Many businesses are looking to take advantage of the benefits of AI. If you want to cut down wait times, improve customer experiences, reduce employee workload, and improve call resolution rates, bringing AI phone software into your suite could be game-changing.
74% of customer service leaders in call centres have seen a huge positive impact on customer satisfaction thanks to automation, with 69% delivering more personalized experiences. Automation boosts productivity by up to 75% whilst slashing costs by 35%, and enables a return on investment rapidly.
With these impressive stats, it's no wonder that businesses are eager to incorporate AI into their customer service strategies.
But with so many AI phone APIs available on the market, how can you choose the best one for your business needs? In this article, we'll take a look at the two top contenders: Bland and Twilio.
Bland and Twilio are both standouts when it comes to AI phone software, delivering a suite of features through an intuitive, easy-to-use program. Check out the pros of both below, as this guide puts Bland vs Twilio to see which AI phone API is the best.
What are AI Phone APIs?
Artificial Intelligence Phone Application Programming Interfaces (AI phone APIs), are software interfaces that enable developers to integrate artificial intelligence functionalities into phone systems, allowing for enhanced communication capabilities.
These APIs leverage AI technologies such as natural language processing (NLP), speech recognition, and machine learning algorithms to facilitate interactions.
Bland vs. Twilio - In-Depth Comparison
Bland.ai
Features
- Interactive voice response & speech recognition features
- Define conditions in a click & facilitate automated live call transfers
- Inject live data into calls
- Human-like voice with NLP capabilities
- Live call log generator - access a transcript in real-time
- Schedule appointments, access knowledge bases, & automate other tasks
- Call monitoring, prompt filtering & other security features
- 1:1 enterprise support & custom models
Voice Quality
Bland’s voice quality is unmatched. Use one of our voices from the library and turn your AI phone into a human-like assistant. This adds a personal touch to the interaction and enhances the user experience.
You can fine-tune the AI over time using actionable insights collected from calls in real time. Like Twilio, Bland uses a deep learning technology to create natural-sounding voices, but our advanced NLP capabilities set us apart in the quality of voice.
Personalization Options
Create your own voice clone with Bland’s custom model feature. Train the AI to emulate any voice and incorporate it into your phone system for a personalized experience.
Our live data injection feature allows you to tailor the conversation based on specific customer information, making each interaction unique and customized.
Bland also offers prompt filtering to ensure that only appropriate responses are given, preventing any awkward or unprofessional interactions.
Other standout personalization options include:
- Live call log generator to access transcripts in real-time
- Business phone number customization
- Caller ID personalization
- Custom greetings and voicemail messages
- Tailored call routing based on customer characteristics or previous interactions
Integration Capabilities & Dev Support
Enterprises enjoy 1:1 support, priority SLAs, and custom models to meet specific needs. Our team of experts will work with you to seamlessly integrate Bland into your existing systems.
Bland's platform is also designed to be easily integrated with other tools and services, making it the perfect choice for businesses looking to streamline their operations. With our open API, developers can create custom solutions and automate tasks that previously required manual effort.
Scalability and Performance
Twilio and Bland both deliver exceptional scalability and performance. Bland's AI-powered platform can handle high volumes of calls and conversations, ensuring that your customers will never experience long wait times or delays in responses. Our system is also continuously learning and improving, adapting to new patterns and customer behaviors.
Twilio
Features
- Real-time call quality monitoring
- Programmable voice features
- Interactive voice response
- Speech recognition & text-to-speech
- Automated SMS features
- Warm transfers & call encryptions
Voice Quality
Overall, Twilio’s voice quality is strong. However, some users struggle to get the voice to sound clear when calling into Zoom. You’ll need to use the right format if you want to do any recording. We recommend using WAV or MP3 for the best voice clarity.
Voice insights can be used to finetune the AI over time. Access a comprehensive dashboard of voice quality datasets, and use it to tweak Twilio’s voice programming as you need.
Personalization Options
Like Bland, Twilio is highly personalizable. It’s a little more difficult to personalize your calls with Twilio though. Twilio’s interface can come with a bit of a learning curve, but they do have a library of handy help guides users can access for free.
Personalization features currently available on Twilio include:
- Caller ID customization
- Automated phone self-service
- Interactive voice response & in-depth voice programming
- Voice call prompting
- Filters & monitoring
Integration Capabilities & Dev Support
Easily integrate Twilio with a wide range of popular CRMs, including Salesforce and Zendesk. Twilio also offers integration with tools like Slack and Zapier for added convenience. The platform provides a host of developer-friendly features such as webhooks, APIs, SDKs, and extensive documentation to help users create customized integrations.
Scalability and Performance
Even in peak usage times, Twilio can handle an impressive volume of calls without experiencing any significant dip in performance. Thanks to its cloud-based infrastructure, Twilio scales seamlessly as your business grows, making it an ideal choice for companies looking for a reliable and flexible call solution.
What Do Customers Say?
Across the board, reviews for Bland.ai praise its conversational AI. Bland’s Natural Language Processing (NLP) is highly dynamic, which means Bland responds to sentiment just like a human naturally would in a conversation.
Here’s what one customer had to say: “Extremely impressed by Bland, the team is improving their product every week, they offer great support and all by all great phone calls made by their AI.” - Casper Boutens.
Conor Grennan wrote a great LinkedIn post reviewing Bland.ai and its potential use cases. He approached the product with scepticism at first but was impressed with its human-like voice and responsiveness. His user experience was seamless - he started at bland.ai, plugged in a couple of basic details and was able to schedule calls with a click.
The biggest pro is Bland’s internet accessibility. Grennan asked questions from oak tree ages to string theory and really put Bland’s intelligence to the test. He had a thrilling conversation - the AI kept him on the line for quite some time!
Writing on LinkedIn, Grennan says; “Now, I can't testify to how powerful the model is.
But holy cow.
This thing is beating all the giants in speed. And that's a user interface that can actually change how people interact with generative AI.”
Similarly, Twilio customers praise its features. Real-time API alerts and in-depth customer journey features are raved about by users. “Twilio's journey feature lets us meet sales prospects where they are…” one user writes on g2.com. Twilio is also commended for its customer support, with one user saying “Twilio's customer service is the best out there.”
In addition to being impressed by Bland.ai and Twilio's features and capabilities, users also appreciate the impact they have on their daily workflows and productivity. With Bland.ai's natural-sounding voice and quick response time, tasks such as scheduling calls and answering common questions become much more efficient.
Similarly, Twilio's integration with popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp allows for seamless communication with customers, saving time and effort. Overall, customers enjoy both platforms for their user-friendly interfaces and ability to streamline processes.
Bland Vs Twilio - Overall Ranking
Bland edges out Twilio in terms of speed and natural-sounding AI capabilities, while Twilio is praised for its real-time alerts and customer support. It ultimately comes down to what you're using automated calls for when choosing which ones are better.
If you need a powerful, responsive, human-sounding AI that is easy to prompt and can be used to conduct outreach calls, book appointments, sort out inquiries, and more - Bland.ai is for you.
On the other hand, if you need a platform that can connect with customers on various messaging channels and provide real-time alerts and insights into customer journeys - Twilio may be the better choice.
Start Now - Meet Bland’s Powerful AI Voice Call Technology
Ready to see for yourself how Bland.ai can help streamline your business processes and enhance customer communication? With Bland.ai, you'll have access to advanced technology that will save you time, increase efficiency, and improve customer satisfaction. Contact us now.
