What is an AI call center and how does it work
· Updated
What Leksta offers. Speech analytics works and connects in one step. AI chats and the voice bot are soon: get demo access and test them for your business.
An AI call center is an approach where software takes over a company's routine calls and chats and scores every conversation, including those handled by human agents. In its full form it has three parts — speech analytics, AI chats and a voice bot — and all three work from one knowledge base. Complex conversations are handed to a person, so agents stay, but they stop spending their shifts on the same questions.
Below we walk through what it is made of, what already works, how a call is handled, how it differs from a classic IVR and how to tell whether it fits your business. The terms used here are explained in the glossary.
What an AI call center is made of
| Part | What it does | Status | Read more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speech analytics | Transcribes recordings and scores every call against your checklist | Available | Speech analytics |
| AI chats and shared inbox | Bring website and messenger chats into one window, AI helps with replies | Soon, demo access by request | Chats |
| Voice bot | Answers inbound and places outbound calls on your number, answers from the knowledge base, hands the call to an agent | Soon, demo access by request | AI calls |
| Knowledge base | Your company documents, used as the source for AI answers | Shared by chats and the bot | — |
| Console | Call log, call views, alerts, reports | Available | — |
The key idea is the shared knowledge base: update a rule once and it applies in voice and in chats.
How the AI handles an inbound call
This is how the Leksta voice bot handles an inbound call. Step 5 (the call result) already works in speech analytics, and you can test the bot with demo access.
- The call reaches your number. The AI connects to your existing PBX or SIP trunk.
- The bot introduces itself. At the start of the call it says the caller is talking to an automated assistant. We see this as a strength: callers know who they are talking to and decide whether to continue.
- It answers from the knowledge base. The bot recognizes the question, finds the relevant passages in your documents and gives a short answer in its own words. It answers only from your documents, so answers are accurate and verifiable.
- It hands over to a person. If the caller asks for an agent or the question goes beyond the scenario, the bot transfers the conversation according to your rules. The agent sees what has already been said and does not ask again.
- The result is recorded. After the call the recording is transcribed, scored and summarized.
How outbound calling works
Outbound calls run as campaigns. You upload a list, write a script with variables (name, date, amount), set a calling window and retry rules. The bot calls within the allowed hours, detects answering machines and records the customer's response — for example, pressing 1 confirms an appointment or booking. If the customer presses the opt-out key, the number goes on a do-not-call list and future campaigns skip it.
Typical outbound scenarios:
- confirming a booking or an appointment;
- payment reminders;
- confirming a delivery before the courier leaves;
- a short survey after a visit.
Speech analytics: scoring every conversation
This part of an AI call center works with recordings rather than a bot, and you can connect it right away. Every call is transcribed with speakers separated and checked against a checklist: did the agent greet the caller, find out what they needed, address the objection, agree on a next step. 100% of calls are scored, not the sample a manager has time to listen to.
The AI also tracks the caller's sentiment over the course of the call. Agents' mood and emotions are not assessed — that is a deliberate choice, not a technical limit.
Managers can ask a question across all calls in plain language, such as "why did customers decline this week?", and get an answer that links to specific conversations. More in our post on quality control for 100% of calls.
How an AI call center differs from an IVR
An IVR is a voice menu: "press 1 to…". It does not understand speech or answer questions; it only routes the call down a tree. A voice bot holds a conversation: it hears the question, looks for the answer in the knowledge base and replies. Key presses remain where they are more convenient than speech, for example to confirm something.
| IVR | AI call center | |
|---|---|---|
| Understands free speech | No | Yes, the voice bot (soon, demo access by request) |
| Answers questions | No, menu only | Yes, from your knowledge base (bot and chats: soon) |
| Scores conversations | No | Yes, every call against a checklist (available) |
| Handles chats | No | Yes, AI chats (soon, demo access by request) |
How AI and people share the work
AI takes repetitive conversations with clear rules. Unusual situations, conflicts and decisions that require authority stay with people, which is why an AI call center includes handoff to an agent. The role of agents grows: they handle complex cases and review the conversations flagged by analytics.
Two practical tips:
- the bot speaks Russian, so plan your scenarios with that in mind;
- important details (names, numbers) are easy to confirm with a key press, so the call result is always exact.
Getting started
Start with one step, not the whole call center. Today that is speech analytics: it shows which questions customers ask most often and where conversations go wrong, which is a ready list of scenarios for automation. A pilot usually looks like this:
- We connect your PBX or SIP trunk.
- We set up the call scoring checklist.
- We check the transcripts and scores on your own recordings.
- We switch it on for all calls and compare with how things were.
AI chats and the voice bot connect to the knowledge base you have already built: get demo access and test them on your scenarios.
What to prepare before a pilot
Most of the early effort goes into content, not technology. It helps to gather in advance:
- A knowledge base. Rules, prices, terms, answers to frequent questions. The fuller and more precise the documents, the more questions the AI closes on its own.
- Automation scenarios. Which routine questions and calls you want to hand to the bot and chats.
- A scoring checklist. Five to eight criteria you want calls checked against. See our guide to the call quality scorecard.
How to tell whether the pilot worked
Write down success criteria before launch, or the review turns into an argument about impressions. Teams usually look at what they can count in their own systems: how many problem conversations analytics surfaced, how checklist scores changed, how much time managers save on listening. With the bot and chats, add the share of requests closed without a person and the reasons for handoff. Compare with the same period and the same call flow before the pilot.
Not sure whether AI or a traditional call center suits you? See the comparison. A demo will show speech analytics on your own calls.
FAQ
What is an AI call center in simple terms?
It is software that works with a company's calls and chats on top of its knowledge base: it scores every conversation, answers customers and hands complex cases to people. At Leksta, speech analytics works today, and you can get demo access to AI chats and the voice bot to test them for your business.
Can AI fully replace call center agents?
No. AI takes routine conversations and hands unusual or difficult ones to an agent. You need fewer people for routine work, but people stay.
Does the bot tell callers it is an AI?
Yes. The Leksta bot says at the start of the call that the caller is talking to an automated assistant, so callers know who they are talking to and trust is kept.
Which telephony does speech analytics work with?
Speech analytics connects to your existing PBX or SIP trunk.
How is an AI call center different from a chatbot?
A chatbot only handles text. An AI call center adds speech analytics for calls and a voice bot, and serves chats from the same knowledge base.
How much does an AI call center cost?
Pricing is a subscription with a bundle of minutes and no per-seat fees: plans start at 329 BYN per month, see the pricing page.