We’ve been shouting at Alexa for years to play our favourite song, asking Siri for directions, and chatting with Google Assistant about the weather. Sometimes, we even ask our AI voice assistants questions just to see if they’ll crack a joke.
Now though, thanks to AI voice agents — a type of AI agent — we’ve moved beyond simple queries and jokes. When we ask our phones ‘What’s the latest deal on my subscription?’, they not only respond instantly but recommend an upgrade tailored just for us.
What are AI voice agents?
AI voice agents are intelligent tools that use advanced voice recognition, machine learning, and natural language processing (NLP) to interact with users over the phone or other voice-based channels.
By operating within agentic AI workflows, these agents build on the capabilities of voice assistants to autonomously handle tasks like answering questions, processing transactions, and guiding users through complex processes.
Available 24/7, AI voice agents leverage conversational AI to provide consistent and efficient support across industries, including sales, customer service, and healthcare.
How AI voice agents work, step-by-step
AI voice agents work by leveraging NLP, automatic speech recognition (ASR), and text-to-speech (TTS) to interact with users through voice-based communication.
These agents are powered by large language models (LLMs), advanced AI systems trained on vast amounts of text data to understand and generate human-like language. These models enable voice agents to understand language subtleties, respond contextually, and deliver personalized interactions.
Let’s walk through how a customer interacts with an AI voice agent:
1. Speech input
The customer speaks into a device, such as their smartphone or a call center line. For example, they might ask, "What’s the balance on my account?" or "Can I reschedule my delivery?" Their words are turned into an audio signal and sent to the voice assistant for processing.
2. Speech recognition
The audio signal is processed by an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system, which converts the sound into text. The ASR system ensures the transcription is accurate, even with different accents or speaking styles. So, the ASR system processes a voice saying, 'Check my order status,' and converts it into text.
3. Natural language understanding
The text from ASR is sent to a natural language understanding (NLU) system, a branch of NLP that allows machines to understand human language.
Based on the customer’s input, 'How much is left in my account?', the NLU system determines the customer's intent, such as 'check my account balance', and identifies key details, like 'balance for account ending in 1234'.
Similarly, for inputs like 'Reschedule my delivery,' it extracts the intent 'reschedule a delivery' and details such as 'delivery for this Friday.’
4. Processing and decision making
AI voice agents determine the appropriate action by analyzing user input and accessing relevant data.
This step is enhanced by incorporating retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), which allows AI voice agents to access and use external knowledge sources in real-time. This leads to more accurate and contextually relevant results.
So, when a customer asks, 'How much is left on my balance?', the system, possibly using RAG, identifies the intent (check account balance), retrieves details (account ending in 1234), and queries the database.
Likewise, for 'Can I reschedule my delivery to next Friday?', it accesses the scheduling platform, updates the delivery, and provides a real-time confirmation to the customer.
5. Response generation
Once the response is determined, the system uses an LLM to generate a reply.
The LLM ensures the response is clear and professional, such as ‘Your account balance is $500’ or ‘Your delivery has been rescheduled to Saturday.’
6. Text-to-speech
The text-based reply is converted into speech by a text-to-speech (TTS) system, ensuring the message sounds natural.
7. Voice output
The synthesized speech is played back to the customer through the device’s speaker, completing the interaction.
So, a user might hear their phone reply, 'Your account balance is $500.75 as of 12:35 PM today.'
Similarly, for a delivery rescheduling request, the phone might respond, 'Your delivery has been successfully rescheduled to Saturday, January 11th.
Benefits of AI voice agents
Enhance customer experience
AI voice agents are available round-the-clock, and thus offer instant answers to customer inquiries without the frustration of long wait times.
Using natural language and emotional cues, such as frustration, AI voice agents make interactions feel more genuine. They also adapt to accents, languages, and conversational styles.
And like any good customer support chatbot, AI voice agents are trained to escalate complex issues to human agents while retaining full context.
Streamline operations
AI voice agents take routine tasks off the plate, such as appointment scheduling, order processing, status updates, so human agents can focus on nuanced, high-value interactions. They handle high call volumes without missing a beat, keeping service consistent even during peak hours.
By integrating with backend systems to access real-time data, AI voice agents deliver accurate, instant responses and minimize errors.
Scale with ease and communicate globally
Designed to handle surges in call volume, AI voice agents help businesses experiencing growth or seasonal spikes.
By integrating with backend systems to access real-time data, they deliver accurate, instant responses and minimize errors, an aspect that’s especially valuable for growing businesses.
Collect and analyze data
AI voice agents gather important customer data during interactions, uncovering patterns and insights that can refine strategies.
If many customers call to complain about a new feature, the AI voice agent can immediately detect the spike in complaints and alert the business.
By analyzing ongoing trends from phone calls and other voice-related interactions, AI voice agents help businesses make data-driven decisions.
Increase accessibility
By enabling voice-based interactions that require no physical input, AI voice agents provide inclusive support for a wide range of users.This makes them an essential tool for serving customers with disabilities.
Also, their multilingual capabilities break down language barriers to serve a diverse, global audience.
Financial benefits
- Cost savings
- AI voice agents automate repetitive tasks, reducing the need for large customer service teams and saving significantly on labour costs.
- Long-term ROI comes from reduced operational expenses and improved service efficiency.
- Revenue growth
- Proactive engagement, such as cross-selling or upselling during interactions, can increase average order value and overall revenue.
- High containment rates show that AI systems effectively resolve routine issues without human intervention, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing the need for escalations.
Use cases for AI voice agents
Sales
Combining AI voice agents with sales chatbots can significantly enhance sales processes by automating tasks and improving customer engagement:
- Lead qualification: AI voice agents initiate calls, ask qualifying questions, and identify high-potential leads, passing them to the sales team.
- Follow-ups: They send reminders about abandoned carts, upcoming subscription renewals, or limited-time offers, ensuring sales opportunities aren’t missed.
- Upselling and cross-selling: By analyzing purchase history, they suggest relevant products or services during customer interactions, boosting revenue.
Marketing
AI voice agents can be used in chatbot marketing to create a comprehensive, multi-channel strategy that engages customers across platforms:
- Personalized campaigns: AI voice agents deliver tailored promotions and recommendations over the phone, while chatbots guide users through interactive journeys based on their browsing behaviour and preferences.
- Event promotion: Voice agents notify customers about upcoming events like webinars or product launches through voice calls, providing a more personal and direct touch. They can also collect feedback through phone surveys to refine future strategies and maximize attendance.
General applications
Bringing value to broader use cases, AI voice agents automate processes across industries:
- Appointment scheduling: AI voice agents handle bookings and confirmations for healthcare, retail, and professional services.
- Order management: Customers can track orders, request modifications, or process returns through AI voice agents.
- Internal operations: AI voice agents assist with tasks like meeting scheduling or staff reminders, improving efficiency within teams.
Deploy a custom AI voice agent
AI voice agents are rapidly being adopted across various industries, including sales, customer service, and healthcare, enhancing customer experiences, streamlining operations, and providing multilingual support.
Botpress's flexibility and pre-built integrations make it easy to build AI voice assistants tailored to your unique workflows.
Start building today. It’s free.
Or talk to our sales team to get started.
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