Gartner defines conversational AI platforms (CAIPs) as SaaS products that primarily enable the development of applications simulating human conversation across multiple channels and media. CAIPs leverage composite AI, including generative AI (GenAI) and natural language technologies. Conversations can use a mix of modalities such as text, voice and visual content. To support the building of conversational applications, platforms provide extensive coding options, from pro-code to no-code. Application areas include chatbots, virtual assistants (VAs) and conversational AI (CAI) agents. CAIPs are used to create, deploy and manage AI-driven conversational interfaces. These platforms enable businesses to develop VAs and conversational AI Agents that facilitate both customer-facing and internal interactions through pro-code/low-code/no-code tools. CAIPs empower businesses to centralize and democratize the development and management of multiple, diverse CAI initiatives, leading to more cohesive and efficient operations. The blend of capabilities provided by CAIPs is distinctive compared to those offered by other CAI solutions, such as targeted extensions for CAI found in other enterprise applications (e.g., CRM systems, contact center platforms) or stand-alone GenAI-native apps. In comparison, CAIPs are a better fit for strategic and scalable enterprise-grade CAI adoption.
Enterprise session border controllers (E-SBCs) are situated at the edge of the enterprise network and provide secure voice and video connectivity to Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking providers, users in remote branch offices, home workers/remote workers, and unified communications as a service (UCaaS) providers. The name 'session border controller' is derived from the following: Session, from Session Initiation Protocol, refers to a real-time communication connection between endpoints or users. This is typically a voice and/or video call. Border refers to the interface between networks that do not have full trust of each other. Controller refers to the ability of the E-SBC to control (allow, deny, transform, end) each session that traverses the border. The 'E' in E-SBC stands for 'enterprise.' It is intended to differentiate enterprise-focused SBCs from those aimed at carriers.
The market for SA platforms in customer service and support is an application that analyzes speech content in customer interactions in real time and postcontact. Vendors providing these services offer the following solutions: -Transcription and metadata for traits of the interaction, including sentiment analysis -Interface for designing workflows and visualizing data -Storage and flexible deployment options -Ability to customize speech models, encrypt and redact sensitive data, and integrate with the enterprise ecosystem. Informed application of SA technology capabilities will help customer service and support leaders monitor and evaluate customer interactions to improve customer and employee experience. SA platforms can either be stand-alone analytics platforms with integration capabilities or can be included natively as part of broader customer engagement suites.