AI & VoIP
You’ve likely heard Artificial Intelligence (AI) mentioned in the past year or so, as what once seemed to be science fiction has become part of our everyday lives. AI already has a significant impact on technology today, and that impact is only expected to grow in the near future. One of the technologies AI is expected to shape is VoIP. This popular telecommunication solution is already providing benefits for businesses large and small across the world, and when combined with AI, it has the potential to streamline workflow and increase efficiency.
What is VoIP?
VoIP is an acronym for “voice over internet protocol.” Simply put, it is a phone service that is delivered over the internet rather than traditional phone lines through a local phone company. VoIP is a technology that takes analog audio—such as your voice—and turns it into digital data. This data is recorded, sent over the internet to a specific address, and played back to the recipient of your call. It may sound a little convoluted, but VoIP is a technology that is useful for companies of all sizes, regardless of their call volume each day. Perhaps the greatest benefit of implementing VoIP is lower costs, as it is generally cheaper than traditional phone services. The most significant disadvantage of utilizing VoIP is the potential for latency or lag. This will not necessarily affect the voice quality, but there may be a delay in audio, which can make for an uncomfortable conversation. That’s where AI comes into play.
Future Impact of AI on VoIP
AI can actually help to reduce latency in VoIP calls. AI can actually detect problems in quality early on, which is the key to fixing this issue. In the past, the solution to any technological issue was always to buy new hardware or upgrade to new software. Since the speed of processing is now the biggest concern with VoIP, AI will be the perfect solution. ArtificialIntelligence has the ability to handle data quicker than any other technology currently on the market.
In addition to solving latency issues, AI will also be able to help with low-bandwidth and incorrect network configurations in real-time. The concept is that it will identify any issues and proactively work to fix it without any manual direction. Some AI programs will also be able to analyze data, such as patterns in conversations and emails, in order to provide insights on consumer behavior.
As previously mentioned, organizations that see hundreds of calls per day—such as telemarketing call centers—can really benefit from VoIP, especially when AI is in the picture. AI can assist in managing call traffic by routing calls via machine-learned techniques. This is very valuable to the efficiency of a business since it provides clarity of communication on both the caller’s end and the employee’s end. It has the potential to ease callers’ frustrations and increase the productivity of customer service teams.
Another way to increase productivity through AI is to implement virtual assistants for your business. While there is already a first wave of these assistants in VoIP, AI helps fine tune the overall experience for consumers with improved interpretations of requests to better understand customers’ needs. If AI can help on this front as expected, then it will save human service techs significant amounts of time and allow them to allocate their services to more complex issues.
If you would like to learn more about a VoIP solution for your business, contact Verticomm today! Our trained business communications professionals will be able to answer any questions you may have and give you the guidance needed to decide if VoIP would be the right fit for your company.