Should You Let AI Make Your Phone Calls—And Which Options Are Best? 

You probably have a lot of communication in your day. Some of it you might look forward to and enjoy, while some you actively dread. If you’re socially anxious or extremely busy, phone calls can easily fit into the latter category. With the rise of AI, however, many tasks are being offloaded to machines, with photo calls being a prime candidate by tech giants like Google.

But should we really be offloading calls, and if so, which options are best? This article will explore both questions .

When Is an AI Phone Call Useful?

Right off the bat, nobody is saying that you should do anything as dystopian as offloading your calls to and from family and friends to even the best AI call assistant. That said, there are times when machine learning technology can come in useful, such as:

• Minor tasks – If you’re looking to book a reservation or handle an appointment, an AI call can easily do the trick.
• Business efficiency – If AI calls are trained to handle the multitude of smaller tasks that might bog down call centers (FAQs, queries, appointments), then switching these over to AI frees up consultants for more important matters where human interaction is a must.
• Screening calls – If you’re being flooded with telemarketers and spam calls, having an AI assistant to tackle the deluge can bring great peace of mind.

It’s easy to see how AI phone assistants can help save time and money and bring a lot of efficiency to a workflow. It’s not perfect, though.

Considering the Costs and Risks

With all the hype surrounding AI phone assistants, there are a lot of problems and risks to keep in mind, too. Some major ones include:

• Security – AI assistants might be tricked into giving away sensitive information or convinced to do something detrimental to your business. While control measures may be in place, they aren’t perfect.
• Compliance – Local laws, such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in the U.S., have strict rules about automated calls, especially outbound ones. Failure to comply may result in legal ramifications.
• Scams and spam – AI phone calls can easily be used for nefarious purposes or be mistaken for having them.
• Complex tasks – AI technology isn’t at the level of making complex requests yet, making in-depth tasks harder to do.

On top of this, AI phone calls should never be used as a substitute for human interaction. Sensitive issues, complex tasks, and relationships all need a human touch.

AI Call Assistant Tools

Pros, cons, and risks aside, you might be wondering what AI tools are out there today for making or receiving calls. Here are some of the major ones:

Autocalls

If you’re in business and have a high volume of calls to make, then Autocalls can make things much easier. It’s ideal for creating and communicating automated messages, which makes reminders and updates easy to communicate to many people. From a sales perspective, it can also work in converting leads.

Bland

Far from what the name might suggest, Bland focuses on creating as natural a speaking voice and conversation as possible for AI systems. It allows you to create and customize various voice profiles and use them over a high volume of calls. Bland also offers seamless API integration.

Otter

Otter is a slightly different take on phone call assistants, but it can be a vital addition. If you need live transcription of a call or group meeting, this tool is more than up to the challenge. It can summarize, take notes, and export them in multiple formats.

Google Dialogflow

Google has also thrown its hat into the ring with its own conversational agents. Besides integration with the Google ecosystem, the tool also offers multiple channel capabilities, be they text messages or full-on calls. It even integrates well with other mainstream apps like Slack and has versatility beyond simply marketing.