What is a voicebot, what types exist and which one works for business calls
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
A voicebot (voice bot, voice robot) is a program that talks with a person on the phone: it hears what they say, understands it and answers out loud. There are three types: an autodialer that plays a recording, a scripted bot that waits for keywords, and an AI voice operator that understands free speech and answers from the company’s facts. For order confirmations, reminders and bookings you need the third: the caller speaks in their own words, and the bot finishes the job.
How a voicebot works
Every voicebot connects to a phone line and does three things on a call:
- Hears: turns the caller’s speech into text.
- Understands: works out what the caller wants.
- Answers: speaks and records the outcome.
Bots differ at step two. One waits for “yes” or “no”, another understands any sentence. That difference decides whether the caller hangs up or the job gets done.
The three types of voicebot
| Autodialer | Scripted bot | AI voice operator | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it talks | Plays one recording | Follows a tree of set phrases | Freely, as the call goes |
| Understanding | None, keys only | A few keywords | The meaning of the whole sentence |
| Unexpected question | No answer | “Sorry, please repeat” | Answer from company facts or a task for a manager |
| Good for | Mass announcements | Simple yes/no surveys | Confirmations, bookings, answers, sales |
Autodialer vs AI operator in detail: autodialer or AI operator. The third type runs on a large language model: what is an LLM.
Example: a Tashkent online store confirms an order
“Uyda Bozor” (name invented) sells household goods and confirms every order by phone before delivery. It used to run a scripted bot:
- Bot: “Do you confirm your order? Say yes or no.”
- Customer: “Yes, but can I change the colour? Grey, not blue.”
- Bot: “Sorry, I didn’t understand. Say yes or no.”
- The customer hangs up. The order stays “unconfirmed” and a staff member has to call again.
The customer didn’t cancel anything; they just said what they needed. To a scripted bot that was an “unexpected answer”.
The same call with an AI operator
Sado: Assalomu alaykum, this is Shohruh from Uyda Bozor. You ordered an electric kettle yesterday; I’m calling to confirm.
Caller: Yes, yes. Can I change the colour, though? I wanted grey, not blue.
Sado: Sure, we have grey. I’ll put grey. Delivery is tomorrow, same address — Yunusobod, block 4?
Caller: Yes. But in the evening, please, I’m at work in the day.
Sado: Okay, after six. The courier will call before setting off. Thank you!
The order is confirmed with the change, and staff see the new answers in the portal. An AI operator for online stores makes these confirmation and delivery calls.
What to test before you choose a voicebot
- Does it understand free speech? Ask one question three different ways.
- Does it speak Uzbek and Russian, and cope with mixed speech?
- Does it invent? Ask for a price that isn’t on the list.
- Does it put the call through to staff when a person is asked for?
- Where does the outcome go: recording, transcript, answers, CRM?
- Does it stop calling people who said “don’t call me again”?
What kind of voicebot Sado is
Sado is the third type, an AI voice operator. It answers incoming calls in about a second. On outgoing calls it calls website and Instagram leads right away and makes reminder and confirmation calls, only to people the company may call. It speaks Uzbek and Russian; the voices are Malika and Shohruh.
Try it live or call 78 778 01 23. More answers: questions about Sado.
Questions
Are a voicebot and a voice robot the same?
Usually, yes. But a plain autodialer is also called a “robot”, so always ask whether the bot understands free speech.
Does the caller know they’re talking to a bot?
Sado’s AI operator never claims to be human: if asked, it says it is artificial intelligence. It can also say at the start that the call is recorded; this is a setting.
How much does a voicebot cost?
It depends on the type. With Sado you pay only for talked minutes: 800 so‘m a minute, with no monthly or setup fee.