The Key to Great Customer Experiences: Why Context Matters in Voice AI
Years ago, I received an unexpected message from Amazon:
“You shouldn’t be doing that!”
As a developer working on voice applications for Amazon Alexa in the early days of Voice AI, I had discovered a workaround—one that took advantage of a major flaw in Alexa’s intent model. So, what exactly was I doing that I "shouldn’t"? Let’s dive into it.
The Limitations of the Early Intent Model
Amazon Alexa’s intent model was designed to map user commands to specific actions. For example, a simple phrase like, “Turn off the lights,” would trigger Alexa to turn off the lights in your home. However, the intent model often struggled with one critical element: context.
Without understanding the full conversation or knowing the specifics, Alexa would sometimes misinterpret commands. In the case of “Turn off the lights,” if we were talking about the living room, Alexa wouldn’t know that you meant to turn off only the lights in that room. Instead, it might turn off all the lights in your house—because the intent model relied on single commands, lacking the broader context needed to fulfill the user’s true request.
Finding the Hack: Context Reconstruction
I realized there was a way around this limitation. I deliberately forced Alexa to fail at matching every intent. By making the system fail, Alexa would fall back to its best guess about what the user actually meant. With that information, I could then reconstruct the entire conversation, filling in the missing context and providing a better user experience.
This hack proved to be highly effective. It allowed me to deliver more precise responses by factoring in the full conversation rather than just isolated commands. As a result, this innovation helped us launch the #1 game in the Alexa ecosystem.
While Amazon eventually shut down this approach, the lesson I learned from that experience has stayed with me: context is everything.
The Importance of Context in Customer Experience
Fast forward to today, and that principle is more relevant than ever. At Chordia, we’ve built on this foundational idea to revolutionize the way Contact Centers handle customer interactions. We leverage Generative AI to make context-based responses easier and more effective than ever before.
Just as Alexa struggled with a lack of context, many customer service systems today still rely on isolated data points to respond to user queries. Without understanding the full picture, these systems may deliver responses that miss the mark. A single phrase or isolated request doesn’t always capture the customer’s true intent. Whether it’s troubleshooting a product issue or answering a billing question, contextual understanding is essential to providing a great customer experience.
How Chordia Uses AI to Deliver Context-Rich Interactions
At Chordia, we use advanced AI to capture and analyze the full context of customer interactions. Our AI models are trained to go beyond simple intent recognition—they understand the broader conversation and deliver responses that feel natural and contextually aware. This allows Contact Centers to offer more meaningful, helpful support and increase customer satisfaction.
By continuously learning and adapting to each conversation, our AI not only improves accuracy but also enhances the overall experience for both the agent and the customer. The result? A more personalized, intuitive interaction that leaves customers feeling understood and valued.
The Future of Voice AI: Context is Key
As AI continues to evolve, one thing remains constant: context is the key to delivering great customer experiences. From my early days of hacking Alexa’s intent model to the cutting-edge solutions we’re building at Chordia, the goal has always been the same—create systems that truly understand and respond to the user’s needs.
Whether it’s through Voice AI, Chatbots, or Customer Service interactions, the ability to interpret context accurately will define the future of customer experience.
At Chordia, we’re excited to be part of that future—transforming how businesses engage with their customers through intelligent, context-rich AI.