Choosing Voices That Work Across Languages
Voice selection is one of the most impactful configuration decisions you'll make. The right voice makes your AI receptionist sound natural and professional; the wrong one can sound robotic or out of place. Here's how to choose well.
The importance of per-language voices
Using the same voice for all languages is a common mistake. A voice trained for one language almost always sounds unnatural when generating speech in another.
Speako lets you assign a different voice to each language. Always choose a language-specific voice for each configured language.
How to preview voices
- Go to AI Receptionists → [Your AI] → Voice & Languages.
- For each language, open the voice selection.
- Preview available voices by playing a sample.
- Select the voice that sounds most natural and matches the tone you want for your brand.
Tips for choosing a voice
Match the tone to your business: A formal fine-dining restaurant and a casual neighbourhood café should sound different. Some voices sound warm and casual; others are more precise and professional. Listen carefully to the emotional quality — not just the accent.
Choose clarity over character: On a phone call, clarity is paramount. A voice that sounds impressive in a demo but is harder to understand in noisy environments is not ideal. Prioritise clear, articulate voices.
Consider your customer demographic: If your customers are older, consider a voice that speaks slightly more deliberately. If they're younger, a more natural conversational voice works well.
Native accent matters: For secondary languages, choose a voice with a native accent in that language. An English-accented voice speaking Mandarin is jarring. Choose a Mandarin-native voice for Mandarin.
Testing voices on a real call
After selecting voices, publish the AI and make test calls in each language. Listen to how the voice sounds on an actual phone call — not just in the preview player. Phone audio compresses and affects how a voice sounds.
If the voice sounds acceptable in the preview but poor on a real call, try a different option.
💡 Tip: Ask a colleague or friend who is a native speaker of each additional language to call the AI and give you honest feedback on how it sounds. They'll notice nuances you might miss.
⚠️ Important: After changing voice settings, publish the AI. Voice changes are not live until published.