Lower contact centre costs with AI Voice Bots and Smart IVR

A voice bot is a smart virtual assistant that contact centres use for outbound and inbound calls. Among the main reasons why businesses employ AI-powered virtual agents are cost efficiency and the scalability of operations.

Embarking on contact centre automation involves a strategic approach. Begin by brainstorming interaction topics encompassing technical support, order confirmations, and insurance renewals.

Analyse call statistics to identify frequently occurring scenarios, optimising automation for efficiency. Prioritise simplicity in initial scenarios, gradually progressing to more complex ones. Consider necessary integrations with systems like CRM and helpdesk for seamless operation.

Define metrics to gauge the bot's impact on efficiency. Calculate conversion rates for outbound calls, comparing the bot's cost-effectiveness to human operators. Compile a comprehensive checklist for software vendors, specifying essential functionalities such as call handling, natural language understanding, and CRM integration. Opt for a vendor aligning closely with these requirements to kickstart successful contact centre automation.

To choose the right vendor for voice bot automation, you need to take into account some key factors, such as the vendor’s expertise and experience, the vendor’s technology, including customisation and integration capabilities. The scalability of the offered solution is equally important if you are planning to grow your business. Our general recommendation is to consider solution providers capable and ready to build a bot from the ground up. Opting for a one-stop-shop platform such as Tovie AI can be advantageous as it provides a wide range of functionalities and features within a single unified solution.

To make a bot sound as natural as possible, companies are adopting advanced techniques such as hybrid synthesis or similar technologies. Instead of relying solely on the traditional speech synthesis model, these methods involve synthesising variables from pre-recorded voices. By blending existing recorded voices with synthesised elements, the bot can produce more realistic and human-like speech patterns. This approach helps to enhance the naturalness of the bot’s voice, making it sound less robotic and more akin to human speech. By combining these techniques with the strategies mentioned above, like implementing NLP, personalisation, pacing, empathy, and continuous learning, companies can create bots that offer highly natural and engaging conversational experiences.

If you are interested in learning more, read our guide on how to build a bot that people want to talk to.

Many companies (mainly larger ones) try to associate the bot’s name and voice with the company's brand. In this case, either the company's brand policies or the internal policies of the contact centre regulate the bot's personality. The company’s brand management defines how the AI agent should speak, what it should convey to the customer and other basic things.