With the pandemic and its effects persisting indefinitely, more and more companies will begin or continue to rely on business process automation. Employees that perform support functions likely have heavier workloads than usual, and the need to empower them to do their best work is increasingly critical.

This is where machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) come in. Big data technology, including AI, will prove invaluable to businesses for years to come, predicting market trends and providing operational insights such as optimising staffing and inventory management, forecasting revenues, as well as aiding research and development.

Further, AI in the form of conversational assistants or Voice AI is set to take centre stage this year. These emerging technologies can automate support and self-service requests, helping businesses scale efficiently and effectively. By easing the burden on human employees, Voice AI can vastly improve your workforce’s performance, productivity, and overall job satisfaction in the long term.

Within the next few years, Voice AI is expected to grow significantly. By 2030, the global voice assistant market could be worth US$14.2 billion, up from just US$1.5 billion in 2020, according to research by Report Ocean. Asia Pacific could see rapid growth, driven by the influx of information technology (IT) investments and the region’s massive e-commerce boom.

But to stay ahead in the race to become AI-ready, executives must make nimble, informed, strategic decisions about where and how to employ AI in their business.

To reap the full benefits of Voice AI, and avoid the pitfalls and added costs of subpar AI investments, it is absolutely vital to partner with experienced providers who have the right skills, services, experience, and resources. And to help you kickstart the procurement and selection process here’s a quick guide to help you choose the best AI partner for your organisation.

What’s the ROI going to be?

Globally, businesses spend over $1 trillion on customer service calls—a sizable amount that could have been diverted towards investments that add more value to the organisation.

With the right Voice AI solution, everyone wins: your organisation can optimise costs, employees will have more time for higher-value tasks, and customers can enjoy seamless, succinct, organic conversations in the languages they’re most comfortable with.

Keep in mind, however, that AI’s full potential lies in targeted solutions. You’ll need to determine which parts of the business can benefit from an AI intervention, and then carefully plan your rollout accordingly.

Talk to potential AI partners about this and see if they can give you a clear picture of the value they bring to the table. A reliable AI partner will gladly and openly talk to you about the potential return on your investment (ROI); a less trustworthy or competent one may not be able to spell out the ROI quite as plainly.

Some of the best Voice AI providers can help you glean actionable insight to maximise your investment. For example, AI Rudder’s Voice AI assistants can take on high-volume, repetitive tasks. By delegating these to AI, you get to experience the benefits of providing high-quality human-like service to your customers at lightning speeds. Additionally, the data that the AI collects and analyses in real-time can help you pinpoint opportunities to scale, optimise performance and boost profits—an added value that not all AI providers offer.

How experienced is this company?

As with any partnership, it pays to check your potential provider’s track record.

Look out for the tangible benefits that come with their solution. And if possible, check testimonials and gather information from their current and previous clients such as feedback regarding the technology, working experience, and results. More importantly, make sure they understand your goals and are equipped with the expertise to help get you where you want to be.

AI Rudder has clients in APAC, LATAM, EMEA, and other key markets around the world, spanning verticals including finance, tech, and other industries. Our team has over a decade of experience developing AI solutions and serving industries such as finance, e-commerce, and insurance. We’ve helped more than 100 companies improve on the scale, speed and quality of their customer interactions by helping them plan, execute and complete repetitive tasks.

How much can they tell you about their own systems?

Your AI partner should be able to confidently talk about the ins and outs of their products and services. If you’re not sure how best to implement a Voice AI solution, you’ll want a provider who can give you operational as well as strategic guidance. If any part of the system malfunctions, it’s best to have a partner who can also perform the troubleshooting with ease.

When screening potential Voice AI providers, request for demos to see how their solutions work, and ask technical questions about how these were built, how best to deploy them, and what kind of maintenance they require.

With AI Rudder, you can be sure that we know our offerings inside and out. This is because we build our AI technology from scratch instead of integrating it with services from third-party vendors.

What’s the real cost?

At first glance, now may not seem like a great time to invest in emerging technologies, with global markets still grappling with the pandemic’s economic blows. But as the world learns to live with Covid’s lingering impacts, more businesses will increasingly look to AI to optimise operations, achieve cost savings, empower employees, and deliver stellar customer service.

Investing in these technologies today can help you stay ahead of the competition in the coming years. Instead of focusing on the short-term cost of implementing it in the present, look at the long-term value of the solution.

To help make it even easier for you to invest in your organisation’s success through Voice AI, we offer flexible plans that can easily scale up and down to suit your unique business needs. We also implement a pay-as-you-go model, charging only for calls that are answered.

Preparing for a digital, conversational future

At AI Rudder, we are passionate about making global business communication easy, profitable, and scalable. We push AI development to the limit, and aim to develop machines so intelligent, they’re indistinguishable from humans.