Ghana’s financial services sector is experiencing rapid digital transformation, but many institutions still struggle to effectively engage customers who face language barriers, literacy challenges, or visual impairments.
A revolutionary solution is emerging that addresses these issues head-on: AI-powered text-to-speech (TTS) technology.
This innovative technology converts written text into natural, human-like speech, enabling financial institutions to communicate with customers in ways that were previously impossible.
For Ghana’s diverse population, where many prefer local dialects over English and face varying literacy levels, TTS represents a game-changing opportunity to improve customer engagement and financial inclusion.
Understanding the Challenge
Ghana’s financial services sector faces unique customer engagement challenges that limit growth and inclusion.
- Limited English Proficiency. On the customer side, language and literacy barriers create significant obstacles. Many Ghanaians struggle with English proficiency, making it difficult to understand written financial communications like SMS alerts, terms and conditions, or digital banking interfaces. Semi-literate and illiterate customers often rely on oral communication, leading to confusion and mistrust when navigating text-heavy digital platforms.
- Visual Impairments. Visually impaired customers face additional barriers, as most digital financial services are designed with visual interfaces that lack accessible audio options. This limits their independence and ability to manage finances effectively. Meanwhile, customers increasingly demand fast, efficient service – 64% prioritise short wait times and 60% expect transactions completed within 10 minutes – yet complex processes often cause delays and frustration.
- Personalised services. From the institutional perspective, financial organisations struggle with personalisation, which KPMG’s 2024 survey identified as the weakest pillar in Ghanaian banking customer experience. Many institutions find it difficult to design inclusive services for semi-literate and visually impaired users, limiting their customer reach and satisfaction. The challenge of balancing digital adoption (53% prefer digital banking) with maintaining physical branches for customers who need human interaction adds operational complexity and costs.
How AI-Powered TTS Transforms Customer Engagement
AI-powered text-to-speech technology addresses these challenges through several key improvements that revolutionise how financial institutions interact with customers.
Enhanced Accessibility and Inclusion
TTS enables fintech platforms to communicate with customers in their preferred language and format, breaking down barriers for those who are semi-literate or not fluent in English.
By delivering notifications, onboarding instructions, and training materials via voice in local languages like Twi, Ga, or Ewe, financial institutions can reach broader audiences and ensure critical information is understood. This dramatically improves financial inclusion by making services accessible to previously underserved populations.
24/7 Customer Support
AI-driven voice assistants powered by TTS provide round-the-clock support, answering queries, resolving issues, and delivering important updates at any time.
This constant availability enhances customer satisfaction and trust, as users can access help whenever they need it. Automated voice notifications for transaction alerts and reminders ensure timely communication, reducing the risk of missed messages, especially for users who may not regularly check SMS or email.
Personalised and Consistent Interactions
AI analyses customer data to tailor voice messages and recommendations to individual needs, offering more engaging and relevant experiences.
For example, onboarding calls or training modules can be customised based on a user’s language preference, transaction history, or financial literacy level. Consistency is maintained across all interactions, as AI-powered TTS delivers the same clear, accurate message every time, reducing human error and miscommunication.
Efficient Bulk Communication
For tasks like mass notifications, TTS enables financial institutions to deliver messages as automated voice calls in local languages, ensuring that even non-literate users receive and understand important updates. This proves especially valuable for time-sensitive alerts or regulatory communications that require broad reach and understanding.
Comparing TTS with Traditional Customer Support
The advantages of AI-powered TTS become clear when compared to traditional human-agent customer support:
- Availability and Scale: While traditional support operates during limited business hours and can be overwhelmed by call volumes, TTS provides 24/7 instant responses and can handle thousands of interactions simultaneously.
- Language Support: Traditional support often depends on agent language skills and typically offers English-only service, while TTS provides multi-lingual support including local dialects.
- Consistency: Human agents are prone to errors and inconsistency, whereas TTS delivers standardised, error-free information every time.
- Cost Efficiency: TTS can reduce operational costs by up to 30% compared to traditional staffing and training expenses.
However, human agents remain superior for complex emotional issues requiring empathy and nuanced judgment. The most effective approach combines AI automation for routine tasks with human expertise for high-stakes situations.
Redefining Accessibility for Visually Impaired Customers
TTS technology also plays a vital role in enhancing accessibility for visually impaired customers by converting written text into clear, natural-sounding spoken audio. This enables independent access to financial information, voice-guided navigation, and real-time alerts about suspicious transactions or security warnings.
The technology delivers educational content, terms and conditions, and onboarding instructions in natural speech, helping bridge literacy barriers and promoting better understanding of financial products. Modern AI-driven TTS engines can be customised for speech rate, pitch, and language, including local dialects, making services more accessible to Ghana’s linguistically diverse population.
Integration with Existing Systems
Financial institutions can integrate TTS technology into their existing systems through several practical approaches:
API Integration: Most AI TTS solutions offer APIs and software development kits that can be embedded into existing mobile apps, websites, or call center systems, enabling seamless conversion of text-based content into natural speech.
Voice Bots and IVR: TTS powers automated voice bots that handle routine customer queries like balance inquiries and payment reminders without human intervention, integrating with backend systems to fetch real-time data.
Voice Biometrics: TTS works alongside voice biometric systems to enable secure customer verification through voiceprint recognition, reducing repetitive identity checks while enhancing security.
Edge Computing: Advanced speech AI models can be deployed on smartphones, allowing local processing even in low-connectivity environments – crucial for reliable service in rural areas.
Five Key Benefits for Ghanaian Financial Institutions
For financial institutions considering TTS implementation, the technology delivers five concrete benefits that directly impact customer engagement and business performance:
Personalised Customer Experience: AI-powered TTS allows institutions to customise voice messages based on customer profiles, transaction history, and preferences, creating more engaging and relevant interactions that improve satisfaction and loyalty.
Improved Financial Literacy: By delivering information in local languages and dialects, TTS overcomes language barriers and enhances financial literacy among diverse customer bases, building trust and empowering better financial decision-making.
24/7 Availability: Voice assistants and chatbots powered by TTS offer round-the-clock support, enhancing customer satisfaction through instant availability and timely responses.
Enhanced Communication Through Automation: TTS facilitates automated communications through IVR and voice chatbots, improving efficiency and response times while reducing the burden on human agents.
Proactive Customer Engagement: AI-driven TTS enables institutions to send personalised voice messages for onboarding guidance, payment reminders, special offers, and security alerts, keeping customers informed and strengthening relationships.
Wrapping Up
AI-powered text-to-speech technology represents a transformative opportunity for Ghana’s financial services sector to overcome longstanding customer engagement challenges. By breaking down language and literacy barriers, providing 24/7 accessibility, and enabling personalised communication at scale, TTS technology can significantly improve customer satisfaction, expand financial inclusion, and drive business growth.
Financial institutions that embrace this technology will be better positioned to serve Ghana’s diverse population effectively while reducing operational costs and improving efficiency. The most successful implementations will combine AI automation for routine tasks with human expertise for complex situations, creating hybrid models that maximise both efficiency and customer satisfaction.
While this article has focused on financial services, the transformative potential of AI-powered text-to-speech technology extends far beyond banking – offering similar benefits to healthcare, education, telecommunications, and virtually any industry seeking to improve customer engagement and accessibility in Ghana’s multilingual market.
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Here are five key takeaways from this article:
- AI-powered text-to-speech technology breaks down language and literacy barriers, making financial services accessible to Ghana’s diverse, multilingual population.
- TTS provides 24/7 customer support through voice assistants, reducing operational costs by up to 30% while improving customer satisfaction.
- The technology enables personalised communication in local dialects, helping financial institutions reach previously underserved semi-literate and visually impaired customers.
- TTS integrates seamlessly with existing fintech systems through APIs, enhancing mobile apps and call centers without requiring complete system overhauls.
- Successful implementation combines AI automation for routine tasks with human agents for complex issues, maximising both efficiency and customer experience.
Dr. Hammah is the Chief Marketing Officer at Aya Data, a UK & Ghana-based AI consulting firm, that helps businesses seeking to leverage AI with data collection, data annotation, and building and deploying custom AI models. Connect with her at [email protected] or www.ayadata.ai.
