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Voice AI Goes Mainstream in 2025
Human-like voice agents are moving from pilot to production. In Deepgram’s 2025 State of Voice AI Report, created with Opus Research, we surveyed 400 senior leaders across North America - many from $100M+ enterprises - to map what’s real and what’s next.
The data is clear:
97% already use voice technology; 84% plan to increase budgets this year.
80% still rely on traditional voice agents.
Only 21% are very satisfied.
Customer service tops the list of near-term wins, from task automation to order taking.
See where you stand against your peers, learn what separates leaders from laggards, and get practical guidance for deploying human-like agents in 2025.
Hey there,
Ever notice how the people who really move things forward are rarely the loudest in the room?
These quiet connectors listen first, bridge gaps between teams, and slowly build the trust that underpins significant change.
Take a moment to see why finding and backing them might be the smartest move you make this year.
📰 Upcoming in this issue
🔗 Why Quiet Connectors Drive Real Organizational Change
🧪 Building World-Class Global Quality Teams That Break Down Silos
📉 Only 39% Say Performance Reviews Meet Expectations
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🔗 Why Quiet Connectors Drive Real Organizational Change
Lasting transformation often starts with people who listen, bridge silos, and quietly earn trust. SmartBrief profiles these “quiet connectors” and how to spot them.
Key Takeaways:
🕸️ Spot the Real Influencers: Informal networks, not org charts, move change, so influence rests with trusted connectors who span teams.
🤝 Trust Beats Volume: Complex shifts spread through credibility and empathy, not the loudest voices or quick one-off announcements.
🔎 Identify Quiet Connectors: Look for curious listeners who build depth before breadth, then widen circles with thoughtful, one-on-one ties.
🎙️ Balance the Chorus: Pair quiet connectors with visible champions, combining deep buy-in with broad amplification for durable adoption.
🧪 Building World-Class Global Quality Teams That Break Down Silos
This playbook shows how medtech leaders unify quality across regions, suppliers, and product lines. Expect clear roles, shared data, and a culture that fixes issues fast.
Key Takeaways:
🧭 One Quality Vision: Define a common mission, language, and KPIs so every site and supplier pulls toward the same outcomes.
🧱 Clear Roles and Escalations: Map ownership for prevention, detection, and response, with rapid pathways when risks emerge.
🧮 Shared Data Backbone: Standardize systems and taxonomies to enable comparable metrics, faster analysis, and real-time visibility.
🌍 Culture of Accountability: Train globally, reward collaboration, and run post-mortems that turn failures into repeatable improvements.
📉 Only 39% Say Performance Reviews Meet Expectations
A new survey finds most employees see performance management falling short. The gap signals urgent fixes in feedback cadence, fairness, and manager support.
Key Takeaways:
📊 Expectation Gap: Only 39% are satisfied, signaling that performance processes fall short of what employees want.
🗣️ Feedback Frequency: Employees prefer frequent, coaching-style check-ins, yet many systems still center on annual reviews.
🎯 Goal Clarity: Clear, measurable objectives and role expectations increase perceived fairness and impact, but guidance remains inconsistent.
🧰 Manager Enablement: Training, better tools, and simpler workflows help managers deliver quality conversations and unbiased ratings at scale.
📊 Take This Edition’s Poll:
What would most help your managers lead change better?
Why It Matters
Fundamental transformation sticks when it travels through trusted relationships, not just top-down announcements. Quiet connectors turn strategies into everyday habits because people actually believe them and feel heard in the process.
When you know who they are and support their work, change stops feeling forced and starts feeling natural.
Until next edition,
Chloe Rivers
Editor-in-Chief
COO Intelligence
P.S. Interested in sponsoring a future issue? Just reply to this email and I’ll send packages!