As businesses embrace the shift from clunky, button-press IVRs (Interactive Voice Response) to smooth, conversational AI experiences, one company is making sure everything works behind the scenes. Klearcom is a quality assurance and testing platform for voice systems, and its role is becoming increasingly vital in the age of generative AI.
This year, voice is back on the agenda. Driven by consumer expectations, shaped by some of the largest tech players and improved generative AI tools, companies are revisiting the voice channel. But amid the hype, one question remains: how do you make sure these AI-powered phone systems actually work in the real world?
That’s where Klearcom comes in.
The old challenges never went away
For years, most businesses relied on traditional IVR systems, the kind that asked you to “press 1 for sales, press 2 for support”. They were easy to set up and widely understood. But they can also be frustrating.
As Satish Barot, Co-Founder and CTO of Klearcom, explains: “If your problem wasn’t on the menu, you’d have to fight through multiple layers just to speak to the right person.”
Satish is not wrong. Traditional IVR systems are basically digital phone trees from the 1990s that refuse to die. They work fine if you need something simple, but the moment you have a weird edge case or your problem doesn’t fit neatly into their predetermined boxes, you’re screwed.
And that’s just the beginning. Try calling the same company from different countries, or from a spotty mobile connection, and suddenly what should be a simple interaction becomes a frustrating game of chance.
Enter AI and a new set of challenges
With the rise of conversational AI and generative AI, companies began adding smarter voice experiences. These systems could understand natural speech, handle simple queries, and even resolve basic issues without needing a human agent.
Generative AI, while powerful, is still new and unpredictable. It can misinterpret questions, fail under noisy conditions, or simply provide the wrong answer. And it introduces privacy, security, and compliance concerns when handling personal data.
To address this, many businesses are taking a cautious approach. “They’re running hybrid systems,” says Satish. “A mix of old and new testing AI on part of their calls, while the rest still use traditional IVR.”
Testing AI in the real world
Klearcom’s approach is simple but effective: test how systems perform as they would for actual customers, across real phone lines, with real-world variables.
Want to know if your AI can handle someone calling from a noisy train station? Klearcom will simulate that exact scenario. Worried about how the system performs when call volume spikes? They’ll test that too.
Crucially, they focus on production systems, not just development environments. That means testing what customers will actually experience, not just what engineers think should happen.
And it’s not a one-time check. According to Satish, “Some of our clients test every hour. It’s about constantly monitoring performance, especially when traffic or conditions change.”
The results: better quality, fewer surprises
This level of rigorous testing helps businesses ensure their voice AI systems perform reliably, even under pressure. For example, a breakdown service might know their callers will often be on noisy motorways. That is why companies want to replicate that noise and test whether the AI still understands requests correctly.
It also helps with compliance and trust. If a bank’s AI fails to properly recognise when someone says, “I lost my credit card,” that’s not just frustrating – it’s a risk.
With testing in place, companies can build confidence in AI systems, scale them up gradually, and avoid embarrassing (or damaging) failures in live environments.
Looking ahead: AI won’t replace contact centres, but it will reduce them
Satish sees a future where generative AI handles a growing share of contact centre volume, maybe even the majority. “It’s a shift from one-to-one calls with agents to one-to-many interactions with AI,” he explains. “It’s not just about routing calls anymore, it’s about resolving them.”
Still, he cautions that it won’t happen overnight. Training these systems takes real data from real interactions. You can’t just flip a switch and replace your entire call centre with AI. Companies need to test, refine, and gradually scale up while keeping humans in the loop for the tricky stuff.
That’s why Klearcom is expanding beyond voice. They’re building tools to test chatbots and even virtual agents that can check internal systems automatically.
The invisible foundation
As businesses race to modernise their phone systems, most of the attention often goes to the flashy front-end AI. But the real test is whether those systems work reliably in the real world.
Klearcom’s role might be behind the scenes, but it’s foundational. By quietly ensuring AI-powered calls sound clear, respond accurately, and work across networks and borders, they’re helping to build trust in a technology that’s only just beginning to show its potential.
Check out the full episode with Satish Barot on the VUX World podcast to find out more about voice testing in contact centres.
