Contact centres or call centres are the backbone of the current economy. As much as we have biases or stereotype against them, call centres solve real time issues. Considering how much we rely on these call centres, they have to handle massive volumes on a regular basis. Which arises the set of challenges such as waiting time period, overworked human agents and ambitious targets. High time, as call centers look to streamline operations and improve customer experiences, the choice between AI chatbots and AI voice agents is increasingly critical. Both AI-driven technologies offer unique solutions and advantages, but understanding the nuances of each can help you determine which one or both best fit your call center's needs. This blog cum guide breaks down the key differences, benefits, and use cases of AI chatbots and voice agents, helping you make an informed decision. The Rise of AI in Call Centers

Since the last major telecom revolution in 2016 (We all know what we are talking about!) Interaction volumes have risen dramatically and with rising customer expectations, businesses have been left no choice but to adapt quickly and efficiently to queries. Adoption of AI technology has allowed call centers to meet this demand, offering scale and automation that can drastically reduce call wait times and improve service. AI chatbots and AI voice agents have become essential tools in this space, each providing unique forms of customer interaction. But what is the difference and how do you know which one to choose or even choose both.

Introducing AI Chatbots: The Text-Based Customer Service agents

So, What are AI Chatbots?

AI chatbots are text-based interaction tools that communicate with customers via chat windows, their individual apps or websites. These bots use natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to understand customer questions and provide relevant responses, often handling multiple queries simultaneously. Best thing about AI-chatbots are that they can be highly customized. Just like how you train a new hire. But cheaper, lower turn around time and a one-time activity. Meaning, they can be trained on your business requirements, data and previous interactions (if any). That helps AI chatbots understand tonality, context about business and interact accordingly. So in which use-cases they can be most efficient?

Why Choose AI Chatbots?

• Efficiency at Scale: Chatbots can manage several queries at once, making them an ideal solution for call centres with high volumes of customer requests, especially during peak times.

• Cost Reduction: By handling routine inquiries, chatbots free up human agents to focus on more complex issues or an advanced level discussion, resulting in lower operational costs.

• 24/7 Availability: AI chatbots don’t need to sleep or even clock out, ensuring that customers always have access to support, even after or odd hours.

When to Use AI Chatbots:

• Handling sub-advance level FAQs and routine requests.

• Resolving billing queries, navigating through the product or service, order tracking and processing orders.

• Providing first-level support, before escalating more complex issues or advance level discussions to human agents.

Did you know: According to research, AI chatbots can handle up to 80% of routine customer inquiries, leading to a significant reduction in response times and operational costs.

AI Voice Agents: Human-Like Conversations

What are AI Voice Agents?

AI voice agents are just like human agents that use speech recognition and LLM to interact with customers via voice calls. Current IVRs which are usually structured, menu-driven can be quite tedious and are not meant to handle volumes which we all see today. Whereas, AI voice agents can engage in natural, free-flowing conversations, making them almost indistinguishable from human agents

Why Choose AI Voice Agents?

• Human-Like Quality Interaction even at high volumes: AI voice agents offer a conversational tone that mimics human agents, providing customers with a more personal experience. In real-time, AI voice agents through integrated CRMs can access an existing customer’s profile and make the interaction personalised

• Complex Problem Solving: AI Voice agents are skilled and trained for understanding customer intent, making them ideal for resolving more complex queries or engaging in multi-step processes, like loan applications or tech support.

• Quick Resolutions: AI voice agents can significantly reduce average handle time (AHT) by understanding customer issues quickly and providing instant solutions.

When to Use AI Voice Agents:

• Managing high-value, complex customer service issues.

• Personalizing conversations to enhance customer satisfaction.

• Offering voice-based customer support in sectors like banking or healthcare, where detailed conversations are common.

Case Study: One bank successfully implemented AI voice agents, cutting its average handle time by 40%, and improving customer satisfaction by 30%.

Chatbots or Voice Agents: Which One is Right for You?

To undestand this, let us understand their use cases

• AI Chatbots: Useful for companies looking to handle high volumes of simple queries efficiently. They are particularly suited for D2C, e-commerce, or wherever a simple query can be addressed. By understanding the query nature, AI chatbots can direct it to relevant team including sales,

• AI Voice Agents: Best for industries where conversations are more complex, such as Lending, financial services, healthcare, or even technical support. Voice agents excel at understanding nuanced customer concerns, enabling them to provide customized solutions quickly and even arrange a callback in case of possible sales intent.

Costs

• AI chatbots are generally more cost-effective to implement, maintain and even scale, making ideal for businesses to try it out and nudge users to make purchases by addressing queries about a product. The cost savings can be significant, as chatbots can reduce call center expenses by up to 30%.

• AI voice agents, while more expensive upfront due to their advanced speech capabilities, come with reduced Opex. This significantly improve user journey experience and at the same time, reduce workload on over-worked human agents

The Future: Blending AI Chatbots and Voice Agents

In the future, most call centers or even businesses for that matter, may not need to choose one over the other but will instead implement a hybrid approach. And with time usage and implementation cost could come down too, as technology attains scale. A combination of AI solutions—where chatbots can handle simple queries and voice agents tackle complex ones—will make it an ideal business solution.

If you still need further assistance, happy to connect with you and guide you toward making right decision for your business, for free!