When most people think of artificial intelligence (AI) for customer support, chatbots are likely the first thing to spring to mind. But they certainly aren’t the only application of AI in contact centers.
Wondering about other use cases? Take voice AI as just one example.
While it might make you think of voice bots that push you through irrelevant phone menus (all while you’re yelling, “Representative!!!” on the other end), there have been plenty of advancements in voice AI.
Put simply, customers aren’t stuck with menu options and keypress inputs. They can speak naturally while the AI-powered systems understand and process their requests in real time — recognizing the context, intent, and nuances in what they’re saying. Need proof? Listen to these examples to see just how far we’ve come.
Needless to say, today, voice AI is an effective way to streamline your call center operations (without hindering your customer satisfaction). In fact, almost 80% of customer experience leaders believe voice AI is ushering in a new era in modern contact centers.
So, what do you need to know about this AI technology? And how can you use it to improve your customer interactions and your call center operations? Here’s what you need to know.
Let’s start with an understanding of what we mean when we say “voice AI.”
You’re likely already familiar with interactive voice response (IVR) systems. These rely on pre-recorded scripts and touch-tone responses to guide the customer journey. For example, a phone menu tells a customer: “Press one to check your order status. Press two for billing questions.”
The customer presses a number and is pushed to the next step. It sounds simple enough, but these IVR systems were often a source of frustration for customers, with 88% of customers saying they prefer speaking to live, human agents instead of navigating a phone menu.
Think of modern voice AI solutions as the best of both worlds. They allow your call center to automate workflows, handle large call volumes, reduce wait times, and provide self-service support options while still maintaining the personalized feel customers get from real, live agents.
That’s because today’s voice AI goes beyond rigid IVR systems and phone menus by using advanced technology like Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning to understand and respond to customers with conversational AI — meaning it feels and sounds like a real human.
This means every AI-powered call is a personalized and dynamic interaction. Customers can speak naturally while these phone-based AI agents understand their messaging, sentiment, and nuances. This allows them to handle a wider range of customer interactions, provide more accurate responses, and escalate to human agents when necessary — all while learning and improving over time.
It likely goes without saying that this technology stands to optimize and even revolutionize the modern call center. Here are just a few of the most notable benefits.
Imagine that your human agents are inundated with inbound callers. That not only overwhelms your agents, but it also harms your customer engagement, customer satisfaction (CSAT), and even retention. According to Gartner, nearly a third of callers will abandon their service journeys if they’re kept waiting too long.
Voice-based virtual agents can handle a large portion of these callers — particularly repetitive tasks, basic inquiries, and FAQs — often without any intervention from your human agents. That means your team can deal with larger call volumes without additional staff or long wait times for your customers.
Think your customers will mind? Rest assured that most don’t, with 65% of customers saying voice AI actually improves phone interactions.
Not all voice AI is directly customer-facing. It can be a valuable partner to your human support agents when they handle customer calls.
An AI agent copilot can support your live agents during calls by analyzing the context of the conversation, suggesting relevant solutions, and providing customer data that helps them deliver a more personalized and helpful experience.
Not to mention that it makes the experience far smoother, easier, and less stressful for your agents too. Among companies that don’t use generative AI, 81% of agents were overwhelmed by the information available to them during calls. In comparison, at companies that have deployed generative AI, only 53% of agents reported being overwhelmed.
81% of customers prefer companies that offer a personalized experience. But you need information — customer data from your CRM, details about previous purchases and interactions, and other customer metrics — to deliver that level of personalization.
Voice AI systems can analyze all of this information in real time and tailor responses based on those individual needs and preferences.
Plus, this technology allows for more proactive customer support too. It can anticipate common issues based on the customer’s profile and suggest solutions without the customer needing to explain their problem from the beginning.
Nearly half of customers expect 24/7 customer service from businesses, but you likely don’t have enough live agents to satisfy that demand.
Voice AI agents are always available to help customers. Plus, many of these systems offer multilingual service, meaning they can help your customers regardless of their language or location.
Research shows that contact centers are increasingly investing in conversational AI — not just in the form of basic chatbots, but in voice too. That means the voice AI market is growing at a rapid clip, with an expected value of $47.5 billion in 2034 (compared to $2.4 billion in 2024).
But why is it gaining so much traction now? Of course, much of it is because AI adoption in general is increasing. But there are also many key benefits that are urging customer support leaders to invest in this technology sooner rather than later.
When you talk about customer support metrics that matter, many leaders look at their team’s first call resolution (FCR) rates. This states the percentage of customer issues or interactions that are handled completely during the first call or contact — with no additional assistance required.
Voice AI can improve FCR rates by:
When 65% of consumers say contacting customer service multiple times is the most frustrating communication issue with businesses, increasing your FCR rates can ensure your customers get what they need — without having to come back again.
With cost-cutting still happening in call centers, many leaders are being asked to do more with less. One of the major benefits of voice AI is the ability to scale your support operations without hiring additional agents.
AI voice agents can handle a large volume of calls, address simpler questions, and even assist with call routing for complex escalations — all without putting additional strain on your human agents.
You’ll maintain a high level of service (even during your busiest times) without the added expense and logistical headaches of finding, hiring, and training new agents.
Customers don’t just want fast and personalized service — they expect it. Voice AI systems are one tool to make that happen.
Adopting this technology helps you respond more quickly to customers, provide faster and more accurate solutions, and deliver a far more data-informed and personalized customer experience.
Ultimately, the technology itself isn’t the competitive differentiator. It’s what it helps you achieve that sets you apart.
You’re convinced of the power of voice AI systems. But, with so many different providers out there, how can you find the right fit for your call center? Here are four key features to look out for.
Look for a system that automatically transcribes and documents your customer interactions.
Beyond basic record-keeping, the system should also analyze those transcripts to uncover trends, understand customer sentiment, and highlight common sticking points. These can help inform your resource planning, training, performance management, and other improvements to your operations.
Your voice AI system is obviously focused on phone calls. However, that doesn’t mean this channel should be siloed. Your AI technology should be able to track interactions across channels — like voice, chat, and email — and pull that information into one system to provide a cohesive, omnichannel experience.
Not only does this eliminate the need for customers to repeat themselves, but it also helps your agents gain a broader view of a customer’s relationship with the business. That’s information they can use to shape (and personalize) their service interactions.
If your voice bots repeatedly go rogue or can’t understand customers, they’ll only be a source of frustration. Your chosen voice AI tool should have advanced NLP capabilities to process varied speech patterns and accurately interpret customer intent.
This means your customers can have more natural, human-like interactions — without getting stuck in an endless call routing cycle or shouting their problem into the phone.
While the customer-facing features matter, don’t forget about your agents. Ensure the system offers agent assistance tools, like predictive analytics and AI copilots that offer real-time support to your human agents.
By suggesting responses, flagging potential issues, and surfacing valuable insights, these features help your agents handle even the most complex situations efficiently and with confidence.
AI is often talked about like a magic bullet. However, if you roll it out to your team without a thoughtful approach, it’ll likely be more of a hindrance than a help.
Here are four quick best practices to keep in mind to implement voice AI on your support team — without causing major disruptions for your agents or your customers.
Think voice AI still means rigid phone menus and robotic voices? Think again. The technology has improved by leaps and bounds and it’s well on its way to becoming a staple of the modern call center.
Ultimately, people don’t have a problem with AI for customer service — they have a problem with bad AI for customer service. And a voice AI agent delivers that natural, conversational, and human touch your customers crave, while your team benefits from the automation, efficiency, and insights AI is now notorious for.
Ready to get started? Assembled Assist’s AI voice agent can help you scale your support operations without sacrificing your customer experience. Check out a demo to see how you can bring your support into the modern era.
