The trust metrics of Voice AI agents

The AI conversation has moved swiftly from LinkedIn opinion pieces to widescale adoption, and voice AI agents are well and truly in the mix. Voice technology has been part of business and customer service since the 1980s, with the use of simple Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems, but today’s technology is moving far beyond simple automation and into the realms of intelligence. To succeed, however, these systems need more than algorithms.

Xander van der Westhuizen, Group Manager of Data and AI Innovation at TSA, says that effective voice AI relies on high-quality data, deep consumer and business insights, robust back-end processes, and secure data storage hosted locally. Add in insight-driven feedback loops, and AI agents can continually learn and adapt to customer needs.

When these foundations are in place, voice AI delivers tangible benefits for both customers and businesses -improving efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing the overall customer experience.

The current state of play: A global voice AI growth of 25%

While Xander predicts that we’re still in the early days with voice AI adoption in Australia, the global AI voice market reached $5.4 billion in 2024, a 25% increase from the previous year.

This level of widespread adoption is ensuring that voice AI is on the radar of most – if not all – business owners. And, with bloated operational costs needed to meet the growing demand of call centres, like personalisation at scale, it’s no wonder the industry is seeking solutions.

“When it comes to call centres, the human resources cost is undoubtedly the biggest burden, with some businesses struggling to meet demand at all,” says Xander. “Voice AI agents can be the antidote, taking on lower-order tasks and freeing up the team for the more complex calls.”

The most common use cases are currently wading in the territory of general notetaking, call forwarding, and simple call flow automation; however, opportunities for this technology are growing. Businesses are maintaining high-quality customer-service experiences while benefiting from serious cost savings, decreased wait times, data-led decisions, and growing brand equity.

The voice AI workflows delivering the greatest operational benefits

The clearest benefits of voice AI emerge when repetitive workflows are automated alongside the advancements in natural language processing (NLP). Will Lowe, Voice AI Specialist at TSA, says the labour requirement drops significantly when people aren’t needed for repetitive tasks, allowing businesses to reprioritise staff accordingly.

“We are seeing voice AI used successfully across many industries with clear workflows embedded into the business: detailed transcribing and notetaking in healthcare, lead qualification in real estate, and bookings or cancellations in hospitality. These tasks don’t require complex decision-making and hold low emotional weight,” says Will.

Sometimes, even taking the emotion out of a call can give the caller a better experience. For example, calling your employer to report an unplanned absence can feel daunting and, with 3,500 frontline call centre staff, it can also be an operational pain point.

From customer call flows to internal policies

Voice AI is not just gaining momentum in business-to-consumer interactions; businesses with large employee numbers are using the technology to execute laborious internal processes. Take TSA’s voice AI agent for reporting unplanned leave.

With a high volume of calls each day, team leaders were burdened with reporting leave manually, explains Xander. But with a clear AI process, underpinned by operational policy and Australian legislation regarding sick leave, this task was successfully automated.

People can call to report their sick leave and have that leave validated according to their leave balances. Then, as Will explains, multiple escalation points are built into the system to process more complex calls, such as those involving reported domestic violence or self-harm.

With a 24/7 availability rate, no unplanned leave of its own, an ability to take more than one call at a time, and immediately change processes without arduous training, voice AI adoption is on the rise. But the success of this tech relies on deep operational insights.

The necessary combination of CX and intelligent tech

Implementing voice AI agents starts with setting goals that serve both the business and the customer. These guideposts become the origin point for development and ensure that the data and the tech are working in sync.

These consumer insights are coupled with well-structured conversation flows and industry-specific knowledge to create a hyper-focused model capable of meeting key objectives. And, with the right formula, businesses can largely mitigate the risks.

Mitigating risks for the customer and the business

The scepticism around AI is still present; however, with a clear risk mitigation plan, the space opens for operational advancement. For Will and Xander, transparency and data security top the list when it comes to risk planning. “We combine our knowledge of the legal and ethical environments with the client’s internal policies to keep the risk low,” says Will.

Quality monitoring is also a vital ingredient for risk planning, as patterns in client drop-off, for example, can be quickly caught and improvements can be made.

“We can create workflows where, if an AI agent were to fail, perhaps it doesn’t have the appropriate information to handle the specific query, it’s instructed to connect to a live agent rather than risking misinformation or poor service. Then, we can iterate and improve the process for the next version.”

Then there’s the communication leading up to the rollout of voice AI; key stakeholders, current staff, and customers need to know about the changes coming, with a focus on how it is relevant and benefits them. Being caught off guard with new technology will only increase scepticism and erode trust, especially for employees.

With voice AI potentially handling the lower-order calls, your team will likely be tasked more consistently with the complex, emotionally charged calls, so prioritising staff wellbeing is vital. With all that being said, the biggest risk, above all else, is data security.

The business of trust: keeping data safe via local hosting

Trust is your most precious asset. Maintaining the trust of your stakeholders, employees, and customers means taking data security very seriously, and hosting in Australia is vital.

Why opt for local hosting?

• Your data will be held under the compliance of strict Australian data security laws, for example: The Australian Government’s Hosting Certification Framework (HCF), The Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 (SOCI Act), and the Privacy Act 1988 (amended 2024).
• These national compliance frameworks offer the scaffolding for your data security policies.
• Australian hosting has an inbuilt trust mechanism – customers feel safe to opt in.
• Local hosting should fully cover the entire data set, even the ‘data in motion’, i.e. while actively transcribing a conversation and processing the final report.

A future of voice AI agents that comprehend, anticipate, and deliver

AI-driven voice technology is evolving rapidly. We’re already seeing basic sentiment analysis progressing toward voice AI agents that can detect customer frustration, stress, and excitement. In the not-too-distant future, agents could proactively anticipate customer needs and translate calls with multilingual intelligence.

TSA Group combines decades of CX expertise with the technical expertise to deliver virtual agents that work seamlessly, with all data securely hosted in Australia. Connect with us to explore how this technology can elevate your business.

TSA are Australia’s market leading specialists in CX consultancy and contact centre services. We are passionate about revolutionising the way brands connect with Australians. How? By combining our local expertise with the most sophisticated customer experience technology on earth, and delivering with an expert team of customer service consultants who know exactly how to help brands care for their customers.