Introducing Voice for AI Assistants, now in Developer Preview

Introducing Voice for AI Assistants, now in Developer Preview

Since its founding, Twilio has sought to democratize access to communications. We’re taking another leap in that journey today – we are excited to announce the Developer Preview launch of the Voice channel for Twilio AI Assistants, opening doors for developers to craft the smart voice applications they have long envisioned.

In an era where customer interactions are increasingly digital (per Twilio’s 2024 State of Customer Engagement Report), introducing voice capabilities as part of AI Assistants is vital. It addresses scaling challenges in customer support, ensures a consistent user experience, and fits seamlessly into existing communication systems, which sets the stage for innovation without overhauling legacy systems.

What We’re Launching

The Voice channel for AI Assistants empowers businesses to integrate voice AI into their customer engagement strategy, facilitating sophisticated conversations with human-like quality.

Who is it for? This feature is designed for businesses seeking to enhance their customer care capabilities, provide personalized interactions, and reduce overhead associated with human-operated voice services. This new feature allows developers to build and deploy voice-based AI interactions rapidly and efficiently, saving both time and resources.

How it works: Built on top of Twilio’s ConversationRelay, Voice for AI Assistants provides a platform solution for scalable voice applications that leverage real-time communication protocols, ensuring low latency and superior user experience. Additionally, Twilio's omnichannel support simplifies integration across existing communication channels.

The Opportunity

Voice has historically been a challenging channel, fraught with high costs and scaling difficulties. Traditional IVR systems often frustrate customers, leading to a poor user experience. However, the introduction of AI-powered voice assistants changes the game. With AI Assistants, you can automate repetitive call flows, manage customer inquiries efficiently, and provide a consistent customer experience, all while significantly reducing overhead costs.

Twilio’s solution offers tangible advantages: from its seamless integration and rapid deployment capabilities to a human-like conversational experience enabled by the lowest possible latency, smart turn-taking capabilities, great UX, and some of the best technology already integrated. The platform also allows for quick experimentation and iteration, transforming how businesses utilize voice interactions for enhanced customer engagement.

The opportunity for transformation is immense, with a growing demand for AI-driven customer engagement solutions. Our expertise in communications with a focus on AI research, means Twilio is uniquely positioned to drive innovation and provide businesses with the tools needed to excel in this evolving landscape.

Get Started with Voice and AI Assistants

If you’re excited to start building with AI Assistants and voice…you don’t have to wait any longer. Giving your assistant a voice only takes one block of TwiML:

Check out our documentation and this sample application to get started with the Twilio AI Assistants with Voice Developer Preview right away.

Emily Shenfield (eshenfield@twilio.com) brings her background in software engineering, teaching, and theater to her role as a Technical Marketing Engineer at Twilio on the Emerging Tech and Innovation team. She's excited about exploring the future of customer engagement and how it impacts developers. Outside of work, she enjoys yelling the answers at the TV during Jeopardy and eating cookies.