Voice AI in the Contact Center
Everyone’s talking about the rise of bots, voice bots, and AI in the contact center. But did you know that one of the most interesting things you can do with AI in the contact center is improve your human agents’ voices?
Unlike other forms of AI, Voice AI can be quickly rolled out and used without changing your contact center infrastructure and routing or requiring any AI training.
Voice AI enhances the audio from (and sometimes to) the agent. If the customer and agent don’t have to work as hard to understand each other, they’ll be more satisfied with the interaction. If they don’t have to repeat themselves, the interaction will be shorter. By using Voice AI in your contact center, you’ll get happier customers and employees, and more calls handled without needing more staff.
According to Krisp, a leading provider of Voice AI technology, Voice AI has helped a customer:
99% improvements in NPS
26.1% increase in sales conversions
14.8% increase in revenue per booking
4.4% reduction in call handle time
12.2% increase in agent promoter score
Voice AI in Vonage Contact Center
Vonage Contact Center (VCC) supports three forms of Voice AI as part of our Vonage Voice Clarity suite of capabilities:
Vonage enhanced noise cancellation
Vonage AI accent conversion
Krisp AI voice translation
What is enhanced noise cancellation?
Vonage enhanced noise cancellation was introduced in 2024 and consists of three different types of (AI-based) noise cancellation:
Outbound noise cancellation removes background noise from the agent side of the call.
Inbound noise cancellation removes background noise from the consumer side of the call.
Background voice removal removes non-dominant voices (i.e., other nearby speakers) from the agent side of the call.
Simply cleaning up the existing audio with AI-based noise cancellation can significantly enhance the experience for both agents and consumers.
In a press release highlighting the noise cancellation solution announcement, Mary Wardly, VP of Customer Service and Contact Center for IDC, explains, “The ongoing prevalence of voice in a world where consumers are connecting with businesses and their favorite brands from literally anywhere has driven a considerable demand for clear, concise and noise-free, two-way connections. … Vonage's introduction of Enhanced Noise Cancellation provides an immediate and effective way to improve customer experiences that drive engagement, while also providing better recordings and analytics to help businesses resolve issues faster and gain better insights that drive data-driven decisions."
In the same press release, Pedram Koukia, Customer Service Supervisor for Vonage customer Champion Power Equipment, a global market leader in power generation equipment, describes how Vonage Enhanced Noise Cancellation helps its agents diagnose and triage inbound callers seeking service on equipment:
"At Champion Power Equipment, the Vonage Contact Center has been a game-changer in our customer support journey. The Enhanced Noise Cancellation feature's remarkable effectiveness in minimizing background noise has transformed the way our agents handle inbound calls, leading to quicker resolution and heightened customer satisfaction. … With a notable 20 percent decrease in call abandonment rates and a remarkable 25 percent increase in first-call issue resolution, Vonage has become an indispensable asset in our commitment to delivering seamless service and maintaining our reputation as a global leader in power generation equipment.”
Note: Vonage offers new and existing customers a 28-day free trial of Vonage enhanced noise cancellation.
What is AI accent conversion?
Vonage AI accent conversion — introduced in the Vonage Contact Center 2025.3 release — is a high-value service that can dramatically improve employee and customer satisfaction, as well as reduce average handle time.
It sometimes feels like we’re in a world divided by a common language — however well two people speak a particular language, they can struggle to understand each other if they have different accents. This is further compounded on the phone when you can’t see the other person and have no visual cues to help you understand. The situation is often worse for consumers than it is for agents because agents spend all day, every day, speaking to customers with different accents, and they’ve learned to understand them. In contrast, consumers who only occasionally call into a contact center can find understanding very difficult.
When people can’t understand each other, they get frustrated at the situation (not the other person), and conversations take longer (as the participants have to repeat themselves). This can be easily mitigated with Voice AI technologies, such as Vonage AI accent conversion.
Currently, Vonage AI accent conversion can convert native Indian accents to a more neutral mid-Atlantic-sounding voice. The conversion is not perfect and may still sound slightly robotic; this is intentional and a good thing, as the goal is not to trick people into thinking they’re speaking to someone local, but rather to improve understanding by neutralizing the parts of accents that people find hard to understand. A “good enough” (but not perfect) accent conversion can improve customer and employee satisfaction by reducing frustration and the need for people to repeat themselves, while avoiding any accusations of trying to trick people.
In the upcoming 2026.1 release, we’re enhancing Vonage AI accent conversion with the addition of Filipino and LatAm accents.
Note: Vonage AI accent conversion comes with a Vonage enhanced noise cancellation license included.
What is Krisp AI voice translation?
Sometimes, removing background noises and adjusting accents is not enough. When people don’t speak the same language at all, Voice AI can help with this, too.
Suppose your business regularly works with clients who speak a different language. In that case, you have two basic options: either hire specialist agents with additional language skills (and you can easily end up underusing or overusing this valuable resource, resulting in unnecessary expense or long customer hold times) or use expensive human translation services.
Using a human translation service means conferencing with an additional person who can relay what the consumer and agent are saying to each other in real-time. This is expensive, and you may have to wait for a translator to become available.
Krisp AI voice translation is the equivalent of giving each agent their own dedicated, multi-lingual translator, sitting right next to them and ready to go in an instant, at a far lower cost than a human translation service.
This isn’t about having a contact center staffed with personnel who speak only one language. You can have agents who speak different languages and route calls based on language in the first instance.
But, with Krisp AI, if the native speakers are busy and you don’t want your customers to wait, you can then send them to any other agent (speaking any language natively) to get them the help they need. This technology serves your customers quickly and uses your agents as efficiently as possible.
In short, companies that currently use expensive translation services can save money; companies that have agents speaking different languages can use their resources more efficiently.
Want to know more about Vonage Contact Center’s Voice AI capabilities? Visit our noise cancelation page, or reach out to your Account Executive, Account Manager, or Customer Success Manager for more information.
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Frequently asked questions about Voice API in contact centers?
Voice AI uses artificial intelligence to enhance the quality of conversations between agents and customers. It improves audio clarity, reduces background noise, eases accent challenges, and even enables real-time translation. Unlike many AI tools, it doesn’t require new infrastructure or lengthy training to deploy.
By removing noise, neutralizing difficult-to-understand accents, and reducing the need to repeat information, Voice AI makes calls faster and more enjoyable. Customers get clearer conversations and quicker resolutions, which boosts satisfaction and loyalty.
Agents experience less strain trying to understand customers, shorter call times, and higher first-call resolution rates. This leads to improved performance, reduced burnout, and broader hiring options since agents no longer need “perfect” accents to succeed.
Yes. Voice AI lowers training costs, reduces average handle times, and cuts reliance on expensive translation services. This efficiency translates into increased revenue and decreased cost per call without needing to expand headcount.
Vonage provides three core Voice AI tools: Enhanced Noise Cancellation, AI Accent Conversion, and Krisp AI Voice Translation. Together, they help businesses deliver clearer calls, overcome language and accent barriers, and serve more customers effectively.
Not at all. Vonage Voice AI can be rolled out quickly without major changes to your current systems or call routing. Businesses can see immediate improvements in call clarity and customer experience.
