Enterprise software has looked the same for 50 years. Now, it speaks.
Aside from a shift in medium — from on-premise to the cloud — enterprise software has looked very similar for about 50 years. Row-level data is experienced via one of a few UIs — sometimes tables, sometimes cards, sometimes lists. Aggregate data is available as reports and dashboards — all built using complicated filtering UIs. There are usually different views or portals for different user types. We all know the drill.
Enter voice
Now, I believe that voice technology — last decade, relegated to limited personal capabilities like setting timers and providing weather updates — is about to make a significant comeback. Advancements in natural language processing and machine learning have drastically improved the capabilities of voice technology. And when paired with highly capable large language models such as GPT-X, that voice technology can engage users in highly meaningful conversations.
Insofar as enterprise applications are concerned, this means that AI-powered voice assistants will soon become integral participants in business meetings and daily operations. Imagine an AI ‘colleague’ who can actively listen, comprehend complex discussions, and provide valuable insights or data on the fly. The first point or two on that list are already checked off by tools like Zoom AI, Otter, etc. But the next wave won’t be passive — merely there for listening and summarizing. The next wave will have a metaphorical 'seat at the table', contributing information, assisting in decisions, and even executing basic workflows on the fly.
An important interface, but not the whole product
While voice technology will become more prevalent, it's important to note that voice is merely a mode of conversation, which in turn is one of many types of ‘interfaces’. In the virtual world, a conversation is a way to interact with a domain-specific product. A conversation alone, is not a product.
Consider a sales meeting scenario where a team needs immediate access to performance metrics. Instead of manually navigating through Salesforce or another CRM, a team member might simply ask, "What was our magic number last quarter?" The AI, seamlessly integrated with the CRM, would quickly retrieve the data and provide an answer.
This interaction demonstrates the power of voice as an interface: it’s intuitive and accessible.
Rather than replacing complex systems like a CRM, voice technology will complement them. The CRM will be the engine, and the voice interface will be the ride.
Enterprise software is dead. Long live enterprise software.
Domain-specific products aren't going anywhere. But the way we engage with them will change dramatically.
Verbal conversations with colleagues are high-bandwidth, high-value, and able to be used in many situations where screens and text chats cannot. Everybody intuitively understands this, which is why so much time is spent conversing verbally, even in an increasingly digital world. So it only follows that verbal conversations with our products will become as ubiquitous in the workplace as those with human colleagues.