Google’s text to speech function provides accessibility for customers in many industries. From a business perspective, it’s almost a no-brainer to support text to speech functionality on your website.

Below, we look at why you should consider Google’s text to speech for your business and how to utilize it to the best effect.

How Does Google’s Text to Speech Work?

All text to speech services read text on a screen and play it as an audio track. Google’s is no different at its core, but obviously has that something extra you always find with Google.

Google offers a cloud-based service for businesses. You send a synthesized request to the service, and it returns an audio file based on the text you sent. You can then use the files to support your website or app or to supplement photos and videos.

Its features include an extensive library of voices and languages, including WaveNet, which are of higher quality. 

Google’s text to speech price is dependent on the number of characters you send in a month. It’s free for up to 4 million characters in standard or 1 million characters in WaveNet. After that, it’s $4/mo and $16/mo for 1 million characters, respectively.

Benefits of Using Google’s Text to Speech

So, what are the benefits of using Google’s text to speech for businesses? The following are some of the most important:

1. Accessibility

Google voice transcription makes your website or app accessible to all. Whether due to literacy skills, disabilities, visual processing issues, or something else, it means everyone can enjoy your content.

Along with this, many people appreciate the accessibility of text to speech when on the go. They can listen to text without using their phone, making it easier for travelling.

2. Improves Comprehension

Listening to audio is often easier to understand than reading text, particularly for non-native speakers. What’s more, non-native speakers could even use an audio file in their native language.

3. Create a Unique Brand Voice

We often talk about brand voice in marketing, but what if you could make it literal? Google’s text to speech offers lots of customization, allowing you to find a speaking voice that reflects your brand’s identity.

4. High Fidelity Speech

In simple terms, this means Google’s audio is more human-like than other text to speech services. People are often put off by robotic voices, so offer them a person’s voice instead.

5. It’s Easy to Use

Along with being massively customizable, Google’s text to speech is really easy to use. You can set the voice, pitch, and speed with very little effort. This is true for both the business side and Google’s text to speech on Android phones.

When Should You Use Text to Speech for Your Business?

From an accessibility perspective, text to speech is suitable for all businesses. That said, Google’s text to speech price might not be possible for companies that need large volumes of text converting.
Here are some use cases of when it’s most helpful.

1. Healthcare

Healthcare is an obvious place to start because everyone needs it. What’s more, it’s a big part of the lives of elderly and vulnerable people.

For example, you could create voice files for appointment reminders or prescription and dosage requirements to aid understanding.

2. Transportation

Another benefit of text to speech is that it’s useful on the go. Travelers can listen to voice files regarding routes and journey times, or to get real-time information about their current commute.

3. Banking

Banking is another thing that everyone needs, so Google’s text to speech is an obvious addition to the sector. At an ATM, for example, it could guide customers through their current balance, how to withdraw money, and other services.

4. Marketing

Businesses could leverage text to speech to send voice notes to customers about promotions or upcoming events. Making an app voice-based could also aid understanding and accessibility.

5. Customer Service

While all the suggestions above cover customer service, the same points are applicable to other industries. For example, hairdressers and beauty salons could send voice reminders, or restaurants could provide dietary information.

How to Use Google’s Text to Speech on Android

The Android operating system comes with built-in text to speech functionality. Luckily, it’s easy to use. To set up Google’s text to speech on Android, do the following:

1. Go to Settings or swipe down and tap the gear icon.
2. Select the Accessibility menu.
3. Choose Select to Speak.
4. Switch it to On and approve the permissions it requires.
5. Open an app and tap the Select to Speak icon in the bottom-right corner. It’s either a person or a speech bubble.
6. Tap Play and Stop as required. You can highlight text and then press the button to only read that part.

You can control various settings for Google’s text to speech on Android, such as language and voice speed.

1. Go to Settings and click on General Management.
2. Select Text-to-Speech.
3. Here you can change Speech Rate and Pitch.
4. Above is the Language button. Tap this to change the spoken language for the text to speech function

Textr for Text to Speech

Textr is a business-focused customer service texting application that will soon release its own text to speech function. This new feature will help businesses optimize their workflow and improve customer experience.

Until then, make the most of Textr’s Free Carrier Look Up tool for useful, up-to-date carrier information about your customer’s mobile numbers.

Final Thoughts on Google’s Text to Speech

As you can imagine, Google’s text to speech is an industry-leading example of the technology. Before integrating it into your business services, be sure it’ll offer the kind of benefits you’re looking for.
Try testing it with some free text and play around to get the voice you want for your business. Also, be sure to make use of Google’s free online resources.