LinkedIn gets on board voice messages to help users better express themselves

LinkedIn has introduced a new voice message function in a bid to give its users more options to have conversations. This includes messages which are up to one minute long, housed in LinkedIn’s messaging platform.In a blog post, the company explained that the new feature looks to allow its user to message more easily on the go, especially when it comes to explaining longer or more complex ideas. This is without the involvement of typing and editing a message.It also looks to allow users to better express themselves and allow for greater ease of multitasking. This in turn allows users to better build a personal connection and effectively communicate. It also looks to allow for a user’s tone and personality to come through, which may sometimes “get lost in translation in written communications”, the blog post added.The new feature is being rolled out on iOS and Android on mobile, as well as on the web, and will be made available globally in the next few weeks.The new feature has been met with mixed response from several industry players Marketing spoke to. Oliver Spalding, chief customer officer APAC at Digitas, explained that the feature is simply put a useful piece of additional functionality for messages. This is should the user prefer voice and shows a test and learn approach for LinkedIn.“LinkedIn has become more convoluted over time and takes quite a lot of work to get the best out of all the features of the platform, which runs counter to the needs of time-poor professionals. In this regard, voice is a time-saving function,” Spalding said, adding:Perhaps LinkedIn is toying with entering the chat app domain. We currently lack a business-oriented, secured version of WhatsApp.For Ramakrishnan CN, partner at Entropia, LinkedIn has built is base on the clear differentiation that it is a professional platform. As such, the message feature is usually used for interacting with a new connection with a specific professional purpose and not frivolous banter.“Not sure about others, but it wouldn’t make me jump with joy to receive an ambient noise filled voice message squeezed haphazardly into a minute, from a candidate who is looking for a job or a business partnership proposal. This gets thumbs down from me,” he added.