Vonage is dialing up voice-based artificial intelligence solutions.
The cloud communications company announced this week that it would integrate Amazon Nova Sonic, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Nova Sonic is a foundation model that uses human speech as input, then responds via an AI-powered voice agent.
The idea is that, because Vonage’s platform is set up to be able to use other developers’ solutions, AWS can easily help the company implement Nova Sonic, which Vonage will use to allow clients to “deploy real-time, natural-sounding AI voice agents” across several customer service channels: phone conversations, mobile apps and other services. Vonage anticipates that, in doing so, clients can provide a more human-like experience to their consumers, while enlisting AI-based tools to handle concerns that don’t require immediate human intervention.
Related Stories
That approach could help companies increase the efficiency of their human customer service operators, while also satisfying end consumers by providing quicker-turnaround answers to simple questions.
Nova Sonic can answer consumers’ questions quickly and expressively, AWS contends, noting that it tracks consumer sentiment throughout the duration of the call or chat to adjust its tone, pitch and approach accordingly based on the context of the interaction. Vonage’s application programming interface (API) is set up such that Nova Sonic can be integrated directly, which helps reduce concerns over processing times and connection issues.
Because of those considerations, Vonage and AWS said they have reason to believe the end solution will be scalable for businesses of varying sizes—and for several use cases. For instance, a major retailer might use the voice AI technology to assist a customer with a standard return, while a small-to-medium brand might prefer to use it to arrange in-store pickups with a consumer. Since the technology has access to a company’s business insights in real time, it can adapt to meet the needs of many scenarios with natural language. That also means that complicated dial menus could become a thing of the past for adopters.
Nova Sonic, paired with Vonage Voice API, can handle both inbound and outbound calls—that is to say that, while it can tackle customer queries, it can also call customers directly for pickup reminders, item confirmations and follow-up information from previous customer service calls as needed.
Christophe Van de Weyer, president and head of business unit API at Vonage, said the companies’ partnership will help Vonage customers deliver more practical AI-based consumer interactions.
“Vonage’s latest collaboration with AWS enables organizations to transform how they engage with customers by adopting generative AI solutions that create added value for internal and external communications,” Van de Weyer said in a statement. “This technology enables businesses to streamline the adoption of intelligent agents, accelerate the modernization of legacy voice systems, and provide a robust platform to deliver exceptional customer experiences with measurable improvements in satisfaction and operational efficiency.”
Today, Nova Sonic is available in English, Spanish, French, Italian and German and offers both masculine and feminine intonations for voice agents assisting consumers.
The companies’ announcement did not address the capability for voice-based AI agents to speak with other AI agents in the future, but some companies have started planning for that. While what AWS and Vonage rolled out pertains mostly to front-end, consumer-facing operations, AI agents have shown more promise for back office processes, like tracking and rerouting shipments or alerting supply chain teams to factory delays and offering solutions.
Flexport has actively started using AI agents to inquire with partners about the status of shipments, and CEO Ryan Petersen told Sourcing Journal this year that it’s possible agents could begin speaking with one another—and consequently negotiating with one another on behalf of their respective companies.
AWS and Vonage’s partnership aims to create more accessible pathways for “organizations to deploy intelligent voice agents at scale,” both companies said in the announcement. Once scaled for one use case—in this example, customer service—clients may eventually leverage voice-based AI agents for internal growth and business management.
