If you call the hotline of a major company, there is a high chance that an answering machine or a voice bot will answer, not a human. In this article we will explain why a voice robot is necessary for calls and how it differs from a regular answering machine.
Voice robot for calls
What is a "voice robot"?
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A voice robot is a smart program that understands human speech and can respond to it like an ordinary interlocutor. Robots recognize frequent questions about the company's work, sign up for services, track orders, while a person may not even notice that they are communicating with a robot.
For example, a customer has ordered a phone from an electronics store and now calls the company to find out the delivery status. A voice assistant answers them. Immediately it found this client by order number in the CRM system, saw when and what they ordered and automatically announced their status "Your order arrived at sort facility, delivery to the pick-up point is expected the day after tomorrow." The client is satisfied, their question is sorted out in a minute, and they don't even need to listen to "Your call is very important to us."
If a call center employee had answered this client, the procedure would have taken longer: first an operator heard and wrote down the order, then found it in the CRM system, looked at the status and announced it to the client. Thus, the robot freed the employee from a routine task and speeded up its solution for the client.
If a call center employee had answered this client, the procedure would have taken longer: first an operator heard and wrote down the order, then found it in the CRM system, looked at the status and announced it to the client. Thus, the robot freed the employee from a routine task and speeded up its solution for the client.
The voice robot differs from the usual answering machine, which repeats memorized phrases and does not respond to speech in any way. The robot works according to given scripts but, unlike a machine, it is able to interact with a person, perform certain functions and adapt to an interlocutor. For example, an answering machine cannot sign up a client to the dentist on Wednesday at 8 am but a robot can.
What is the benefit of a voice robot for business
A voice robot for business is a call center operator or a sales manager who does not get sick, take days off or go on vacation. They are always on call and do not miss a single client. The bot can work around the clock and help customers with their problems constantly, regardless of a time zone and work schedule.
Although robots are useful for entrepreneurs, they are not able to completely replace employees. There are always people who prefer to communicate with a human and problems that a machine cannot solve. But voice robots cope with tasks like signing up for a haircut, collecting feedback, technical support or informing about discounts on massage.
Although robots are useful for entrepreneurs, they are not able to completely replace employees. There are always people who prefer to communicate with a human and problems that a machine cannot solve. But voice robots cope with tasks like signing up for a haircut, collecting feedback, technical support or informing about discounts on massage.
Voice robots sell using phone calls
Bots can be used to lead customers all the way to purchase an item, collect feedback about the quality of a product and inform about new services. For these purposes, a voice robot is used for calling.
Calls to sign up for a medical appointment, an invitation to a test drive after a client has left a request on the website, a reminder to gym guests who have not gone training for a long time – these are examples of calling by a voice robot.
Calls to sign up for a medical appointment, an invitation to a test drive after a client has left a request on the website, a reminder to gym guests who have not gone training for a long time – these are examples of calling by a voice robot.
In this case, the voice robot is needed for cold and warm sales. For example, it calls customers who have left a request for a test drive of a car, clarifies details and signs up a potential client at a convenient time. After the test drive, the same robot will call back to ask about customer's impressions and offer a discount or special loan conditions.
If a person agrees, the bot will transfer the conversation to an operator who will complete a transaction. Thus, the voice robot can help clients to pass through different stages of a sales funnel and sell goods to them.
If a person agrees, the bot will transfer the conversation to an operator who will complete a transaction. Thus, the voice robot can help clients to pass through different stages of a sales funnel and sell goods to them.
Voice robots can call customers, introduce themselves as employees of the company, and a person will think that they are communicating with an ordinary operator. At the same time, a smart bot handles objections like a sales manager, supports a conversation and simulates engagement. Here's how the Pegas Touristik travel company robot works:
Smart voice robots help companies sell their products. And they can also collect feedback. For example, call a customer after pizza or sushi delivery and ask to leave a review:
The robot uploads feedback to the database, where a marketer or a quality service manager listens to it and gives an employee a bonus if a client is satisfied or looks into a situation if something went wrong.
Voice robots take calls and help customers
Voice bots can not only call customers, but also receive calls through a hotline. This is usually common for customer support or companies where people often sign up for services by phone — for example, a medical clinic, a beauty salon, a delivery service or a bank.
For instance, in a voice robot works in customer support: it addresses a client by name and patronymic, consults on services, talks about a mobile application and can tell you where to look for the debit card usage period. If a question is too complicated, the robot offers to connect an operator to the conversation and then asks for feedback on the quality of its work.
The voice robot can also sign up a client for a manicure or to a doctor. A person calls the hotline and chooses appropriate time from suggested options. At the same time, the robot can be connected to the CRM system and enter data about an appointment into it.
A smart voice robot with artificial intelligence adapts to a person
Bots may differ in functions and in the complexity of the design. So, a simple voice robot can be configured for only one task — to call customers and collect feedback about the quality of the service. And there is a smart voice robot, which is more complicated. For example, it can recognize an interlocutor by age, gender and adjust to a dialogue. Or find information about a client, make entries in the CRM system, send a personal offer to email and WhatsApp after a conversation, as the robot does in the example below:
Smart voice robots with artificial intelligence are able to conduct clear, meaningful conversations with an interlocutor and make sure that a person completes a conversion (a targeted action that is important for a company). For example, a purchase, a request for a service, an appointment for a consultation.
How to create a voice robot
Creating a voice robot is a complex, multi-level process that requires a lot of resources from a company. To make a useful robot that does not annoy people, one has to consider goals that it is supposed to achieve, the voice of the brand and write all possible scripts that the robot will follow.
Sometimes one robot is enough for a business to perform one function, for example, to call customers and invite them to a free consultation. In other cases, it would be necessary to create a voice robot with a branched structure that is connected to the customer base, social networks and is able to conduct a long dialogue with a client on various questions from sales to technical support.
Therefore, to create a voice robot, business owners turn to special development agencies such as Tomoru. There specialists together with the company's marketers come up with the structure of the bot, analyze potential customers and launch goals and create a robot suitable for the tasks.
Sometimes one robot is enough for a business to perform one function, for example, to call customers and invite them to a free consultation. In other cases, it would be necessary to create a voice robot with a branched structure that is connected to the customer base, social networks and is able to conduct a long dialogue with a client on various questions from sales to technical support.
Therefore, to create a voice robot, business owners turn to special development agencies such as Tomoru. There specialists together with the company's marketers come up with the structure of the bot, analyze potential customers and launch goals and create a robot suitable for the tasks.
How much does a voice robot cost
The cost of the robot depends on the complexity of a task. For standard solutions, there are package tariffs depending on the duration of conversations, load, and the functions of the robot. They can vary in the range of 5,000 – 50,000 rubles.
Some companies can develop large, branched robots for months and assign a cost per project. Then the price can start from 100,000 rubles or higher. In any case, the general principle is the following: the more functions and skills a voice robot has, the more expensive it will be.
Some companies can develop large, branched robots for months and assign a cost per project. Then the price can start from 100,000 rubles or higher. In any case, the general principle is the following: the more functions and skills a voice robot has, the more expensive it will be.