Ways Voice AI Improves Customer Interactions

Unsurprisingly AI was in many Super Bowl ads. But did you expect AI at the Westminster Dog Show 🐶? Regal.ai created a super original marketing campaign - the AI Dog Hotline (link in comments). Naturally, I had to dig deeper. So I looked into Regal some more and called one of their real agents at 810-630-3314. I was skeptical at first, but within seconds, I realized this wasn’t just another bot. It handled the conversation smoothly, responded naturally, and even adapted when I changed topics mid-sentence. 4 reasons you will be blown away: 1. It sounds human 🙋♂️ Regal.ai’s AI Agent picked up on everything I said and responded like a real person. It even talked about how it handles interruptions and topic changes effortlessly. 2. Handles emotions like a pro 😌 It actually gets when someone is frustrated and responds with empathy—no robotic scripts, just clear and calm conversation. 3. Always on, always improving 📊 No hold times, no "closed" hours—it's there 24/7. Plus, you get full call insights, like transcriptions, sentiment analysis, and QA scoring. 4. Effortless integration & scaling ⚡ It plugs right into your contact center and lets you A/B test with zero coding. Start small, then scale fast. If you’re in sales, support, or operations, you should check this out. AI-powered interactions just leveled up.

🗣️ Sesame just crossed the uncanny valley of voice AI. I accidentally proved it with a bizarre experiment last night. Last Thursday, Sesame published groundbreaking research on their Conversational Speech Model (CSM) that achieved something remarkable: humans couldn't tell the difference between their AI and real human voices. In blind tests, people actually preferred the AI voice 52.9% of the time. I was testing this breakthrough when something unexpected happened. While exploring Grok's (xAI) new "argumentative (18+)" personality mode, I turned on Sesame's voice agent Maya on my laptop. Without any prompting, they started talking to each other. What followed was mind-blowing: two AI systems with distinct personalities having a completely natural-sounding argument. Grok became increasingly confrontational while Maya maintained composure while setting boundaries. The conversation could have continued indefinitely had I not stopped recording after 2 minutes. This was a glimpse into the future of customer engagement: 🤝 Support Team Transformation: Imagine voice agents that understand context, emotion, and can handle complex customer issues with the warmth of your best support staff—while operating 24/7 at scale 🤑 Reduced Call Center Costs: Cut operational expenses while actually improving CSAT scores with AI that doesn't sound robotic or scripted 🌐 Multi-Channel Brand Presence: Your brand's voice personality can consistently engage customers across phone, in-store kiosks, apps, and smart speakers What makes Sesame's breakthrough different from traditional voice AI: 1. It adapts HOW it speaks based on conversation history and emotional context 2. It understands and responds to subtle conversational cues 3. It maintains consistent personality traits throughout interactions 4. It sounds genuinely human, eliminating the "talking to a robot" frustration 👩🔬 For CTOs: Sesame is open-sourcing these models, meaning your team can fine-tune them for your specific brand voice and use cases. 👨💻 For CMOs: This is your chance to literally define how your brand sounds and speaks to millions of customers simultaneously. 👷 For Operations leaders: Voice AI that crosses the uncanny valley means you can scale personalized service without the traditional quality-cost tradeoff. 💰 The technology isn't perfect yet (humans detected AI 67% of the time in full contextual conversations), but we're at the inflection point. The brands that find their authentic voice first will own the conversation with customers. Ofc, none of this matters if it doesn't move the needle. Our Gorgias integration is launching officially tomorrow. Stay tuned. 🤫 #VoiceAI #CustomerExperience #Ecommerce

Prediction: AI Voice agents will be the fastest-growing part of the healthcare workforce in 2025. Imagine a nurse stepping into her car after completing a start-of-care visit aided by an AI ambient listening app. With a quick push of a button, she receives a phone call from her clinical assistant agent. “I’ve analyzed the recorded audio from your visit with Jane Smith and completed 60% of the OASIS document. Would you like to discuss the areas needing more information?” With the visit fresh in her mind, the nurse effortlessly completes her documentation through a natural conversation, eliminating manual entry into the EMR. Her AI assistant also prepares her for the next patient, providing necessary details and saving valuable time. This is the promising future for healthcare AI voice agents. As opposed to the frustrating experience of IVR systems, recent advancements in capabilities and responsiveness have dramatically improved Voice AI technology, finally allowing an AI agent to carry a natural conversation much in the way humans would. These agents, operating on behalf of healthcare providers, are set to transform routine communications in healthcare, significantly reducing operational costs and boosting productivity while improving patient experience. Key areas of immediate impact are likely to be the following: Patient Scheduling & Visit Confirmation: AI voice agents can proactively confirm appointments, reducing costly no-shows by providing convenient rescheduling options if needed. Patient Engagement, Education & Care Management: With virtually limitless capacity, voice agents can frequently engage with patients, driving medication adherence, monitoring conditions, and offering personalized health education at scale. Referral Intake & Coordination: AI agents streamline the referral process by instantly capturing and verifying patient details, coordinating seamlessly with referring providers, and quickly updating clinical teams—accelerating patient onboarding and care delivery. Authorizations and Billing: Voice assistants automate verification of insurance coverage, obtain prior authorizations swiftly, and address common billing inquiries efficiently, significantly reducing administrative workloads. Caregiver Recruiting & Retention: AI-driven initial candidate screenings, qualification checks, and timely follow-ups enhance recruitment efficiency and candidate experience, allowing agencies to attract and retain caregivers effectively. What would you do with an unlimited AI voice agent workforce?

As many of you already know... I've been dipping pretty deeply into AI lately (and have partnered up with UponAI). Though my interest and involvement in it is based on helping businesses function better... I get that there's also another perspective on it that I think is worth addressing. There's this common worry that AI is here to take the place of humans. I get it. Our interactions with others are so important in building relationships and connecting with customers. But I like to think of this a little differently. AI is not here to replace the faces behind a business. It's here to work WITH them. Here's what I mean. Imagine this: It's one of those super busy days at your office, and calls are coming in like crazy. Usually, if your receptionist can't catch every call, customers end up stuck on hold, listening to that oh-so-familiar hold music. Now, imagine if instead: When the phone rings, your team gets the first opportunity to answer. But when their hands are full, AI could step in to keep things moving... This isn't about sidelining our people; it’s about making sure we never miss a beat in serving our customers. When the AI steps in, it’s all about smooth support: figuring out what the caller needs, connecting them to the right department, and handling other simple tasks. Here's why this is awesome: → No more missed calls, every customer is greeted. → We boost our team's efficiency without losing the human touch. → It's cost-effective because managing lots of calls can happen simultaneously–even if staffing is low. → Every call gets logged—and afterwards, we get a summary, making follow-ups super easy. I like to think of AI as the friendly sidekick in our customer service stories. It’s here to help us make sure our customer service stays top-notch, all while keeping our human connection strong. In a world where great service really matters, this is so important. It's not about replacing, but reinforcing 😎☎️ What do you think? Do you see how this could be beneficial to a business, or are you solely for the human touch? Would love to hear your thoughts! #PhoneBill ☎️