Comparing 10 providers of AI phone assistants (voice agent)

Imagine that no call goes unanswered — whether in the evening, on the weekend or during a customer appointment. This is exactly what AI telephone assistants promise, which are available around the clock, process calls intelligently and seamlessly integrate into your work processes. But which solution is really right for your company? Here is an overview of 10 providers of AI phone assistants.

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What should a company look for when choosing an AI phone assistant?

Companies should have a AI phone assistant select according to clear B2B criteria so that calls are reliably qualified, documented and reached the right employees.

• Business goals and use cases: Define the purpose first. Lead hotline, appointment acceptance, emergency service and fault reports are typical.
• 24/7 availability and uptime: The service must be stable around the clock. Schedule failover on voicemail, SMS, or recall lists.
• Voice quality and latency: Voices should sound natural. Responses must come without audible delay.
• Plurilingualism and dialect skills: Check available languages and voices Test accents and industry-specific terms.
• Conversation flow and escalation: The agent needs clear paths and abort logic. Hot transfer to employees must be possible at any time.
• Appointment booking and workflows: Calendar sync and confirmation via email or SMS save time. This includes rules for no-shows and rebookings.
• Knowledge base and update: Content must be versioned and can be changed quickly. Good systems use a proven source of knowledge instead of a free web search.
• Integrations and API: Connect CRM, ticket system and telephone system. Automatic entry of transcripts and summaries saves work.
• Data protection and GDPR: Do you prefer hosting in the EU or in Germany. Conclude an order processing contract and minimize personal data.
• Safety: Require transport and resting encryption. Roles, rights, and audit logs are mandatory.
• Logs and analytics: They need transcripts, summaries, and KPI dashboards. Measure availability, completion rate, and call duration.
• Quality Assurance: Use sandbox testing and A/B dialogs. Listen to critical calls and improve prompts in a targeted manner.
• Support and SLA: Request German-language support with clear response times. Onboarding and best practice templates speed up the start.
• scalability: The service must support peak loads and multiple locations. Multiple numbers and roles per team make operations easier.
• Cost model and ROI: Understand the basic fee, usage prices, and add-ons. Calculate the break-even rate with avoided missed calls.
• Setup effort and time-to-value: Ideally, you'll be live within days. Templates and self-service reduce vendor dependency.
• Compliance and law: Regulate announcements about recordings and consents. Clarify emergency call handling and retention periods.
• Robustness with poor quality: The agent needs noise filters and DTMF fallback. In this way, core processes remain achievable.
• Accessibility and accessibility: Menu by button helps in noisy environments. Clear messages improve comprehensibility.

Which providers of AI phone assistants are there?

The relevant providers in the DACH market include autarc, HalloPetra, Fonio.ai, Meiti and TrendView as well as established platforms such as Cognigy, Parloa, Placetel Voice AI, PolyAI and Voximplant. The choice depends primarily on integrations, GDPR implementation, languages and the billing model.

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sSelf-sufficient

Autarc offers a AI telephone assistants for HVAC and PV companies. It automatically answers calls and recognizes issues such as malfunctions or offers. It documents all information in a structured manner in the integrated CRM. Appointments and transfers are possible. Over 100 voices in 32 languages are available. Billing is based on usage per minute of call, and the suite's basic functions are integrated. Data processing is GDPR-compliant with German phone number management.

Cognigy

Cognigy delivers voice AI agents for contact centers. The focus is on natural language, routing, and high first-call resolution. The platform connects to CCaaS and CRM. It addresses enterprise requirements with analytics and automation. EU options are available and the solution is scalable. It is suitable for companies with high volumes and complex journeys.

Fonio.ai

Fonio.ai is a German-language AI telephone assistant with 24/7 acceptance. The system creates additional numbers, integrates calendars and CRM, and offers voice selection. Transcription, email and SMS are included. Billing is done every minute without commitment, enterprise packages are available. Hosting is located at Hetzner in Nuremberg, LLM partners run via Azure EU. The target group is SMEs in DACH with quick go-live requirements.

HelloPetra

HalloPetra is an AI office worker for craft businesses. It answers calls, qualifies inquiries and forwards information to the right contacts. Booking appointments with confirmation via SMS is part of the range of functions. The solution can be adapted with industry logic and individual questions. The server is located in Frankfurt, the data rooms are separate for each company. The aim is a favourable cost-benefit ratio for SMEs.

Meiti

Meiti combines an AI telephone assistant and a chatbot. The solution automatically answers calls and WhatsApp messages. A separate knowledge database controls answers and qualification. Transcription and suggestions for knowledge articles are included. Target groups include self-employed people and small teams who want to automate simple processes. The app is also available on mobile devices.

Parloa

Parloa is a platform for generative voice journeys. The aim is a combination of empathy and efficiency in service. The solution scales to millions of calls and connects contact center stacks. It offers assistant functions for employees and real-time support. Fields of application range from hotline to outbound. Parloa addresses enterprise use cases with a strong CX focus.

Placetel Voice AI

Placetel integrates voice AI directly into the cloud telephone system. The bot answers questions, forwards concerns and relieves teams. Scheduling and analyses can be mapped via the PBX environment. The target group is SMEs that already use Placetel. Benefits include seamless telephony integration and easy start.

PolyAI

PolyAI builds lifelike voice agents for enterprise services. The focus is on natural conversations in many languages. The platform automates complex support cases and scales conversations worldwide. Integrations with contact center stacks are common. The company is established in the enterprise segment and is growing strongly.

TrendView

TrendView provides an AI voice agent for scheduling, routing, and complaints. The assistant picks up calls around the clock and is intended to reduce waiting times. Key functions include call answering, forwarding and structured recording. The company positions the service as GDPR-compliant. The approach addresses SMEs, practices and services with a need for accessibility.

Voximplant

Voximplant is a CPaaS platform with voicebots and contact center components. Companies build inbound and outbound bots without code or via API. There are STT, TTS, Dialogflow connectivity and telephone functions such as SIP. The target group is developers and teams who are looking for flexible components. The approach is suitable for individual telephone automation.

How much do AI phone assistants cost?

The costs for AI phone assistants vary depending on the provider and call volume. monthly licenses Start at around 30 to 150 euros per location. Enterprise is significantly higher. Usage-based You often pay 0.05 to 0.80 euros per minute or 0.50 to 2.00 euros per call. hybrid combines a basic fee of 20 to 100 euros with minute rates. Packages include a free quota and scale accordingly.

One-time setup costs range from 0 to 3,000 euros, depending on the integrations. Training and onboarding may cost extra. Additional modules incur running costs. This includes premium voices and other phone numbers and SIP trunks.

Which industries benefit the most?

Industries with many calls, clear standard processes and scheduling logistics benefit the most, including:

• Craftsmanship: Emergency service, fault reports and quick appointment scheduling.
• Real estate and property management: Tenant hotline, damage reports and ticket system.
• Health care (practices, physiotherapy, dental): Book appointments, reduce outages and plan recalls.
• Hotels, restaurants and holiday rentals: Booking inquiries, check-in information and 24/7 availability.
• E-commerce and retail: Order status, returns and easy FAQ.
• Logistics and freight forwarding: Package tracking, pickup windows, and reroutes.
• Facility Management, Security Services, and Cleaning: Emergency service, escalation and deployment planning.
• Car repair shops and car dealerships: Workshop appointments, replacement cars and recalls.
• Public sector and municipalities: Citizen hotlines, information and appointment windows.

What are the benefits of the autarc voice agent?

Our voice agent has the following advantages over other providers:

• Available 24/7: The AI phone answers calls anytime, even on weekends. This means that no phone call is lost outside office hours.
• Flexibly configurable assistants: Create as many assistants as you like and choose from over 100 voices in 32 languages. This allows the system to adapt to your processes.
• Connected directly to the AUTARC app: The voice agent is firmly integrated into the AUTARC app. Project management, offers and invoices run in one system. This ensures consistent processes and central data.
• Consistently GDPR-compliant: Processing is carried out entirely in accordance with the GDPR and exclusively in Germany. In this way, you benefit from high security and data protection standards.
• Cost effective: You save significantly compared to a full-time employee or an external telephone service. At the same time, you get high performance and availability.

Test it now for free

Are you installing heating systems, PV systems, battery storage systems or wallboxes and are interested in our voice agent? Activate the voice agent directly in the AUTARC app and test all functions free of charge for 14 days — without obligation, without waiting.

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