A voice API is a tool that software developers use to make and receive phone calls programmatically. With a voice API, they can use various channels, phones, browsers, and virtual assistants.
It connects web or mobile applications to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), enabling seamless voice communication without needing extensive telecom expertise, time, and developer resources.
Voice APIs are highly configurable, easily integrated, and scalable tools, providing cost-effective communication for businesses.
How much does a voice API cost?
A voice API costs typically range from $0.003 to $0.014 per minute for outbound calls and $0.003 to $0.022 per minute for inbound calls, depending on call type, provider, and features.
Prices may differ due to factors like infrastructure, service quality, and additional features like real-time analytics or automated routing.
Using a voice API makes more financial and logistical sense for businesses than investing resources into developing advanced voice calling features from scratch. By choosing a best-in-class voice API provider, companies can integrate various voice capabilities with a shorter development span and achieve a better ROI.
Plivo offers cost-effective solutions with competitive pricing while maintaining high-quality services.
Here’s a quick comparison of pricing for each type of voice call between Plivo and Twilio to give an idea of voice API cost structures and offerings.
How can a voice API give customers a better experience?
Integrating a voice API enables businesses to offer personalized, efficient customer support services on browsers or apps with advanced voice features. It can help reduce voice call traffic and wait times in contact centers. These APIs can route calls efficiently through the phone network, including toll-free phone numbers, ensuring smooth call handling.
Unlike older inflexible phone network systems, a programmable voice API supports AI-powered virtual assistants that can receive calls 24/7, understand user requests, and guide customers through their queries as effectively as human agents. With voice recognition and text-to-speech features, customers can express themselves naturally and receive the assistance they need without delay.
The voice bot can also record calls and collect contextual data to prepare agents to resolve the issue when they take over quickly. This streamlined process saves time and preserves the unique, personal touch of voice calling.
Features like click-to-call, voice control, and hands-free interactions also increase flexibility, allowing users to have an interactive and engaging call.
Wouldn’t it be nice to simply say the query out loud and receive a clear response instantly?
A voice API makes this possible by enabling your company to answer customers' questions instantly without navigating through endless clicks. Voice API seamlessly integrates voice solutions into browsers or apps to transform the customer experience.
There’s more to it:
- Interactive and hands-free features: Customers can use click-to-call, voice commands, or hands-free interactions, enhancing convenience.
- Personalized customer support services: Offer tailored assistance with AI-powered virtual assistants and voice recognition features. These tools help customers articulate requests naturally and get relevant responses.
- 24/7 availability: AI-powered virtual assistants answer calls anytime, providing immediate assistance, even outside business hours.
- Enhanced agent support: Voice bots can record calls, gather context, and equip agents with the information they need to resolve issues swiftly when human intervention is required.
Voice APIs streamline communication and create a memorable, user-friendly experience that fosters trust and loyalty.
How can a voice API streamline communication processes?
A voice API makes interactions more efficient and aligned with business goals and needs. Here's how:
- Makes it easy for customers to connect: Unlike traditional voice calls confined to phone networks, a programmable voice API extends voice capabilities to an app or website. Users can use a click-to-call feature directly within an app or site.
- Adds efficiency to your team: Automating routine customer interactions allows voice bots to handle a significant portion of inbound calls. This reduces call traffic in the contact center, freeing human agents to manage complex or high-priority cases.
- Scales with business: As businesses grow, you can seamlessly expand voice-enabled services, ensuring consistent voice call handling without sacrificing quality. For example, businesses can use voice APIs to automate phone calls for marketing campaigns or appointment reminders.
- Supports developers: From a developer's perspective, a voice API integrates smoothly with other APIs and communication platforms.
- Offers robust security: Programmable voice APIs often come with robust security features, including encryption and secure call record storage, in compliance with regulations like GDPR or HIPAA.
Take, for example, CallHub.
They use Plivo's voice API to simplify communication for political campaigns, offering tools like power and predictive dialers. These features let campaigns reach voters efficiently, connecting them directly with representatives or leaving messages without manual effort. Browser-based calling also ensures volunteers' privacy, making it secure and straightforward for customers to interact.
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Choosing a voice API provider
Programmable voice APIs can range from basic functionality to feature-rich platforms that handle complex voice call flows and integrations. Here’s what to look for when evaluating a voice API provider:
Comprehensive call management features
A strong voice API should include fundamental voice call management functions to make, receive, and record calls, and global audio conferences. To ensure effective communication, look for APIs that offer configurable conference experiences, such as muting/unmuting participants, automatic call termination, and host controls.
Text-to-speech and accessibility options
Text-to-speech (TTS) is essential for both accessibility and user convenience. It converts text into spoken output, making automated systems more user-friendly, especially for multitasking or on-the-go customers.
Ensure your provider's TTS capabilities support multiple languages and accents to cater to diverse customer needs.
Smart interactive voice response (IVR) systems
A voice API should enable the creation of intelligent, multi-level interactive voice response (IVR) systems that route calls efficiently.
Smart IVRs can handle straightforward customer service tasks autonomously, incorporating:
- AI technologies for interactive experiences
- Intelligent call routing
- Integration with multiple channels
- Call recording and TTS capabilities
These capabilities help build customer-first IVR solutions that guide users seamlessly to the right department or agent.
Real-time call handling and notifications
Real-time features such as Answering Machine Detection (AMD) are invaluable for optimizing call strategies based on the type of response received.
AMD helps identify whether an outgoing call is answered by a human or voicemail, which is especially beneficial for tasks such as lead follow-ups, customer updates, and automated voice surveys.
Integration with existing systems
The right voice API should facilitate integration with communication systems, including SIP-enabled hardware and software.
This adaptability allows your business to maintain flexibility as communication needs evolve.
Audio streaming
Audio streaming, or media streaming, is a vital feature that sets advanced voice APIs apart. This functionality allows your application to deliver calls while duplicating call media to multiple recipients. It also enables real-time analysis and enhances features like sentiment analysis, conversational AI, call transcriptions, fraud detection, and voice biometrics.
Plivo stands out by offering all of these essential voice API capabilities. Moreover, it offers advanced features, such as:
- Play audio prompts: Plays pre-recorded audio files during a call, making it useful for IVR menus or announcements. This feature facilitates caller engagement and delivers professionalism in communication.
- Text to speech: Converts text into natural voice messages in various languages. It supports real-time updates like notifications, reducing dependency on pre-recorded audio and increasing flexibility.
- Dual channel call recording: Captures conversations with separate audio tracks for each participant. This allows for detailed analysis of interactions, making it ideal for call centers or compliance needs.
- Custom caller ID: Displays a specific phone number during calls, which builds brand trust and increases the likelihood of calls being answered. It’s particularly helpful for global and region-specific outreach efforts.
- Get digit input: Collects user responses via keypad entries, making it useful for gathering information such as account numbers or confirming choices during calls. It simplifies customer interactions and integrates effectively into IVR systems.
- Advanced call control: Gives businesses detailed control over call functions like transfer, mute, and hold. This capability supports smoother call handling and enhances customer support operations.
- Supervisor coaching: Allows supervisors to listen in on live calls and provide guidance without the caller being aware. This feature supports agent training and improves call outcomes as they happen.
- Call whisper: Plays a short message to the agent before connecting the call, providing context about the caller or the purpose of the call. It helps agents prepare better, leading to more tailored and effective support.
How does Plivo's voice API work?
Plivo's voice API is a robust framework that enables developers to manage voice communications programmatically with REST APIs to allow comprehensive control over call flows—from initiation to termination.
Throughout a call's lifecycle, Plivo sends webhooks at various stages, prompting your application to respond with specific commands. This dynamic exchange between webhooks and responses provides granular control over call behavior, facilitating the creation of customized and efficient voice communication solutions.
What makes a good voice API?
A good API is easy to build. It offers flexibility and customization options to cater to different users’ needs and tailor a top-notch experience for your customers.
Here’s what to look for:
SDKs and robust documentation
A good voice API provider should offer developers comprehensive Software Development Kits (SDKs) and robust documentation to ease the development process.
Plivo offers client SDKs for browser (JavaScript) and mobile (native iOS and Android) with no upfront costs. Plus, access extensive product documentation with quickstart guides, tutorials, and product overviews to cover various use cases.
Connect and control calls to any device
Voice API should allow developers to build powerful voice workflows and integrate voice calling into web and mobile apps.
With Plivo, you can connect phone calls over the PSTN to more than 200 countries without managing complex telecom carrier interactions. This flexibility extends to SIP-enabled devices and software, allowing seamless connection to your existing SIP infrastructure and enabling advanced communication features in the cloud.
Premium network
A premium network is essential for a voice API to deliver clear, uninterrupted audio quality, as it minimizes delays, reduces jitter, and ensures stable call connections.
Plivo ensures premium voice quality through its Regional Points of Presence (PoPs), which reduce latency and maintain high call quality using one-hop, in-country carrier connections.
Great developer support
Sometimes, a voice API can be complicated and needs assistance; make sure your provider offers 24x7 premium support backed by a consultative customer success team that provides the technical guidance and industry expertise developers need.
Those additional support resources can include:
- Extensive documentation and a rich knowledge base
- Up-to-date service status and product updates
- Regular product improvements and enhancements
Upgrade your business communication with Plivo's voice API
We've covered what a voice API is and what to look for in a provider—now it's time to put that knowledge into action. Upgrade your business communication with Plivo's voice API, a powerful, flexible voice API that meets your business needs.
If you'd like to receive customized rates with guided onboarding and premium support, get our volume prices. A team member will contact you to help determine whether an annual agreement suits you based on your personal use case.
Plivo’s simple, usage-based pricing model ensures that businesses only pay for what they use, making it a cost-effective choice.
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