When Customer Calls Pile Up, Voice AI Steps In

The phones kept ringing and ringing

The five salespeople at the front counter of Ace Building Materials were busy helping in-person customers or handling phone inquiries and orders, while more customers waited on hold. There simply weren't enough hands to answer every call.

Unanswered calls piled up in a queue, leaving customers frustrated. Some eventually hung up.

For company president Josh Zakarya, keeping up with customer demand had become a growing challenge.

The 75-year-old, family-owned building materials supplier needed a better way to serve its growing customer base of contractors, developers, and homeowners.

Then Josh discovered Convoso Voice AI Agent and saw an opportunity to give his busy sales team some much-needed support.

Ace Building Materials decided to make its new AI agent a little more personal. They named it George.

Now, when the sales team is tied up, George can take the call, answer customer questions, and connect callers with the people who can help.

A better experience for callers and employees

A typical day at Ace Building Materials involves helping customers at the counter, answering questions about building supplies, and coordinating with different departments. With employees juggling so many responsibilities, incoming calls can quickly pile up.

George helps fill that gap.

The AI agent works within the Convoso platform to answer common questions about store hours and products and direct callers to the appropriate department when they need additional help.

When George can't answer a question, the caller can be connected with someone in the appropriate department, whether that's dispatch or another employee who can help.

"The customer feels acknowledged, welcomed," Josh says.

Now callers can explain what they need and get help moving in the right direction, instead of waiting on hold for an employee to become available.

Meanwhile, salespeople can stay focused on the customers they're already helping rather than interrupting those conversations to pick up the phone.

To continually improve George's responses, Josh adds information about the store's products and inventory, along with recordings of past customer calls.

"The more information you feed the AI, the more it can do for you," he explains.

Helping customers in their own language

Another feature that impressed Josh was George's ability to communicate in Spanish. When a caller begins speaking Spanish, the AI agent recognizes the language and switches automatically.

Josh, who says he speaks only a little Spanish himself, appreciates the capability.

"This Convoso agent speaks fluent Spanish. It's an amazing agent. That's a great feature," he says.

The conversation that changed his mind

Josh wasn't convinced about AI from the start.

"I was skeptical for a little bit too. I wasn't sure about using AI. I've had my doubts about it."

Then he listened to George handling a customer call.

The AI agent was asking questions, following the conversation, and working out whether it could provide an answer or needed to connect the caller with an employee.

Josh remembers thinking, "Wow. It is intuitive, it's smart, it knows how to talk, it knows how to react, it knows how to follow up."

That's when he realized: "This thing is gonna work."

A surprisingly smooth start

Introducing new technology can be daunting, especially for a busy business that can't afford to interrupt daily operations. But getting George up and running proved straightforward.

Josh credits the Convoso team with guiding Ace Building Materials through the process, from initial setup to deployment in just a couple of weeks.

"They really hold your hand, they get you from A to Z. You really have to do nothing. It's all plug and play," he says.

A 75-year tradition of service, with a new approach

For 75 years, Ace Building Materials has built its business around helping customers find what they need. Today, that same commitment to service includes an AI agent named George.

By answering routine questions and directing callers to the right people, George helps the team keep up with customer demand while employees focus on the customers who need their attention.

Josh's advice to other business owners who are uncertain about Voice AI comes from his own experience: give it a try, listen to the conversations, and see what it can do for your customers.

"It's better to have someone pick up the phone and answer a question as opposed to the phone just rings and they go to the next business."

Keep customer conversations moving with Voice AI

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