AudioCodes has acquired conversational AI provider Callverso to boost its customer experience credentials. Israel-based Callverso has a Virtual Intelligent Customer Agent (VICA) which is designed for healthcare and utility providers to automate actions such as appointment making and payments. Shabtai Adlersberg, CEO at AudioCodes, said: "The acquisition of Callverso places AudioCodes in a stronger position to serve the growing adoption of conversational AI services in contact centres.
"The technology and expertise of Callverso in developing and deploying conversational AI solutions will effectively complement AudioCodes' existing Voice.ai offering and be instrumental in modernizing contact center operations"
AudioCodes did not reveal the terms of the acquisition but said it consisted of cash plus extra payments based on performance over the next three years. The acquisition closed on 10 November. The firm said that the deal will bolster its customer experience portfolio which already includes connectivity, remote working, and chatbot capabilities. Callverso said its virtual agent is particularly useful for businesses in highly regulated markets, claiming to be Israel’s largest conversational AI provider. In a report published last month, analyst IDC claimed that conversational AI has seen a “recent acceleration in adoption thanks to improvements in AI technology as well as an increase in remote and distributed work, commerce, and education models”. It claimed that the market is becoming increasingly saturated with start-ups, with a number of major technology vendors making acquisitions. "Technology buyers considering conversational AI should familiarize themselves with the more innovative start-ups to get the full picture of what is available in addition to what they may be seeing from technology giants,” it said.
