Overview
PolyAI is a voice-first conversational AI company (founded 2017) focused on deploying lifelike, multilingual agents for enterprise contact centers. Their core offering emphasizes omnichannel deployments (voice, chat, SMS, social) that reduce agent load and drive ROI. Key product positioning centers on Agent Studio, a voice-first, omnichannel platform described as a command center to build, manage, and measure AI voice/chat agents. Agent Studio features voice-first controls and tuning (speech recognition, configurable voice output, latency/variants, multiple voices), built-in visibility and transparency (conversation review and ability to inspect reasoning behind utterances), rule/response controls, knowledge updates, speech/SLU tuning, API/transaction integrations, a central single-brain for multi-channel consistency, real-time metrics/insights, and enterprise guardrails including a tailored in-house LLM for customer service. PolyAI references an in-house speech recognition model called "Owl," used with SLU features. Documentation and developer resources are available in a public docs hub that includes API references, Studio transcripts, response control guides, and release notes. Pricing is presented as transparent per-minute (usage-based) billing for ongoing use, with government/enterprise-grade support and maintenance included in their offering model; no public per-minute numeric rates or free-trial details were published on the site. Support claims include 24/7 support, a web ticket portal, and a 24/7/365 emergency phone line. Reliability references a 99.9% SLA for phone lines and ongoing monitoring/maintenance. Security statements reference compliance certificates, regular audits and testing, and 24/7 data infrastructure, but the site pages reviewed do not list specific certification names. PolyAI commissioned a Forrester Total Economic Impact (TEI) study (headlines include reported $10.3M three-year agent labor savings and payback under six months) and publishes other customer ROI highlights and anecdotal metrics on the site. Notable customers/case studies referenced on the site include Marriott, Volkswagen, PG&E, Caesars, MetroBank, Hopper, Quicken, Big Table Group, and OpenTable. Industries called out include consumer services, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, insurance, and utilities. Missing/undetermined items from public pages include exact per-minute numeric pricing rates, any public free trial or sandbox access, the precise names of compliance certifications, a full language list (site states "12+ languages" without a complete public list), and the full SLA/legal contract text. Recommended next steps are contacting sales/requesting a demo for pricing, SLA, and compliance certificate copies and reviewing docs and requesting a technical/deployment call for integration validation.
Key Features
Agent Studio — voice-first command center
Platform to build, manage, and measure AI voice/chat agents with omnichannel consistency and real-time metrics.
Voice-first controls and tuning
Speech recognition, configurable voice output, latency/variant controls, and multiple voice options for agents.
Visibility and transparency
Conversation review and ability to inspect reasoning behind utterances for auditing and tuning.
Rule/response and knowledge controls
Manage rules, update knowledge, tune SLU/speech settings, and integrate APIs/transactions.
Central single brain
Shared model/logic for multi-channel consistency across voice, chat, SMS and social.
In-house speech recognition (Owl)
Proprietary speech recognition model referenced as 'Owl', used alongside SLU in Agent Studio.
Who Can Use This Tool?
- Contact centers:Replace/augment agents with voice-first omnichannel agents to reduce labor and handle high call volumes.
- Enterprises:Deploy enterprise-grade conversational AI with SLAs, support, and compliance for customer service automation.
- Developers/Integrators:Integrate Agent Studio and APIs with telephony, CRMs, and backend systems for transactions and workflows.
Pricing Plans
Usage-based per-minute billing for ongoing use; exact rates require sales contact.
- ✓Per-minute usage billing (no public numeric rates)
- ✓Support and maintenance included in offering model
- ✓24/7 support options
Enterprise-grade contracted plan with SLAs, compliance and support; pricing customized by sales.
- ✓Customized pricing and volume discounts
- ✓99.9% phone-line SLA referenced
- ✓24/7/365 emergency support phone line
Pros & Cons
✓ Pros
- ✓Voice-first, lifelike multilingual agents suitable for enterprise contact centers
- ✓Omnichannel single-brain approach for consistent behavior across voice, chat, SMS, and social
- ✓Agent Studio provides visibility, tuning, and rule/response controls for production management
- ✓In-house speech recognition model (Owl) and SLU integration
- ✓Public documentation and developer resources (API, transcripts, response control, release notes)
- ✓Enterprise support options including 24/7 support and referenced 99.9% SLA
- ✓Commissioned Forrester TEI study reporting strong ROI claims
✗ Cons
- ✗No public numeric per-minute pricing rates or tiered price table found
- ✗No free trial or public sandbox access detected on pricing page
- ✗Site references compliance certificates but does not list specific certification names on reviewed pages
- ✗Full language list (beyond '12+ languages') not published in the pages reviewed
- ✗Full SLA/legal contract text not published publicly in the examined pages
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