When a client asks us for an AI agent, one of the first questions is whether it should work by text, by voice or both. The answer depends on the job.
Text agents
Text agents work through written messages on WhatsApp, SMS, web chat or email. They read what the customer wants and reply, often with a document or a link attached.
Text suits work where the details must be right, such as orders, applications, bookings and changes to an account. Every message is a record that anyone can read back later. One text agent can also handle many conversations at once, so nobody waits in a queue.
Voice agents
Voice agents answer phone calls. They listen, work out the question and reply out loud.
Voice suits short, simple requests from people who would rather call: booking a time, checking on a delivery or asking a quick question. It also helps customers who find typing hard.
Voice is harder to get right. Speech recognition can struggle with accents and background noise, and a spoken conversation is harder to check afterwards than a written one.
Many businesses get both in one place
WhatsApp already supports voice notes. A customer can speak a request, and the agent transcribes it and confirms the details in writing. The customer talks naturally and the business still gets an accurate record.
That is why most of our clients start with a text agent on WhatsApp that understands voice notes. We suggest a separate voice agent for phone-heavy work, such as a busy call centre.
Three questions to decide
- Where do your customers contact you today? If it is WhatsApp, start with text. If they mostly phone, consider voice.
- How exact must the details be? Orders, bookings and applications need the record that text gives you.
- How many conversations happen at once? A text agent handles many in parallel, while a voice line is busy with one caller at a time.