RingCentral debuts AI phone agent for automating business calls

RingCentral Inc. today debuted an artificial intelligence agent that companies can embed into their phone systems to automate manual work.

The offering is known as the RingCentral AI Receptionist, or AIR for short.

NYSE-listed RingCentral is a major provider of communications software, with more than 400,000 customers. Companies use its products to host video meetings, run their contact centers, organize virtual events and perform related tasks. RingCentral also provides AI features that automate tasks such as taking meeting notes. 

The company’s new AIR agent is integrated with RingEX, its flagship business communications platform. Workers use the platform for calls, videoconferences and faxing. AIR complements an existing RingEX feature called AI Assistant that automates tasks such as creating meeting transcripts. 

RingCentral says setting up AIR takes a few minutes and doesn’t require technical expertise. Companies with multiple offices or stores can deploy it in upwards of dozens of locations. After callers explain what they’re looking for, the software automatically routes each request to the relevant department. 

The tool is capable of answering some inquiries on its own. According to RingCentral, the underlying AI models can ingest data such as product details from a company’s website, business documents and other sources. AIR uses the collected information to automatically answer customer questions.

RingCentral says the AI also lends itself to several related tasks. Restaurant chains can use it to provide information about opening hours, while a healthcare organization could configure AIR to schedule appointments. The software is also capable of sending confirmation texts with details such as the location where a restaurant order is being processed. 

While performing the chores that it’s tasked with automating, AIR collects data about customer calls. It generates transcripts and tracks how call volumes change over time. Companies can analyze that data to find areas for improvement in their customer service workflows.

“RingCentral AIR is designed to work right out of the box, enabling any business, from local service providers to fast-growing enterprises, to automate customer interactions,” said Kira Makagon, RingCentral’s chief innovation and marketing officer. 

The debut of AIR today follows several months of testing with early adopters. According to RingCentral, one of those customers processes more than 50% of inbound calls with AIR. Another early adopter, a healthcare organization, reduced its average call answer time from 12 seconds to zero.

AIR is initially available to a limited number of customers in the U.S., with a broader rollout planned for the second quarter. The tool currently understands English and is set to receive support for Spanish by the end of March. RingCentral plans to add more languages to the list later down the road. 

Image: RingCentral