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AI Agent for Calls: What It Is and How It Works
AI agents allow companies to keep pace with the speed and quality of service that customers expect. Companies need to quickly respond to customer inquiries and adapt to a customer's specific needs, but a lot of the time, the human operator simply does not have enough time to do so. AI agents for calls are a perfect alternative since they automate customer service and sales communications, which allows companies to maintain a higher level of service with fewer staff.
Essentially, AI agents work as 24/7 employees that handle inbound and outbound calls, communicate effectively (including accurately interpreting emotions and context), and if necessary, transfer complex inquiries to live agents. In addition to this, AI agents don't tire or get distracted. For the first time ever, AI agents can be used to take the place of traditional voice menus with numbered buttons.
As you can see, an AI agent can handle all the mundane aspects of customer service, including taking orders, confirming meetings, clarifying information, and collecting feedback without requiring a personalized approach to each customer.
The Core of AI Agents for Calls - Technologies (NLP, ASR, TTS) and How They Function Together
There are three primary technologies that allow for the operation of AI agents; Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Text to Speech (TTS). These technologies allow for real-time processing/response and the perception of live conversations.
ASR technology is developed using millions of hours of audio recordings with various accents and a variety of environmental background noises so that it has the ability to recognize speech with almost 100% accuracy (between 95-98% accuracy). A body of literature investigating the efficacy of NLP and TTS for enhancing customer service via Voice AI has been published by IEEE (2022).
An essential characteristic of a Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithm is that it can analyze exactly what a customer wants, in terms of both their intent (for example, "I would like to place an order") as well as the key details that will need to be communicated during that transaction (e.g., "pepperoni pizza," "day of week," "time" etc.). The other significant characteristic of this technology is that the AI Agent is capable of remembering words and phrases used by a customer and will not repeat questions that may be considered banal or redundant.
A second advantage to the customer regarding the speech of an AI Agent is that Text-to-Speech (TTS) technology produces a voice that sounds natural, using the correct intonation and pacing. The TTS technology will produce a voice that closely resembles the voice of the company's brand. As a result, a traditional push button robot cannot produce a similarly engaging voice.
A third benefit of Voice AI is that, through the Reinforcement Learning technique of training an AI Agent, companies are able to maximize the capabilities of the AI Agent they have created, through collecting feedback and improving the AI Agent's ability to perform the associated responsibilities it is assigned.
Use of AI Agents in Call Centers and Customer Service
In most call centers today, the bulk of a customer service agent's time is spent handling a limited number of common questions that consumers have regarding their purchase. In contrast to the amount of time that a traditional customer service agent must spend addressing a customer's inquiry, an AI Agent can resolve most inquiries within 30 seconds, thereby increasing the time available for a customer service agent to handle more nuanced issues.
For instance, when a customer has a question regarding the status of their order, the AI Agent can easily check the order's status and send the customer an SMS text message containing a tracking number, or a link to another digital location containing all of the information regarding their order's shipping status. If a customer has an issue with their order, the AI Agent can accurately record that issue and create a ticket to the appropriate team who can follow up with the customer and address their needs.
One case, that of the ASCN.AI cryptocurrency exchange, demonstrated a decrease in customer wait times from 4 minutes to 15 seconds and 65% of calls being resolved without any human intervention by the AI Agent. The creation of AI agents for the sales and marketing industries has freed up time for a large group of operators, allowing them to assist VIP customers and solve extremely complex problems.
Cold calling is a major inconvenience for managers, but an AI agent can easily contact up to 10,000 potential customers within days, identifying those who are most interested in meeting with a representative.
In addition to selling, an AI agent can also gather customer feedback and complete surveys and offer additional products. An example of this would be purchase of a smartphone followed by an offer of accessories via phone, which led to an increase of 15-25% per average order.
The importance of speed to close sales cannot be overstated; the findings of Lead Response Management state that when a customer is called within a minute of submitting a request for a product/service their likelihood of closing the sale is 21 times greater than if they were contacted after one minute.
By sending reminders to customers the day before a scheduled appointment, the no-show rate in both salons and clinics is reduced from 20-30% to approximately 5-8%. A customer can confirm their appointment with their own voice, which will notify the business that the appointment is confirmed.
The same premise of gathering data regarding customer responses via an online questionnaire versus one conducted by an AI agent would result in gathering responses approximately three to four times faster than using an online questionnaire form.
An AI agent will send payment reminders and subscription updates or contract changes to a customer using a non-aggressive approach while taking into consideration the customer's reaction.
Real-World Examples of AI Call Handling in Various Industries
The retail/e-commerce industry saw the conversion rate from incoming calls to sales increase from 12% to 19% in the first month the technology was implemented.
For fintech/banks, one of Russia's 20 largest banks was able to reduce the time to process a refinance application from 8 minutes to 3 minutes and AI accounted for 40% of the calls.
In real estate, a real estate agency in Moscow has effectively eliminated missed calls, now answering all inquiries.
In medicine, dental clinics saw a reduction in no-shows from 25% to 7% due to automated appointment reminders.
In education, an English school saw the conversion rate from inquiry to trial lesson increase from 25% to 38%.
Real-Life Cases and Customer Feedback
One example comes from the beginning of October 2022 when there was a significant market downturn and many companies' stocks fell by as much as 15% within hours. The ASCN.AI agent received and processed 4,200 calls in just three hours and immediately routed the calls involving complicated questions to a live customer service representative, which helped to preserve the company's reputation.
The fintech company Falcon Finance utilized an AI agent to take 1,800 calls over two months and discovered 620 hot leads, resulting in 140 deals. As a result, the cost to acquire a client dropped from $85 to $32.
Customer testimonials:
"The AI agent enabled my sales team to offload 40% of their regular calls to the agent, allowing them to focus on more significant leads." The sales plan increased by 30% while the number of salespeople stayed the same. "Reminders greatly decreased the number of no-shows at our clinic from 20-25% down to 6%, and we were able to add 40-50 more appointments without increasing the advertising budget," said the owner of the clinic.
The Benefits of Leveraging an AI Call Center Agent
Saving Time and Money
A single AI agent can effectively replace between 3-5 customer service representatives simultaneously in terms of volume of incoming calls. The average annual salary for a representative is around RUB50000 – 70000, while the cost for an AI agent will typically range from RUB10000 – 30000, depending on the workload required of the agent. An investment in AI agents typically pays for itself within two to three months. Perhaps most importantly, AI agents never call in sick, do not tire, and do not take holidays. They can work continuously without interruption. They provide shorter talk times—on average from 5-7 minutes for a conversation down to 1-3 minutes—allowing two to three times as many calls to be completed per agent.
Improved Interactions with Customers
An AI agent treats every customer with professionalism, courtesy, and patience. An AI agent has access to a complete record of the customer's previous interactions, enabling it to avoid asking the customer to repeat information. Customers appreciate that their time is valuable, and taking this into consideration increases their overall satisfaction with the company. According to a report by Forrester Research, 73% of consumers consider fast service a key component of high-quality service.
Increased Scalability and Availability
When there is an unexpected influx of calls because of product promotions, sales, or during an economic downturn, an AI agent can be scaled up to accommodate the increased volume of calls through the addition of more capacity without the need for additional employees. The service also offers over 50 languages with automatic switching to the required language, allowing for increased access to foreign markets.
Improving Scenario Quality and Personalizing Communications
All agents are on the same page with a Unified Scenario so they don't get mixed up. They are able to insert the customer's name, and to access past purchases and preferences, therefore increasing their chances of making a sale. Personalization is a very effective tool; according to Salesforce Research, personalization increases the likelihood of making a purchase by 20-25%.
Improving Conversion and Lead Generation Efficiency
AI calls the customer back literally right after the inquiry has been submitted; in this case, the AI will qualify the customer the fastest possible way by using methods such as the BANT method. Another advantage of the AI is that it allows for A/B testing of different scenarios and selecting the best performing scenario, something that is very difficult to accomplish in a live environment.
Specifics about Implementation and Integration
How to connect an AI for Call: Instructions and Requirements
Technical Requirements and APIs
You will require access to your telephony API (SIP or Cloud PBX), as well as integration with your CRM, and a consistent Internet connection of at least 10 Mbps for 10-20 concurrent calls. The connection to the telephony API will take approximately 1-2 hours to complete, including configuring a SIP Trunk or Cloud PBX (examples: Zadarma, Mango Office, Twilio). Integration with a popular CRM (amoCRM, Bitrix24, Salesforce, HubSpot) will be completed through either REST API or Webhooks, while integration with a custom CRM will take approximately 2-5 days for development.
The voice, tempo, pauses, and accents will all be configured in accordance with the brand. It is possible to train an agent to use your unique terminology, such as medical or financial terminology.
Security & Data Protection and Confidentiality
All aspects of personal information are compliant with applicable laws (e.g., GDPR). All data is secured using TLS 1.3 encryption, and all audio recordings are stored securely in a Cloud environment with tightly controlled access to them and two-factor authentication required for accessing them. The agent informs the call participant prior to the call starting that the call is being recorded for legal and quality assurance purposes.
Building Business-Specific Scenarios
Business-specific scenarios are essentially decision trees that define multiple outcomes based on various responses from clients. A simple visual builder in which users can create their own dialogues by choosing from a variety of follow-up questions and the option to transfer a client to a human agent if they become abusive or hostile is available.
The process of launching and integrating the ASCN.AI application is as follows:
- Sign up for an account with ASCN.AI and select a plan (a free 2-week trial is offered)
- Connect your telephone system to ASCN.AI and verify that the connection works
- Connect your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to ASCN.AI, set the required fields up, and test the connection with a phone call
- Create your scenario(s) using the visual builder: Greetings, Questions, Actions, Escalations
- Select the voice and tone for your scenario(s) using trial phone calls to test different voices/tone styles
- Test and refine your scenarios until they meet your needs
- Launch into production and start tracking usage metrics
- As you grow, scale and create an Analytics Dashboard to track call metrics, conversation rates, time spent on calls, and escalation activity.
Comparison of AI Agents vs Live Operators
Strengths vs Weaknesses of Each
AI Agent Strengths: AI Agent can respond within 1 - 3 minutes (as opposed to 5 - 7 minutes for Live Operators) at 3 - 5 times lower cost; is available 24/7 without weekends; scalability of service delivery is not an issue; quality consistency; as well as providing automated analytics.
AI Agent Weaknesses: AI Agent has lower emotional intelligence; AI Agent's ability to work with non-standard requests is more limited than Live Operators; AI Agents require regular updates/monitoring and many customers still prefer to speak with a Live Operator.
Live Operator Strengths: Live Operator has a high level of emotional intelligence; Live Operators can assist in resolving complex subjects; and are able to create long-term relationships with customers.
Live Operator Weaknesses: Live Operators are significantly more expensive (salaries, training, etc.); Live Operator's ability to scale is limited; quality consistency is impacted by human performance variation; and Live Operators are not available 24/7.
Comparison Table
| Criteria | AI Agent | Live Operator |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Cost | 10,000 - 30,000 RUB | 50,000 - 70,000 RUB + taxes |
| Availability | 24/7 no weekends | 8 - 12 hours, weekends by schedule |
| Call Processing Time | 1 - 3 minutes | 5 - 7 minutes |
| Volume of Calls Day | 500 - 1,000+ calls/day | 30 - 50 calls/day |
| Empathy | Low | High |
| Non-Standard Requests | Medium | High |
| Quality Consistency | High | Medium |
| Scalability | Instant | Slow |
| Analytics | Automated and complete | Manual and incomplete |
| Handling Objections | Medium | High |
| Payback Period | 2 - 4 months | 8 - 12 months |
As stated by Gartner Analysts (2022), the ideal solution is to use both AI Agents, taking care of 70 - 80% of routine calls, leaving Live Operators to address complex issues. The end result is that you provide customers with fast service and a personal touch.
FAQs about AI Agents for Calls
Q: Can an agent be trained on highly specialized terminology?
A: Yes, we can upload your database and achieve an accuracy level of 92 - 95%.
Q: What if the client wants to talk to a Live Operator?
A: The system is designed to automatically transfer the call to a Live Operator.
Q: How does the agent handle various accent and noise levels?
A: ASR systems are trained to work with many different vocal ranges and levels of background noise at an approximate accuracy of 90 - 95%. If the agent cannot understand the caller, the agent will not give up until the third attempt.
Q: Can you integrate your custom CRM into our AI Agent?
A: Yes, if your custom CRM has an API or WebHook, the integration can take 2 - 5 days.
Q: When will the agent be operational?
A: Typical tasks can be configured within a week; complex tasks may take up to two weeks to configure. We provide 14 days of free testing.
Q: How does the AI ensure data security?
A: All customer data is encrypted using TLS 1.3; access to your data is restricted by role and secured by Two-Factor Authentication; and any voice recordings are secured and monitored.
Q: What happens if the agent cannot provide a solution?
A: The call is immediately transferred to a Live Operator or a callback will be requested.
Q: Is the AI suitable for cold calling?
A: Yes, the AI can qualify approximately 70% of leads; closing tasks are managed by the sales managers.
Q: How does the AI know when to switch to a Live Operator?
A: The AI has specific triggers such as the use of profanity, complaints, management mentions, and repeated recognition errors.
Q: What is the expected accuracy level of the AI's speech recognition?
A: On ideal conditions the AI can achieve 95 - 98% accuracy; in normal working conditions approximately 90 - 93%; after further training, the AI can reach between 94 - 96%.