If you're building an AI voice or messaging product right now, the easy demo is outbound: an AI that calls or emails a thousand leads. I think that's the wrong thing to build. Here's the case for building inbound instead.
Outbound AI runs into people and rules
- Gartner found 64% of customers would prefer companies didn't use AI for customer service, and 53% would consider switching over it.
- The US FCC ruled in February 2024 that AI-generated voices count as "artificial" under the TCPA. AI cold calls get treated like robocalls.
- Only 19% of Americans generally answer unknown numbers anyway.
The one outbound use that works is calls people expect: reminders, delivery updates, payment due dates. The value is the information, not the pitch.
Inbound flips the problem
When someone calls a clinic or a salon, they want an answer: price, slot, address. They'll talk to an AI if it's fast and correct. And small businesses miss a lot of these calls. One older study put it at 62% unanswered.
So the build is different:
- Low latency matters more than a clever voice. The caller wants the answer now.
- Ground answers in the business's real data: prices, hours, availability. A wrong slot is worse than no answer.
- Know when to hand off. Hot leads and upset callers should reach a person fast.
- Log everything to the CRM so the follow-up happens.
Email agents change what "delivered" means
Gmail summary cards and Apple Mail's summaries mean an assistant often reads mail first. If you build email tooling, design for a machine reader: clear subject, the ask in the first line, no fluff. Also know the rules: Gmail requires bulk senders to keep spam complaints under 0.3%.
Chat is the best interface for AI agents
WhatsApp has 3B+ monthly users. Chat is async and started by the customer, so an AI reply doesn't feel like an interruption. Some things to get right:
- Tell people when they are chatting with an AI. It builds trust and avoids misleading them. Disclosure rules vary by place and use case.
- Keep a person in the loop for pricing exceptions and complaints.
- Connect the chat to ads (click-to-WhatsApp) and the website, so every entry point lands in one place.
What we build
At GrowEasy.ai we took this path: TalkEasy, an AI receptionist for inbound calls, plus WhatsApp chat that replies to leads from ads. We don't do AI cold calling.
Question for you
if you're building voice or chat agents, where have you seen people accept AI, and where do they hang up?
Tej Pandya, founder of GrowEasy.ai
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