Could an airport voice really ‘feel like home?’
I’ve never seen her, and I probably never will, but I’ve pictured the woman I privately refer to as the Airport Lady a thousand times.
Based entirely on the way she speaks, I imagine her as early-elderly, probably on the shorter side. She no doubt looks like some of the women at my local church.
Definitely wears glasses, and has possibly taken elocution lessons that ensure she is understood by everyone getting ready to board.
There are variations of Airport Lady all over the world. In Boston, however, the voice that guides passenger experiences for an untold number of flights is about to take on a distinctly different character.
A wicked ‘hahd’ contest to win
Next week Logan International Airport will announce the winner of a contest for a new voice that will be heard by the approximately 130,000 people who pass through its halls every day.
More than 5,000 people have tried out to be the “Voice of Logan,” reportedly including the actor Ben Affleck. Media coverage has been filled with jokes about the unique nature of Boston accents and how particular words are announced there.
What stood out to me, however, was the contest’s call for “a voice that feels like home.”
I’ve travelled a lot. I can’t say I’ve ever been in an airport with a voice that felt like home, whether you’re returning to San Francisco, Athens, London, Paris or Rome.
The voice of reason (and that’s about it)
Airports have traditionally focused on voices that simply speak ultra-slowly and clearly, given that passengers are often in the middle of walking, eating or talking with each other as important announcements are broadcast.
When you think about what can go wrong at an airport – winding up in the wrong terminal, being late for a connection or (worst of all) having your flight canceled – the voice on the overhead speakers is dispassionate at best.
It often contributes to a customer experience (CX) that makes you feel like a number, or a nuisance. Being in the airport becomes a period spent immersed in a bureaucratic processing center where no one really cares about you as an individual. All you want to do is get on the plane so you can leave. To go back home.
To what extent could “a voice that feels like home” change that? As more people spend their time listening to the robotic modulations of smart speakers and other voice recognition systems, might an airport’s signature voice create a greater sense of welcome, gratitude and human empathy?
It would take a pretty special voice for that. Or maybe it just takes a regular voice – one that sounds like the other people walking through an airport. Whoever wins the Logan International contest, I hope it gives airports and other businesses that rely on broadcast announcements inspiration to improve their own approach.
This is an often overlooked area of CX, where brands of all kinds could aim a lot higher. The sky’s the limit.
