The voice is the part of your agent people form an opinion about in the first two
seconds. It is also the setting most often chosen badly, because it is chosen by
listening to a sample rather than to a conversation.
A voice comes from a provider
Fluents does not generate voices itself. It connects to speech providers, each with
its own catalogue and its own character.
You can use the voices already available to you, or bring in one from a provider
account you already have, including a cloned or custom voice.
What matters on a phone call
Sample quality is the least useful signal.
Speed of first sound matters more than fidelity. A voice that begins speaking
promptly feels responsive. One that is fractionally richer but slower feels broken,
because the caller reads the gap as a dropped line.
Behaviour under interruption matters. People talk over agents constantly. Voices
differ in how gracefully they stop.
Pacing on numbers and names matters. Phone numbers, order references and email
addresses are where a voice either helps or forces the caller to ask twice.
Preview with your own opening line, not the provider’s sample. A voice reading
marketing copy tells you nothing about the same voice reading your booking reference
back.
Speed belongs to the voice
How fast the agent speaks is saved on the voice itself, not on the agent, and not
every provider supports it. Change to a voice from a provider that does not, and the
control disappears.
Slightly slower than feels natural to you is usually right. You know what the agent is
about to say. The caller does not.
Language
Language is set on the agent, separately from the voice. They should agree.
Mismatching them produces the uncanny result of correct words in the wrong accent and
rhythm.
Where to go next
