A View on the Maturation of Voice AI: Who Wins and How
Discerning the VoiceAI Market Trajectories and Winners
It’s early days for Voice AI, but we can already discern the market's trajectory and identify key attributes that will define the winners. Spoiler alert: CCaaS vendors are currently losing the race.
The Basic Premise
History Repeats Itself: We’ve seen transitions like this before—most notably with VXML. VXML allowed applications to be built on a standardized framework, unlocking innovation by letting partners focus on specific components rather than reinventing the wheel. Today, Voice AI is at a similar crossroads.
Integration is Key: Voice AI applications require multiple integration points and the ability to orchestrate workflows across them. For example, an IVA (Intelligent Virtual Assistant) or voice “Agent” might need:
Access to CRM data for customer context.
Real-time customer engagement data for accurate interactions.
Integration with payment systems for seamless transactions.
No single player can own all these touchpoints. Instead, the ecosystem will require openness, interoperability, and partnerships.
Why This Matters
Specialization Wins: The era of monolithic, all-encompassing platforms is ending. No one player—be it CCaaS, CRM, or infrastructure provider—can specialize in all workflows or integrations. The winners will adopt a platform-first strategy, empowering partners and ISVs to innovate on top of their infrastructure.
The Ecosystem as a Differentiator: The future lies in ecosystems. Successful players will focus on openness and interoperability to enable seamless integrations. Closed-box solutions will lose relevance as businesses demand flexibility to integrate best-of-breed solutions into their tech stacks.
Vertical Applications and Orchestration Layers: Voice AI will thrive on vertical applications tailored to specific industries and customized orchestration layers. These solutions will come from partners and ISVs, as core platforms lack the bandwidth and expertise to address every niche.
Where the Players Stand Today
Infrastructure Providers: Infrastructure players like EndeavorCX, Symbl.ai, Deepgram, or Twilio remain strong, but their success depends on embracing open ecosystems and supporting developers building at the integration layers. Twilio, for example, owns much of the SIP voice infrastructure but lacks a clear strategic direction for leveraging it in Voice AI.
CCaaS Providers: CCaaS providers hold a strong position at the edges of the customer journey—managing the first and last mile of interactions. However, they seem disoriented when it comes to handling Voice AI. This likely stems from Voice AI sitting outside the traditional per-seat licensing model and simultaneously representing both a threat to their core business and an opportunity to reinvent themselves. Reinvention is hard.
Ideally, each CCaaS provider should introduce Real-Time Assistant APIs, similar to what infrastructure players have done.
CRM Platforms: CRM providers are beginning to recognize their role in Voice AI, embedding capabilities into their platforms (e.g., Salesforce, Kustomer). They are likely to emerge as significant players by virtue of their control over customer data and workflow automation.
General Applications: Solutions lacking industry context or domain expertise will struggle to scale. While they may be useful for generic tasks, they are likely to lose out in industries requiring deeper customization and integration.
Lessons from the Past: The Nuance and VXML Parallel
In the early days of on-prem IVR systems, Nuance succeeded by embedding its technology into enterprise-grade solutions. Nuance and IVR box providers (e.g., Cisco, Avaya) didn’t build everything themselves; instead, they leveraged partners to develop on top of their platforms. Enterprises relied on these partners to create tailored workflows and custom applications.
Voice AI is on a similar path. The technology exists and is maturing rapidly, but the real challenge lies in connecting the dots—enabling the right integrations, workflows, and use cases across diverse systems.
The Future: Who Wins?
The winners in Voice AI will:
Prioritize openness and interoperability, creating environments where partners can innovate.
Focus on enabling specialized integrations and vertical applications, leaving customization and niche expertise to the ecosystem.
Recognize their role in the broader tech stack and avoid trying to own everything.
Where the Action Happens: CX as the Core Battlefield
While opportunities exist outside the contact center, Customer Experience (CX) will remain the primary battleground for Voice AI. This is where the most dynamic and impactful use cases occur—from real-time assistance to seamless payment interactions.
Final Thought: Why Integration and Orchestration Are the Hard Part
Voice AI has reached the point where building the technology is no longer the biggest challenge. The real work lies in bringing it all together—enabling seamless integrations, managing workflows, and ensuring that the ecosystem delivers on its promise.
The question isn’t who can build the best Voice AI application, but who can create the most open, interoperable, and extensible platform to power the next wave of innovation.