AI in the switchboard: A guide for companies

You keep your current phone system exactly as it is. An AI phone agent gets its own standard phone number that you add as a receiver. From there you control exactly which calls are forwarded to the agent.

How is the agent connected behind the switchboard?

There is no need to change telephony platforms to get started. You receive a dedicated phone number for the AI phone agent. You simply add this number as a keypad option or a forwarding rule in your existing environment.

You decide yourself which contacts go to this number. This gives you control over what the agent manages. Implementation is not a major system decision.

Which calls should the AI phone agent answer?

There are many common ways to divide the volume between your staff and the agent. One structure is letting the AI phone agent take all inquiries first. It then handles routine answers and transfers completely on its own.

Another structure is having the agent only capture the calls your employees do not have time for. A third option is activating the agent only outside your opening hours. The service takes many calls at the exact same time.

Begin with a limited scope. You can then expand the responsibility when you feel comfortable.

What do we need to prepare internally?

Before starting you need to map out the common issues that callers have. Send your existing material to us at Real Talk exactly as it is. We build a demo agent from the information, and you then get to test call it. You avoid rewriting your documents.

You must decide where calls are routed when a caller asks for human contact. You also configure the voice, pace and tone. Furthermore, you set guidelines for how the AI phone agent communicates and makes decisions.

How does the handover to personnel work?

If the caller asks to speak with a human, the AI phone agent escalates the call. The employee receives direct access to a summary and all collected context.

This means the caller avoids telling their story from scratch. Your colleague continues exactly where the dialogue was paused. You can also review the interactions handed over to a human to see if the instructions need adjustments.

Can the AI phone agent act in our own databases?

Yes. Once the AI phone agent is connected to your internal business systems, it can retrieve information and perform actions. This happens via automations during an ongoing dialogue.

This allows the agent to book appointments or check order status against your existing software. The workflows are customised based on your specific needs.

What should we ask a vendor?

When you evaluate different solutions on the market there are many areas to examine. It is important to know how languages are handled and where data is stored. All data is processed in data centres within the EU when you use Real Talk. Here are some questions you can ask before making a choice.

• Is the agent designed to understand the caller using their own words?
• Do you get to test call a demo before real traffic is let through?
• Is all collected context included when the call is transferred to staff?
• How is the quality monitored after going live?
• Who owns the insights from the call analytics?

Frequently asked questions

What is an AI phone agent?

It is a solution where an AI phone agent answers incoming calls for businesses. It speaks with a natural voice and acts as an extra colleague in your answering service. The agent is designed to understand what the caller wants even when the person states the issue in their own words.

Does the agent say that it is an artificial intelligence?

Yes, the AI phone agent conveys this information directly at the beginning of the call. You decide the exact wording it uses to introduce itself. This clarity ensures the customer knows who they are speaking with right from the start.

Which languages does the service support?

The agent commands Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish and many other languages. It switches languages mid-call if the caller prefers it.

What is the cost of the incoming calls?

You pay a fixed subscription fee and then a price per started talk minute. Forwarded calls are billed at a lower cost than the incoming ones.

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