011 – Nuance Communications files another lawsuit against Vlingo
• Oct 2011 – Apple Launches Siri on 4S
• Nov 2011 – Amazon Acquires Yap
• Dec 2011 – Nuance Communications acquires Vlingo
• Aug 2012 – Nuance Announces Neena
• Aug 2012 – UCIC Launches its Ubi Kickstarter campaign
• Aug 2012 – Angel.com Announces Lexee
• Sept 2012 – Nuance Communications acquires Ditech Networks
• Jan 2013 – Amazon Acquires Poland based Text to Speech provider Ivona
• June 2013 – Genesys Acquires Angel.com
• Aug 2013 – Facebook Acquires Speech Translation startup Jibbigo
• Oct 2013 – XOWi launches its Voice Badge Kickstarter Campaign
• April 2014 – Microsoft Announces Cortana
• Oct 2014 – The Ubiquitous Voice Society Launched
• Nov 2014 – Amazon Echo Available Prime members
• January 2015 – Facebook Acquires Wit.AI
• April 2015 – Amazon Echo launches Connected Home capabilities
• June 2015 – The Amazon Echo is Generally Available
• June 2015 – Alexa Skills Kit Generally Released
• June 2015 – Amazon Launches The Alexa Fund
• June 2015 – Alexa Voice Service (AVS) Kit Generally Released
• Dec 2015 – SoundHound Launches Houndify Platform
• March 2016 – Amazon Tap and Echo Dot Generally Released
• May 2016 – Facebook Acquires VR Audio Two Big Ears
• Sept 2016 – Amazon Announces arrival of Alexa and the Echo in UK and Germany
• Sept 2016 – Google Acquires API.AI
• Oct 2016 – Samsung Acquires Viv
• Nov 2016 – Google Home Generally Released
• Dec 2016 – Google Action Announces Google Assistant Partners
• Feb 2017 – Amazon Announces its Alexa Partners
• April 2017 – Google Home Supports Voice ID
• April 2017 – Google announces the general availability of Google Assistant SDK for hardware makers
• May 2017 –  Microsoft Announces Cortana on Harman-Kardon’s Invoke speaker
• June 2017 – Samsung releases Bixby in the United States
• June 2017 – Echo Show Generally Available
• Aug 2017 – Google Home Supports Voice Calling
• Aug 2017 – Walmart and Google Partner on Voice-based Shopping
• Aug 2017 – Amazon closes its acquisition of Whole Foods
• Aug 2017 – Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana Interoperability Announced
• Aug 2017 – Sony announces its Google Assistant powered LF-S50G smart speaker
• Sept 2017 – Amazon launches Echo Spot and Echo Plus
• Oct 2017 – Amazon Alexa Supports Voice Calling
• Oct 2017 – Amazon supports VoiceID
• Oct 2017 – Amazon introduces paid subscriptions for Alexa skills
• Oct 2017 – Ventures Anywhere launch Sound Branch
• Nov 2017 – Amazon announces that Alexa and Amazon Echo products will be available in Canada starting December 2017
• Feb 2018 – Apple Launches Homepod
• May 2018 – SoundHound Closes $100 Million Funding Round
• May 2018 – SoundHound Closes $100 Million Funding Round
• May 2018 – Amazon opens more monetization tools for Alexa developers
• May 2018 – Cortana & Alexa Officially Announced
• May 2018 – Google Home overtakes Amazon Echo in smart speaker sales for first time
• Aug 2018 – Samsung Announces the Galaxy Home smart speaker
• Aug 2018 – Cortana and Alexa become available on each other’s platforms
• April 2019 – Amazon Alexa launches its first HIPAA-compliant medical skills
• June 2019 – Ventures Anywhere launch first ‘reality radio’ with MumsAnywhere

One of the main barriers to starting a podcast is the perception that to produce anything of decent quality, you need lots of money, a studio or a voice booth… This is no longer the case.

The majority of modern smartphones now come with high-quality microphones and there are apps, such as Sound Branch, that allow you to upload and host your podcasts easily, editing and distributing them to the world with little or no experience.

Why start a podcast?

A key commercial reason is that Google has started to index podcasts and lists them in its search results. AirPods are gaining in popularity and more and more households have smart speakers like Alexa and Google Home. As this hardware is one of the fasting-growing pieces of home tech, audio content will undoubtedly become more every day. Microphones are going into everything. Samsung alone has committed to having microphones in all of its products by 2020.

The importance of ‘Sonic Branding’

Brands and businesses now need to think about not only about how they look but also how they sound. Podcasts offer businesses a more intimate and personable way of communicating with their customers and deliver effective ‘sonic branding’.

People often listen to podcasts in environments where normally ‘work-life’ doesn’t penetrate… on their daily commute, whilst cooking at home or even relaxing on a beach on holiday. So, whether you are trying to educate customers, launch a new product/service or drive a key marketing message, podcasts should be included as a key marketing channel. Millennials, in particular, love podcasts because they’re on-demand and allow the ability to pause, rewind and playback.

How do I get started?

You don’t need to “go live” to the world at the start of your podcasting journey. It makes sense to start publishing internally at first. This helps you identify those who are most comfortable being recorded. Not all people are natural storytellers but, for those who are, stories are the most effective way to engage users – allowing them to remember and learn.

Most people ask Alexa to play the news, play music or set an alarm as part of everyday life but if you can get people listening to your content, as another part of their daily routine, their relationship with your business/brand will become even stronger.

If you already have a smart speaker and listen to podcasts, why not try creating a flash briefing or podcast and see the benefits for yourself?

The benefits of recording and replying to voice notes

We all need to be respectful of people’s time – it is the most important commodity we have.

In business, the volume of time invested in phone calls is significant and missed calls, cancelled meetings and busy schedules can lead to frustration as well as longer lead times. This friction can be resolved by asking the question… do I actually need to schedule a traditional call?

If a topic is time-sensitive, people are still likely to ‘jump on a call’ for the fastest response. However, quite often, there are important conversations which are not as urgent. This is where asynchronous voice notes can help.

Save time

The key benefit of asynchronous messaging is the pause feature, which allows for preparation and ‘thinking time’. On a live call, a person might ask for a business metric and the reply will often be “I don’t know” or “can I come back to you?” When this happens it can be frustrating for both requester and recipient. In this scenario voice messaging allows for a quicker and more beneficial experience for both parties.

Check-in

Another business example is checking-in with staff. For instance, when a sales rep declares their best-case figures, in voice note form, not only can numbers be received with greater confidence but those who travel or work remotely can send handsfree voice notes ‘on the go’.

Get to the point

Although automated scheduling software undoubtedly reduces the organisation of phone calls/calendar management, you can still end up with 15 minutes to half an hour spent on a call that wasn’t really necessary. Voice notes offer a more efficient solution. You will be surprised how much can be said in 30 seconds! Furthermore, keeping conversations pointed and more thoughtful increases the quality of conversation.

Accountability

As participants are being recorded, you can playback and search archives of conversations – hugely improving understanding and accountability. How many times have you been in conversations where interruptions or high emotions get in the way of progress? When people are ‘on record’ they tend to keep their emotions more controlled, which ensures that real business gets done.

People all have their own preferred methods of communications and lots of people will still opt to use the traditional keyboard and telephone methods. However when people realise:

1. we can talk faster than we can type
2. that voice notes provide an audit trail and
3. there is no need to schedule a call

We believe voice notes will triumph over traditional calls, for a large proportion of non-urgent business communications.

Turn your voice notes into a podcast for internal communications.