Some shoppers would rather talk than type. They're on the move, they have a complicated question, or they simply prefer a voice. An AI voice agent answers those calls in real time, with the same knowledge as your chat agent, and transfers to a person when needed.
What a voice agent is, and isn't
A voice agent listens, understands and replies out loud, with natural turn-taking so callers can interrupt or change direction. It isn't a phone menu ("press 1 for orders"), and it shouldn't pretend to be human. Callers should know they're talking to an AI.
Calls a voice agent handles well
- Order status. "Where's my order?" with verification, then a spoken update.
- Quick product questions. "Does the blue one come in a large?"
- Store and policy questions. Opening hours, delivery areas, return windows.
- Bookings. "Can I book a fitting on Saturday?"
These are the same questions your chat agent handles; voice just changes the medium.
Calls to transfer quickly
- Complaints and refunds above your threshold
- Anything emotional or urgent
- Complex advice that needs judgement
- Callers who ask for a person
A warm transfer, passing the transcript so far, keeps the caller from starting over.
Accuracy matters more out loud
A wrong answer in chat can be scrolled back and corrected. A wrong answer spoken confidently feels worse. Use the same guardrails as chat, or stricter:
- Grounded answers only, from approved sources
- Short answers: one or two sentences, then offer more
- No improvised prices, promises or medical, legal or financial advice
- Clear fallbacks: "I'm not sure. Let me get someone who can help."
See AI agent guardrails for a fuller list.
Start from the widget, not a phone line
The simplest way to offer voice is a call button in your website chat widget. It runs in the browser, needs no phone number, and the call lands in the same conversation as any chat that came before. That's how the LiveCart voice agent works.
What to measure
- Calls resolved without transfer
- Transfers and their reasons
- Average call length
- Calls that should have been chats (or the other way around)
Read transcripts weekly in the first month. Spoken questions are phrased differently from typed ones, and a few additions to your knowledge base usually make a big difference.
