Introduction
Voice and conversational AI are becoming primary interaction method. Customers talk to chatbots. Employees use voice assistants. Voice search is growing.
Voice and conversational AI (voice assistants, chatbots, voicebots) enable natural interaction. Better user experience. More accessible. Higher engagement.
Workflow 1: AI Chatbots for Customer Support
What It Does
AI chatbot understands customer questions in natural language. Responds with helpful answers. Escalates to human when needed.
Setup
- Train AI on company knowledge base and FAQs
- Deploy on website or messaging platform
- AI learns from conversations to improve
Real Example
Customer service team receives 1000 messages daily. Overwhelmed. Wait times are long.
With AI chatbot:
- Chatbot handles 60-70 percent of conversations (routine questions)
- Humans handle 30-40 percent (complex or escalated)
- Wait time drops from hours to minutes
- Customer satisfaction improves
- Team workload decreases 60 percent
Impact
Customer service scales. Wait times drop. Satisfaction improves. Team workload decreases.
Workflow 2: Voice Assistants for Hands-Free Interaction
What It Does
Voice assistant understands spoken commands. Performs actions without keyboard or screen. Ideal for busy, mobile, or accessibility use cases.
Setup
- Integrate with voice platform (Google Assistant, Alexa, or custom)
- Train on company actions and capabilities
- Deploy on smart speakers or mobile
Real Example
Employee is busy. Hands full. Needs to check order status or send message.
With voice assistant:
- "What's the status of my order?"
- Assistant: "Your order shipped yesterday. It will arrive Thursday."
- "Send message to customer about this order"
- Assistant: "I'll send that now."
- No typing needed. Hands-free. Natural interaction.
Impact
Hands-free interaction. Faster task completion. Better for accessibility. Higher engagement.
Workflow 3: Voicebots for Inbound and Outbound Calls
What It Does
AI voicebot conducts phone calls. Can answer inbound calls or make outbound calls. Handles routine conversations.
Setup
- Train voicebot on conversation flows and responses
- Integrate with phone system
- Deploy for inbound or outbound calls
Real Example
Customer support center receives high call volume. Hiring enough agents is expensive.
With voicebot:
- Inbound calls: voicebot answers, handles routing and simple issues
- For complex issues: voicebot transfers to human agent with context
- Call volume handled increases. Wait time decreases. Costs decrease.
Impact
Call volume handled increases. Wait times drop. Costs decrease. Customer experience improves.
Workflow 4: Conversational Search and Discovery
What It Does
Instead of typing search queries, user has conversation with AI. AI understands context and intent. Provides better results.
Setup
- Build conversational search interface
- AI understands user intent and context
- Provides relevant results or recommendations
Real Example
User wants to find product but search interface is clunky. User types keywords. Results aren't helpful.
With conversational search:
- User: "I'm looking for a winter jacket for men, waterproof, under $200"
- AI understands: category (jacket), type (men's), feature (waterproof), budget ($200)
- AI: "I found 15 options. Here are the top 3 based on reviews."
- Better results. Better experience. Higher conversion.
Impact
Better search results. Higher conversion. Better user experience. More accessible (no need to know search syntax).
Workflow 5: Intelligent Voicebot for Outbound Campaigns
What It Does
Voicebot makes outbound calls (appointment reminders, surveys, lead qualification). Reduces manual calling.
Setup
- Define call script and conversation flows
- Train voicebot on responses and escalation
- Deploy for outbound calling
Real Example
Healthcare facility needs to call 500 patients for appointment reminders. Normally takes 40 hours of staff time.
With voicebot:
- Voicebot calls 500 patients
- Confirms appointments, reminds of time and location
- If patient has questions, escalates to staff
- Task completed in 2 hours instead of 40 hours
- Cost savings: $1000+ per campaign
Impact
Outbound tasks scale. Labor costs decrease. Response rates increase. Staff time freed for higher-value work.
Voice and Conversational AI Platforms
- Chatbots: ChatGPT, Claude, Intercom, Drift, Zendesk
- Voice Assistants: Google Assistant, Alexa, Siri, custom builds
- Voicebots: Google Voice, Amazon Connect, Vonage, Twilio
- Conversational Search: Custom builds, integrated into platforms
Best Practices
Natural Language Understanding
System must understand variations of user intent. "What's my order status?" "When will my order arrive?" "Is my package here?" All mean the same thing.
Context Awareness
System remembers previous interactions. If user asks follow-up questions, AI understands context.
Smooth Handoffs to Humans
When AI can't help, transition to human without repeating information.
Personality and Tone
System should match company voice. Professional, friendly, or casual depending on brand.
Continuous Learning
System gets better over time. User corrections and feedback improve accuracy.
Conclusion
Voice and conversational AI enable natural interaction. Better user experience. Higher engagement. Lower costs.
Companies deploying voice and conversational AI will improve customer experience and reduce operational costs. Start with chatbots for support. Expand to voice assistants and voicebots. Your interactions will become more natural and efficient.