To Build or Partner to Implement Voice Search on Your E-commerce Platform

Voice search engines stand as a testament to innovation, offering users the convenience of searching for information on the internet using voice commands. This technology, powered by advanced algorithms and natural language processing  (NLP), enables a seamless, hands-free method to access information online.

However, developing an in-house voice search engine is a formidable challenge for businesses, requiring expertise across multiple domains. For businesses venturing into this domain, the path is complex and requires a sophisticated approach. 

In this blog, we will highlight the potential challenges of building an in-house voice search engine and offer insights on solutions businesses can adopt to overcome these complexities.

Challenges of Building an In-House Voice Search Engine

Building an in-house voice search engine includes a variety of complex technical and linguistic hurdles. While addressing these challenges, it requires consideration of an integrated approach that leverages advanced technologies and in-depth linguistic research.

Challenges that businesses need to consider while anticipating an in-house voice search engine:

Multiple Languages, Agnostic Search

The necessity for supporting multiple languages and dialects arises from the global nature of the internet and the diverse linguistic backgrounds of users. Serving a global audience means enabling the search engine to understand and process queries in multiple languages, each with its own syntactic, semantic, and phonetic peculiarities. 

This multiplicity introduces technical hurdles such as the development of language models for each language, which must accurately capture the distinction of language structure and usage.

Identification of Vocabulary

Integrating industry-specific vocabulary into the search system presents another layer of complexity. Each industry or domain, such as medical, legal, or technical fields, uses specialized terminology that may not be part of standard language models. 

The challenge lies in identifying, collecting, and incorporating this specialized vocabulary into the voice search engine to ensure it can accurately recognize and interpret industry-specific queries. This process often involves extensive data collection and collaboration with subject matter experts to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the vocabulary database.

Accents and Dialects

Accurately recognizing and processing various accents and dialects is critical for the inclusivity and effectiveness of a voice search engine. Accents can significantly alter the pronunciation of words, while dialects may introduce entirely different vocabulary and grammatical structures. 

Developing a system capable of handling this diversity requires extensive training data from speakers of various accents and dialects. Moreover, it needs sophisticated machine learning models that can generalize from this data to accurately understand queries spoken by any user, regardless of their linguistic background.

Attributes for Different Domains

Custom attributes and terminology for different industry domains are essential for delivering relevant search results. 

For example, a medical search query may require the engine to understand terms like “symptoms,” “diagnosis,” and “treatment options,” while a legal search might involve “statutes,” “precedents,” and “legal remedies.” 

The more attributes and specialized terminology the system needs to recognize, the more complex it becomes to design and maintain. This complexity is further strengthened by the need to continuously update the system to incorporate new terms and concepts as industries evolve.

Data for Training

The development of accurate voice recognition models relies heavily on the availability of high-quality, diverse training data. However, there is a scarcity of such data, especially for languages and dialects that are less commonly spoken or for specialized domains. 

Collecting, annotating, and validating this data requires significant resources and often faces privacy and consent issues. Moreover, the data must cover a wide range of speech patterns, accents, and contexts to train models that are robust and effective across different user groups.

Comprehensive Technology Requirement

The integration of Natural Language Understanding (NLU), Neural Machine Translation (NMT), Speech-to-Text (STT), Text-to-Speech (TTS), and Transliteration technologies is essential for creating a functional voice search engine. 

Each of these components plays a vital role:

• NLU for grasping the intent behind queries
• NMT for translating between languages
• STT for converting spoken words into text
• TTS for providing spoken responses
• Transliteration for handling queries in languages with different scripts 

The challenge lies not only in developing each of these technologies but also in seamlessly integrating them, to work together in real-time, ensuring a clear and accurate search experience.

Reverie’s Solution

Reverie’s advanced voice search engine has answers to all challenges. Businesses can leverage extensive R&D in AI and linguistic technologies to ensure seamless, multilingual interactions across diverse global audiences. 

Here is a detailed overview of the solutions Reverie offers, highlighting its standing in the global language technology solutions market:

• Holistic Approach to Voice Search

Reverie’s establishment is strengthened with more than a decade of R&D in AI and linguistic technologies to create a comprehensive voice search solution. The platform’s approach integrates key technologies like Neural Machine Translation, Speech-to-Text, Text-to-Speech, and language identification, addressing the complexities of multiple languages and dialects. This ensures inclusivity and high accuracy across global languages.

• Custom Data Curation and Training

Reverie has curated extensive data sets from diverse clients to refine its engine’s accuracy and reliability for various languages and dialects. This robust data foundation enhances the performance of voice search technologies, ensuring effective understanding and response to user queries.

• Addressing Language Challenges

Reverie’s suite of products effectively meets the challenges of voice search, including multi-language support, industry-specific vocabularies, accent recognition, and domain-specific customizations. With the integration of NLU, translation, and speech technologies, Reverie provides a seamless solution for businesses to connect with a global audience, making digital interactions accessible and user-friendly.

Conclusion

Building an in-house voice search engine is a complex task, filled with linguistic and technical challenges. Reverie with its proven innovative solutions presents an opportunity for  businesses to leverage cutting-edge technology.

Our journey through over a decade of dedicated AI and linguistic research has trained us with the expertise and solutions necessary to tackle these challenges head-on. Its solution is designed to meet the specific needs of businesses, allowing seamless, multilingual interactions that serve a diverse global audience. We invite businesses to schedule a free demo now and see how Reverie’s advanced voice search engine technology transforms business interactions.