You may have heard about OpenAI’s exciting new voice technology that sounds incredibly human-like. The demos look amazing. The OpenAI voice agent is smart, natural and handles interruptions very well. But is it ready to replace your current interactive voice response system? Or, if you already purchased a voicebot service, can you replace it with OpenAI’s voice assistant to serve your customers? Let’s break it down in simple terms.

If you prefer to listen to an audio version of this article, here is the video:

The Good News

OpenAI’s new voice AI (called ChatGPT-4o Realtime API) is indeed impressive:

If you have not seen it, check out this demo video by Ray Fernando:

• It sounds very natural and human-like
• It responds quickly, almost like talking to a real person
• It can handle interruptions and changes in conversation smoothly

However, does it mean as business owners, you can just switch to OpenAI voice for your customer service agent? No. Not so quick. It is too expensive.

Is It Worth It for Your Business?

Let’s compare the prices!

Unfortunately, this new OpenAI voice assistant come with a hefty price tag:

• It costs about $1 per minute of conversation
• That’s roughly $60 per hour

To put this in perspective, let’s compare this cost with the 3 main other solutions today:

• human call center agents
  • $5 to $30 per hour. Depending on who and where you hire.
• Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
  • Can be implemented cheaply. $25-$100 per month.
• Other AI voice technologies (voicebots) can cost as little as $7 per hour

Is It Worth It for Your Business?

While OpenAI’s technology is impressive, it’s currently much more expensive than other options. Here’s a quick comparison:

1. OpenAI’s new voice AI (Realtime Voice API): $60/hour
2. Human agents: $5-$30/hour
3. Existing AI voice providers: $7-$15/hour

Should You Use OpenAI’s New Voice AI?

For most businesses, OpenAI’s new voice technology is probably too expensive to use right now, despite its advanced features. It’s about 10 times more costly than other good AI options, without necessarily being 10 times better.

What to Do Instead

1. If you’re happy with your current phone answering system, stick with it for now.
2. If you’re looking to upgrade, consider more affordable AI voice technologies from companies like Seasalt.ai, Bland AI, or Retell AI.
3. Keep an eye on OpenAI’s technology. In the future, the price may come down, making it a more practical option for businesses.

The most advanced technology isn’t always the best choice for your business needs. Consider your budget, the quality of customer service you need, and how well a solution integrates with your existing systems before making any changes.

Learn More

If you’d like to first explore the AI voice technology for customer service at a reasonable price, you can visit SeaChat or you can book a demo with us.