Meet the Members: VoiceIQ
“Since the inception of the phone,” explains Muj Choudhury, CEO of UK software start-up, VoiceIQ, “compared to things like computing, software or even music distribution, there has been very little innovation. Why, for instance, can’t the phone tell me that a client has a vulnerability that I should be aware of? Or that the client, despite sounding unhappy, is one of our biggest spenders? Today, companies can make and receive calls and very little more. Voice has always been, and will always remain, the most effective form of communication and carries with it a treasure trove of untapped data, so why hasn’t technology harnessed this richness and used it to drive real-time insights so that the customer is at the heart of the relationship whilst agents and reps get all the assistance they need to keep the customer there?”
With his team, including Professor Micahel Wooldridge (head of computer science, Oxford University) in his role has Chief Scientific Advisor and a panel of executives that resemble the “who’s who” of the enterprise software world, have built an enterprise software as a service platform which harnesses the power of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and natural language processing to revolutionise voice-based communication.
VoiceIQ is one of the newest members of Enterprise City’s Exchange programme, which offers technology innovators and scale-ups in the North West the opportunity to meet and learn from other leading organisations in the tech sector through learning sessions and one-to-one networking.
The companies currently involved in Exchange are leading innovation within their specialities, and VoiceIQ is no different. We caught up with the senior team behind the business to discuss how far the company has come and its future with Exchange.
Development on VoiceIQ started in 2018 following a seed investment which has now surpassed £2.5million. In the business’ first two years, focus was on product development and the product was soft launched in January 2020. Since then, VoiceIQ has gone from success to success.
The team on-boarded clients which lead the way in the domains of financial services, utilities and premise management. The company’s focus on innovation and development attracted the interest of the UK Government through Innovate UK, which lead to a £500,000 grant to embark on advanced research using AI and machine learning.
This research aims to detect signs of vulnerability, wellbeing and mental stress over the phone in real time, creating game-changing technology to protect vulnerable members of society and help regulated companies achieve unprecedented levels of compliance.
VoiceIQ has formal research partnerships with Oxford University and the University of Manchester, as well as ISV Partner status with Salesforce.com.
When asked about the future of the company with Exchange, Chief Technology Officer, Amila Gamage said: “Working in the Bonded Warehouse space is going to be so great for us. To be based in an incredible workspace that is conducive and efficient for developing tech is amazing, not to mention being in Manchester which is quickly becoming an international tech hub.
“We’re really excited to be working in the same vicinity as other like-minded entrepreneurs. It will be an opportunity for us to share knowledge and ideas with them and to learn more ourselves.”
Sam Gillingham, VoiceIQ’s Marketing & Operations Director, added: “It’s also nice to have a physical workspace. We are primarily a remote working focussed company with a team spread out across the world, but having a centralised location is still important for meeting and discussing plans and projects in more detail than is really possible when working remotely.”
Now a member of Exchange, VoiceIQ is expecting growth in the business and team, meaning the business is currently recruiting for sales roles and in particular, interested to hear from people with a background in telecoms and utilities sales.
To find out more about VoiceIQ, visit the website, LinkedIn or Twitter.