RingCentral, a business communications and contact center systems provider, today introduced RingCentral AI Receptionist (AIR), a phone agent that uses generative artificial intelligence to automatically answer customer questions and transfer callers to the right place.
Key capabilities of RingCentral AI Receptionist include the following:
- Resolution of routine customer questions, such as company services, business hours, and location.
- Smart knowledge base creation, using generative AI with context from websites and documents.
- Scalability for multiple locations or departments.
- Intelligent call routing
- SMS confirmations, delivering important details like locations and email addresses on request via SMS.
- Call transcripts and analytics for every call to give insights into why customers are calling, call volume, and trends.
"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, chief innovation officer and chief marketing officer of RingCentral, in a statement. "Voice remains the 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."
RingCentral also launched Cloud Work RingCX through a partnership with BT, which connects more than a million business and public-sector customers in the United Kingdom.
A cloud-based contact center platform with AI assistance built in, Cloud Work RingCX helps corporate and public-sector organizations working with BT to improve customer experiences through a mix of voice and messaging apps.
Cloud Work RingCX brings together voice calls and more than 20 digital channels. It combines with BT Cloud Work, BT's unified communications service, enabling agents to handle voice, video, and digital channels from one BT platform. AI-driven tools help ensure quick, personalized responses, while real-time analytics and AI assistance help agents resolve issues and supervisors monitor performance, identify specific areas for improvement, and provide targeted coaching.
"The launch of Cloud Work RingCX represents a significant evolution in our decade-long strategic partnership with BT as we jointly work to deliver innovative solutions that solve real customer challenges," said Homayoun Razavi, general manager of global strategic partnerships at RingCentral, in a statement. "This solution leverages our combined expertise with BT's network leadership and resources alongside our industry-leading technology and innovation in unified communications and contact center. Together, we're helping businesses empower their employees while transforming the customer journey across various touchpoints."
"In a digital world, we know businesses of all sizes want flexibility in how they support their customers," said Chris Sims, chief commercial officer for business at BT, in a statement. "Working with RingCentral, we've developed Cloud Work RingCX to give them just that. Through this new platform, business and public-sector customers can manage all their contact center activity in one place with ease, supporting their own customers via a full mix of communication channels while using AI to help them work smarter."