Best Conversational AI Platform: a Detailed Overview of Top 7 Picks

Source: Freepik.com

As of 2022, 45% of businesses are using some form of artificial intelligence to engage with customers and provide better service. Conversational AI is by far the most powerful form of artificial intelligence because it's not limited to pre-written responses and can hold human-like conversations instead.

Conversational AI solutions are no longer reserved just for big corporations – they're accessible to anyone. Today, you can set up your own AI platform for a reasonable price, even if you're a small business owner.

In this article, we'll help you choose the best conversational AI platform for your business.

A conversational AI platform is a self-service platform based on virtual voice assistants who can stimulate human conversation. They're trained to understand human speech thanks to natural language processing and provide adequate answers.

Many industries can employ conversational AI platforms, but the most common way is to use them to provide customer support instead of human agents. However, conversational AI is not only used in call centers – you can also use it for IVR payments, conversational banking, e-commerce, project management and many other services.

Here are just a few reasons:

• It improves customer satisfaction because they can get the answers immediately without waiting in a queue.
• It saves your human agents a lot of time, so they can focus on solving more complex issues instead of giving repetitive answers.
• It's available 24/7, even during the weekends or holidays.
• It cuts operational costs allowing you to provide excellent customer service without hiring additional employees. According to Gartner, conversational AI will reduce contact center agent labor costs by $80 billion in 2026. 

Here are five main factors we used when selecting conversational AI platforms for you:

• Easy set-up – Most conversational AI platforms on the list are easy and quick to set up. When choosing an AI platform, always check whether it requires coding.
• User experience – You should choose a platform that's easy to use and intuitive because not all of your customers are tech-savvy.
• NLP capabilities – While the first generation of virtual voice assistants could only produce pre-recorded answers to simple queries, the best conversational AI platforms are based on natural language understanding. It means they should be able to sustain two-sided customer interactions.
• Support in multiple languages – Depending on the market where you operate, you might want to provide support in different languages so that each customer can choose their preferred language.
• Support for multiple channels – Some platforms aren't limited to conversational AI but provide an omnichannel approach instead. You can use them to automate conversations on different messaging channels such as email, SMS, WhatsApp etc.

vTalk.ai is one of the rare conversational AI platforms that you can use both for inbound and outbound calls. You can use it for customer service automation in call centers, but also for sales and other types of outbound calls.

With vTalk.ai, you can set up your virtual call center within minutes, as everything is based on the drag-and-drop principle and no coding skills are required. The platform allows you to create and customize your own virtual voice agent and train it to understand your customers' needs.

Our virtual assistants are based on neuro networks – they can learn to recognize different intents and you can set up various scenarios. For example, they can determine the gender of a person based on their voice and change the script accordingly to enhance customer experience.

Unlike some other conversational AI assistants that can only answer simple customer queries, you can train our assistant to do different tasks for you. They can make appointments based on free slots on your calendar, send SMS and email confirmations upon customer requests and many more.

vTalk.ai has a built-in analytics system that allows you to track your call center’s performance. It's possible to record calls and automatically transcribe them into text, making it easier to analyze the data.

It's also possible to get a tailor-made conversational AI solution that fits the needs of your business and all that in less than one week!

• Advanced NLP capabilities
• Inbound and outbound calls
• Text to speech
• Translation into different languages
• The ability to automate tasks like emails, SMS, bookings

• Basic: $99 per month
• Standard: $299 per month
• Professional: $999 per month
• Enterprise: custom price

Source: G2.com

LivePerson conversational cloud is based on large language models trained to understand customer intent and provide human-like responses.

Their database is constantly being updated, which makes it one of the most comprehensive and accurate AI platforms worldwide.

You don't have to train it for every particular query, as there's the option to upload your company's documents and PDFs and LivePerson generative AI will use them to come up with adequate answers.

The platform is based on the drag-and-drop principle and has a built-in voice agent builder. You can choose one of the existing solutions and customize it or you can build your own voice bot from scratch.

LivePerson supports 44 languages; however, some are supported only through messaging channels and not by voice agents. It can be a good idea to check whether your desired language is available.

On the con side, it has a steep learning curve and customer service could be improved.

• Large language models
• Generative AI
• Voice assistant templates

• Custom price available upon request

Source: G2.com

Kore.ai is different from other conversational AI platforms because it markets itself as a 2-in-1 solution: both for internal and external use. You can use it to provide customer support to your clients, but it also serves as a knowledge base where your employees can find information and answers to their questions.

It's one of the best enterprise conversational AI platforms because it saves your employees the time they'd spend browsing documents and looking for an answer. Kore.ai provides comprehensive and summarized answers to complex questions, combining multiple company documents as a source.

It's based on NLP and focuses not only on understanding the words but also customer intent and the whole context of the conversation. It provides a great customer experience as its interface is simple and easy to use.

Kore.ai supports over 30 different channels through its multiple integrations. Conversational AI is available in over 100 languages and there's also a built-in translation system.

It has a unique pricing model where you are charged $0.20 per every conversation started. This pricing model is great for you if you don't have many queries but can quickly add up if you get a lot of customer calls.

• NLP
• Smart search
• Knowledge base

• Standard: $0.2 per conversation
• Enterprise: custom price available upon request

Source: Capterra.com

Yellow.ai is a no-code conversational platform with multiple templates for different industries that you can easily customize according to your needs. It's one of the most popular conversational AI platforms in India and other parts of South Asia.

It is available in 135 languages, providing human-like manner conversations and support. Thanks to a dynamic NLP, it provides 97% intent accuracy, which can drastically improve customer satisfaction.

Yellow.ai allows you to provide personalized customer experience on over 35 channels (conversational AI chatbots, email, SMS, Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger etc.).

This platform can help your sales team better understand the buyer's journey as it provides actionable insights that can help you with user acquisition and identify spots where you're losing potential customers.

While the platform is easy to install, many users said it lacks some educational resources and the onboarding process for new users.

• Dynamic NLP
• Omni-channel approach
• Advanced analytics

• Usage-based pricing, a calculator available on their website

Source: Capterra.com

OneReach.ai is a conversational AI platform of the second generation that provides an even deeper understanding of customer interactions.

It not only provides support in multiple languages, but it's also able to understand different accents, dialects, slang terms etc. It's based on self-learning, meaning it gets more accurate the more your customers interact with it.

It can be used as conversational AI for finance and other industries that require security and multi-factor authentication, as it has a built-in voice biometrics system.

You can access a powerful analytics dashboard that gives insights into your customers' behavior. You can monitor call flow, performance, errors, revenue etc.

However, there are some downsides to it. First, it has a steep learning curve and may not be the best solution for people who are not tech-savvy, whether we're talking about your agents or your customers.

Unlike some other platforms, it takes a while to set up, especially if you want to use all its key features. Some of the features are based on drag and drop, while others require a bit of coding.

While pricing isn't publicly available, this AI platform, with its advanced features, is on the pricier side and may not be accessible for many small and medium businesses that need a quick and easy solution.

• NLU
• Advanced analytics
• Understanding of dialects and slang
• Advanced security

• Custom price available upon request

Source: Capterra.com

Boost.ai is a self-learning conversational AI solution, which means that over time it gets better at understanding your customers. You don't have to update it manually – you'll get content suggestions that will help you build a more comprehensive solution over time.

Gartner and a few other big names recommend this platform, but it's important to note that this is not a full contact center solution.

You need to integrate it with your existing call center software platforms and costs can quickly add up if you're just starting with conversational AI.

For now, boost.AI is available in 30 languages.

The good thing is that you can integrate it with different channels and provide unified support through your website, IVR or messaging apps like Microsoft Teams.

Regarding the user interface, this AI platform looks much like Slack, which means many people will be familiar with it.

While everything is based on the drag-and-drop principle, according to information on their website, it takes a few days to fully set up this platform.

• Multi-channel support
• Self-learning artificial intelligence
• Many integrations

• Available upon request

Source: G2.com

Talkdesk is a platform for call center automation created with the idea of maximizing contact center productivity. It provides voice assistants and AI-powered chatbots whose purpose isn't to replace your agents but to help them.

Conversational AI technology implemented in this platform is a bit limited compared to other AI platforms. Its main goal is to automate answering repetitive queries and frequently asked questions.

However, the platform is great for collaboration – it enables you to follow your customers along their journey with your company and improve their experience.

Talkdesk virtual agents are available in 56 languages, but analytics is available only for some of them.

Another feature that allows you to meet your customers where they are is omnichannel engagement, providing support through live conversational chatbots, email, SMS and other channels.

The custom plan enables advanced features for different industries: conversational AI for insurance, retail, finances or the medical field.

Unlike some other conversational platforms, Talkdesk isn't based on the drag-and-drop principle and requires a certain level of coding skills. However, it's worth the struggle, as the final result is a platform that provides great UX both for your employees and customers.

• Team collaboration
• Multi-channel customer engagement
• Voice and chatbot platform

• Essentials: $75 per user per month
• Elevate: $95 per user per month
• Elite: $125 per user per month
• Experience Cloud: custom price

If you want to stay competitive and provide exceptional customer experiences, it's high time you implement a conversational AI platform. Different conversational AI technologies are available to anyone, depending on the size of your business and your needs.

If you're looking for a quick and easy solution, vTalk.ai allows you to create and train your virtual voice assistant within minutes. Sign up today for a free onboarding and experience all the benefits of conversational AI.

Conversational platforms enable natural conversation between humans and software. They're usually based on artificial intelligence and machine learning that enable the platform to understand human speech and provide a meaningful response.

A great example is an AI-powered virtual assistant in a contact center that answer your call and provide information. They have use in different industries, for example, conversational AI in hospitality that helps you find a perfect flight and book it online, without the assistance of a human agent.

Conversational AI is more advanced than a chatbot because it can generate its own responses and hold complex conversations thanks to artificial intelligence. On the other hand, the chatbot platform usually follows predefined scripts and provides information based on the output you've given it.

Natural language processing (NLP) is an AI-powered system that enables software platforms to understand and process human language and generate meaningful responses. NLP is based on machine learning, linguistics, sentiment analysis etc.

Conversational AI represents the latest generation of artificial intelligence technology, which can hold human-like conversations, providing more accurate information and a better customer experience.