Expert Opinion: Should your business use an AI Voice Assistant?

Dave Taylor from Stockport’s Amshire IT discusses whether or not a AI voice assistant can support your colleagues with handling telephone enquiries.

AI is changing the way businesses work, and one area where it is becoming increasingly practical is the humble telephone call.

For many businesses, the phone is still an important customer touchpoint. But how much of your team’s time is spent answering the same questions?

• What are your opening hours?
• Can I change my appointment?
• Has my order been dispatched?
• Can someone call me back?

These questions might be simple, but answering them repeatedly can take valuable time away from your team.

That is where AI voice assistants could have a role to play.

What can an AI voice assistant actually do?

Unlike traditional automated telephone systems, modern AI voice assistants can understand spoken requests and respond conversationally.

Depending on the technology and integrations available, they could help with things such as:

• Answering frequently asked questions
• Booking or rearranging appointments
• Checking relevant customer information
• Creating support tickets
• Sending confirmations or follow up information
• Handling calls outside normal business hours

For businesses dealing with a high volume of routine enquiries, this could remove a significant amount of repetitive work.

The goal is not to replace your people

It can be tempting to look at AI as a way to reduce the number of people answering calls.

But there is another opportunity. What if your team simply had more time to focus on the conversations where their experience and judgement really matter?

A customer asking about your opening hours may be perfectly happy with an instant answer from an AI assistant.

A complicated complaint or sensitive customer issue is different. That is where human expertise still matters.

The most effective use of AI is not necessarily automating everything. It is identifying where automation can improve the customer experience while giving your people more time to add value.

Start with the problem, not the technology

If you are considering an AI voice assistant, you do not need to transform your entire telephone system overnight.

Start by looking at your current calls.

Which enquiries happen repeatedly? Which processes are straightforward? Where is your team spending time that could be better used elsewhere?

A small, low risk process could be a good place to test the technology, measure the results and understand how customers respond before expanding further.

But what abut security?

This is where careful planning becomes important.

An AI voice assistant may need access to customer information, calendars, support systems or other business data. That means security, privacy, permissions and integrations all need to be considered before implementation.

The technology might be impressive, but it still needs to fit securely into the wider systems your business relies on.

Is AI voice technology right for your business?

AI voice assistants could help reduce repetitive work, improve response times and give your team more time to focus on customers who genuinely need their expertise.

But adopting AI simply because everyone else is talking about it is unlikely to deliver the best result.

The better question is: What problem are we trying to solve, and could AI solve it effectively?