RingCentral Launches AI Receptionist: A New Era in Business Call Handling

RingCentral Forays Into Agentic AI, Launches AI Receptionist for Business Call Handling

Supports English now, with Spanish and other languages coming soon. AI-powered business communications provider RingCentral has introduced RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR), an AI-driven phone agent designed to streamline customer interactions and call routing. "AIR is an AI phone agent that uses generative AI to automatically answer customer questions and transfer callers to the right place, much like traditional full-time receptionists do," the company explained. Also Read: AI Voice Startup ElevenLabs Secures USD 180 Million in Funding Unlike contact center intelligent virtual agents (IVAs), which can be complex and costly to deploy, AIR is embedded directly into RingCentral's phone system, enabling businesses of all sizes to deploy AI call automation solution, the company said. "The launch of RingCentral AI Receptionist marks our foray into agentic AI and the creation of a new category in AI-powered business call handling. 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, President and Chief Operating Officer of RingCentral. "Voice remains a preferred way in which customers communicate, and AI-powered call automation -- integrated directly into the phone system -- will redefine how companies of all sizes connect with their customers." Also Read: Norwood Systems Launches AI Voice Platform for Operators with Microsoft According to the company, RingCentral AI Receptionist leverages generative AI to answer customer queries, provide business information, and transfer calls intelligently. Key capabilities include: "Handling call transfers across 67 locations used to slow us down. IVRs weren't flexible. Hiring a full-time receptionist was costly," said Chris Easterwood, VP of ITS Platform Engineering and Infrastructure at Southwire. "RingCentral AI Receptionist changed that." Also Read: Vapi Raises USD 20 Million to Bring AI Voice Agents to Enterprises RingCentral said its AIR has been available for early use by select customers, who are already reporting the benefits of AI-driven call automation. A security company resolved 50 percent of inbound calls instantly, while a home tech service company handled 60 percent of inquiries automatically, capturing leads that would have been lost. A healthcare provider eliminated hold times, reducing response times from 12 seconds to zero. "Our customers were frustrated with long hold times and constant call transfers," said Max Revoredo, Data Analyst at Jay-Hill Repairs. "Now, RingCentral AI Receptionist handles hundreds of customer inquiries every month, freeing our team to focus on critical service repairs instead of answering routine calls." "As agentic AI becomes more prevalent, success hinges on the ability to tap into business and customer communications. Deep expertise in voice technology and enterprise communications is necessary to transform AI from a basic transcription tool into an intelligent digital AI phone agent," said Melody Brue, VP and Principal Analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy. "RingCentral's AI Receptionist could help businesses maximize value out of AI and refine customer experiences."

RingCentral debuts AI phone agent for automating business calls - SiliconANGLE

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.