Executive Summary:
While most organizations rightfully want to retain a personal touch to their customer service, most don't have receptionists or call centers available 24x7. But voice synthesis has reached the point where it's often indistinguishable from human voices, and AI can now engage in full, dynamic, verbal exchanges. This allows AI voice-agents to provide backup and off-hours phone support. An agent can answer calls and conduct a real-time, interactive conversation with a customer, even checking calendars, scheduling appointments, and performing other automated follow-up tasks for a seamless customer service experience.
Details:
Have you ever received negative feedback from a customer who called your business and didn't get the result they expected? Perhaps they spoke to someone and left you a message, but it never reached you. Or maybe they were routed to the wrong voicemail box, so you never knew they had called. Or perhaps they asked the person who answered the phone to schedule an appointment, but it never got on your calendar.
These are symptoms of a small staff with too much to do, resulting in human error. The problem is, enough of these mistakes can hurt your bottom line.
So how do you fix this problem?
In 2025, one answer is to back up your harried team with an AI voice agent. The days of the robotic auto-attendant, walking callers through seemingly endless enumerated options ("If you are a new customer, please press two") are over. AI voice agents can now create a customer experience nearly as good as talking to a live person--and they can do it twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
This state-of-affairs is the result of a couple of recent developments in artificial intelligence. The first is AI's ability to mimic human voices so well it's hard to distinguish between the two. Here's an example using an agent I built for AI Ariel, Cloudessy's virtual marketing rep. The second development is the level of authenticity AI brings to a verbal interaction.
Anyone who has spent time on social media has encountered realistic AI voices--in fraudulent audio clips, soundtracks, and videos of celebrities. And anyone who has used ChatGPT knows how human-like AI can seem in a chat interaction. Put these two together and you have the ingredients for an AI voice agent, complete with a unique voice of its own (not the imitation of a real person, even though it sounds like one.)
Then it's a simple matter of giving the agent access to the data you want it to "know" about your company--your website is probably the best place to start, but you can also provide promotional materials, price lists, and product descriptions. The more you give it, the deeper the agent will be able to go in a conversation with your customers.
The utility of voice agents doesn't stop there. Using the right platform, they can also help a caller take the next step on their customer journey. For example, let's pretend the customer has asked several questions about your products and services, all of which the agent has answered in an appealing, friendly, human-like voice. Now the customer wants to schedule a meeting to speak with a sales representative. If the agent has access to your calendar, it can check when you're available, confirm a time that works with the caller, and schedule the appointment.
Of course, your existing, human receptionist can do all this as well--but not if they're at lunch, out sick, or on vacation. Rather than relying on other staff members who are perhaps untrained (for this task) and overworked, your receptionist can simply flip the system over to the AI voice agent. Your calls get answered, you get your messages and appointments, and your receptionist gets some well earned time off. It's a win-win.
Next Steps:
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Action Items —
- Watch the example video linked above demonstrating the current conversational capabilities of AI voice agents.
- Brainstorm the possible advantages of phone support that engages in dynamic conversations about your products and services at any time of day or night.
- If you need help, reach out to us via email (sales@cloudessy.com) or phone (913-624-1675).
