What’s a Voicebot and How to Create One [5 Minutes]

Voicebots are becoming incredibly popular. In this article, we’ll walk you through the basics of voicebots and show you how to build one for free in just 10 minutes.
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Voicebots are becoming incredibly popular. You might have seen the viral video of an AI voice chatbot taking orders at Wendy’s drive-through, or the recent GPT-4o demo where the voice bot can read you a bedtime story or even sing you a song.

At the same time, call center labor costs have been rising due to higher wages and labor shortages. This has led more businesses to explore AI-powered voice agents as a cost-effective alternative. In fact, McKinsey reports that AI-powered virtual agents can handle over 45% of inbound calls at a much lower cost than human representatives.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the basics of voicebots and show you how to build one for free in just 10 minutes.

What Is a Voicebot?

A voicebot—also called a conversational voice AI agent or voice assistant—is an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system designed to interact with users through spoken language. 

Here are the key terminologies you need to know: 

  • Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) converts spoken language into text. 
  • Natural Language Processing (NLP) understands and processes the text to determine the user’s intent. 
  • Natural Language Understanding (NLU) empowers the bot to understand the context of the spoken language.
  • Text-to-speech (TTS) converts the formulated response back to spoken language.

How Do Voicebots Work?

Imagine calling your bank and being greeted by a voicebot. First, the voicebot uses ASR to recognize and transcribe your speech. Then, NLP processes the text to understand your query, whether it’s checking your balance or paying a bill. Finally, the bot formulates an appropriate response and converts it back into speech using TTS, providing you with a verbal reply.

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Voicebot vs Chatbot vs IVR

Deciding between a voicebot, chatbot, or IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system depends on what your business needs and how complex your customer interactions are. Here’s a simple table to help you compare the three options:

Voicebot

Chatbot

IVR (Interactive Voice Response)

Voice-based conversations

Text-based conversations 

Menu-based voice interactions

Handles complex, natural conversations

Handles complex, text-based queries

Limited to predefined options

Requires AI and NLP

Requires AI and NLP

Uses pre-recorded messages

Provides a natural, conversational experience similar to speaking with a live agent. 

Effective for customer support on websites, handling transactions, and guiding users through processes using text interfaces.

Often involves navigating through a menu of options using keypad inputs, which can be frustrating and time-consuming for users.

Ideal for hands-free interactions, such as smart speakers, in-car systems, and customer service scenarios where voice commands are more convenient.

Effective for customer support on websites, handling transactions, and guiding users through processes using text interfaces.

Suitable for simple, straightforward tasks like checking account balances, making payments, or routing calls.

Free with Voiceflow

Free with Voiceflow

Connect your Voiceflow agent with a voice service to get started! 

6 AI Voice Chatbot Use Cases

As traditional voicebots have transformed into advanced AI-powered virtual agents that sound like real people, they’ve started offering interaction experiences that are both empathetic and personalized. Let’s dive into the various ways these AI voice bots can be used:

  1. Customer Service

AI voice chatbots can offer 24/7 support for common customer queries, making life easier for both customers and real-life agents. By handling routine questions, these chatbots free up human agents to focus on more complex issues. For instance, voicebots can authenticate customers and finalize payments, which many people feel more comfortable doing with a bot rather than a real person. According to McKinsey, a utility company that adopted this approach managed to handle over 45% of its inbound queries at a fraction of the cost of using customer representatives. 

Voiceflow allows you to create a Voice assistant in under 10 minutes! Create a free account and watch this step-by-step tutorial to get started. 

  1. Banking and Finance

Voice bots have been widely adopted by banks to improve customer experience, reduce operational costs, and increase efficiency. For example, it can provide information on recent transactions and charges, report lost or stolen cards, and offer personalized financial recommendations. 

  1. E-Commerce

Voice agents can make your e-commerce website more accessible and user-friendly. They can help provide product details, place orders, and track deliveries. For example, Walmart’s voice shopping assistant lets customers add items to their cart and check order statuses. 

Voiceflow makes it incredibly easy to deploy your voice bot to any platform, get started today!

  1. Real Estate

Voice bots can provide details about available properties and assist in scheduling tours. For example, Zillow’s voice assistant can give you information about homes for sale and set up viewing appointments. 

  1. Social Media such as Discord

AI voicebots can enhance user experiences on social media. For example, Clyde, Discord’s AI assistant, can now engage in voice conversations and provide 24/7 support to handle routine inquiries. For example, these bots can help with scheduling, answering FAQs, and providing information about Discord features.

You can build a free Discord bot with Voiceflow in minutes, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it.

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The Best Platform to Create a Voice Agent For Free 

Trusted by over 250,000 teams, Voiceflow stands out as the best collaborative platform for building AI voice agents. You can seamlessly integrate it with services like Segment, Zendesk, Twilio, Salesforce, Shopify, and more. 

Voiceflow also empowers enterprise teams to securely build and manage conversational AI agents at scale. The best part? It’s completely free to get started. Join Voiceflow now and launch your AI voice agent in minutes!

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best bot voice generators? 

Some of the top bot voice generators include Google Text-to-Speech, Amazon Polly, and IBM Watson Text to Speech. They offer natural-sounding voices and various customization options. These tools help create engaging and realistic voicebots.

What’s the Genesys voice bot?

The Genesys voice bot is an AI-powered virtual assistant designed to handle customer interactions, integrating seamlessly with Genesys’ customer experience platform to offer personalized support. This voice bot helps businesses enhance their customer service. If you’re looking for an alternative, consider Voiceflow—trusted by over 250,000 brands like LVMH and Home Depot.

How can voicebots improve the efficiency of call center agents?

Voicebots can handle routine queries, freeing up call center agents to tackle more complex issues. They provide 24/7 support, ensuring customers always get help when needed. This reduces wait times and enhances overall customer satisfaction.

Build an AI Voicebot In 10 Minutes
Join Now—It's Free
Get started, it’s free
Build an AI Voicebot In 10 Minutes
Join Now—It's Free
Get started, it’s free
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