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PolyAI: Everything You Need to Know

Trevor Hall
Published By
Trevor Hall
Updated Sep 22, 2025 3 min read
PolyAI: Everything You Need to Know

PolyAI is a London-based company building voice-first conversational AI for enterprises. Unlike traditional IVR menus that frustrate customers, PolyAI focuses on natural, human-like voice agents that solve real customer problems. Its mission is clear: let people talk to businesses the way they talk to humans without friction, long holds, or robotic menus.

Why Voice Still Matters

Even in the digital age, customers still rely on phone calls:

  • 65% of U.S. consumers prefer the phone as their primary support channel.
  • 86% of Gen Z and millennials choose voice over chat when their issue feels urgent.
  • 71% of callers are willing to use AI voice agents—if they resolve the problem quickly.

This highlights PolyAI’s positioning: an AI voice that feels human and delivers outcomes, not just scripted replies.

Core Features of PolyAI

  • Advanced NLU (Natural Language Understanding)
    Handles accents, interruptions, slang, and topic changes—reducing caller frustration.
  • Multi-turn Conversations
    Retains context across the call, so customers don’t repeat themselves.
  • Custom Voice & Branding
    Supports multiple languages, regional accents, and brand-aligned voice personas.
  • System Integrations
    Connects seamlessly with CRMs, billing, booking, and payment platforms to take real actions.
  • Analytics & Insights
    Dashboards provide call resolution rates, containment, and customer sentiment for continuous improvement.
  • Enterprise Security & Compliance
    GDPR, SOC 2, and enterprise-level privacy protections—critical for finance, travel, and healthcare.

Use Cases

PolyAI voice agents are applied across industries where call volume is high and tasks are repetitive:

  • Travel & Hospitality → booking, cancellations, and rescheduling.
  • Retail & E-commerce → order tracking, returns, and refunds.
  • Banking & Finance → account updates, authentication, and bill payments.
  • Healthcare → appointment scheduling, prescription refills, and reminders.
  • Telecom & Utilities → troubleshooting, balance checks, and service requests.

Business Impact

Enterprises using PolyAI report an ROI of up to 391% within the first year.

  • Reduced hold times: customers connect instantly instead of waiting for agents.
  • Cost savings: AI handles the bulk of routine calls, freeing human agents for complex cases.
  • Customer satisfaction: natural conversations increase trust compared to robotic IVR menus.

Pricing

PolyAI follows a custom, usage-based pricing model:

Per-minute charges for conversations (includes maintenance and updates).

Costs depend on:

  • Number of languages supported
  • Volume of calls handled
  • Depth of system integrations
  • Voice customization and branding needs
  • Because pricing is tailored, businesses must request a custom quote via PolyAI’s sales team.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Natural, human-like conversations across languages and accents
  • Strong enterprise integrations with CRMs, billing, and booking tools
  • Improves call containment and lowers operational costs

High ROI for large-scale customer service operations

Cons

  • No public pricing (sales quote required)
  • More suitable for medium-to-large enterprises—may be costly for smaller firms
  • Primarily voice-focused (less coverage in chat or text channels)

Final Takeaway

It excels in industries with high call volumes, where automation can drastically reduce costs and enhance customer experience.

For large businesses in travel, finance, retail, or telecom, it can transform voice support from a cost center into a competitive advantage. For smaller companies, though, the investment may feel heavy unless call volumes justify it.

Trevor Hall

Trevor Hall