AI for customer support phone lines: best options
Short answer: For large contact centers, start with PolyAI and Parloa: both list Genesys, Five9, Salesforce and Zendesk integrations, and Parloa documents its human handoff. Sierra and Decagon suit brands that want one agent across chat and voice. Already on Amazon Connect or Google Cloud? Their built-in AI agents have published usage prices. Mid-market teams can start with Retell, Bland or Synthflow. Most enterprise vendors price through sales only.
Which AI voice agents fit a support line?
| Vendor | What it sells for phone support | Pricing as of 14 Nov 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| PolyAI | Enterprise voice agents (Agentic Dialog Platform) | Platform from 9.5¢/min, plans from $49/mo; Enterprise custom |
| Parloa | AI agent platform for voice and chat | Per minute for voice, quote only |
| Sierra | One agent across chat, SMS, WhatsApp, email and voice | Outcome-based, not published |
| Decagon | Decagon Voice, on its chat and email platform | Not published |
| NiCE Cognigy | Cognigy.AI and AI Agents for Voice | Not published |
| Google Cloud | Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience; Conversational Agents | Voice $0.001-$0.002 per second of audio; suite via sales |
| Amazon Connect | Cloud contact center with built-in AI agents | $0.038 per voice minute, AI included, telephony extra |
| Regal | AI agents for regulated customer experiences | Not published |
| Retell | Developer platform | $0.07-$0.31/min + telephony |
| Synthflow | Voice agents for contact centers and BPOs | Annual enterprise contract |
| Bland | Developer platform, self-serve or enterprise | $0.14/min on the Start plan; Enterprise custom |
"Not published" means the vendor's site shows no price, so expect a sales process. Google's per-second rates work out to $0.06-$0.12 per minute of audio. Prices change often, so check before you buy.
Do they connect to Zendesk, Salesforce, Genesys and Five9?
"Yes" means the vendor names the integration on its own site. "Not listed" means we didn't find it named on the pages we checked on 14 Nov 2026; it may still connect through SIP or an API.
| Vendor | Zendesk | Salesforce | Genesys | Five9 | Handoff to a human, as the vendor describes it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PolyAI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not described on its public pages |
| Parloa | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Hands over "with full transcript and context attached" |
| Sierra | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not detailed; Live Assist helps reps act on the conversation |
| Decagon | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Transfers calls to human agents with a summary |
| NiCE Cognigy | Not listed | Not listed | Yes | Yes | Into your agent desktop or its own Live Agent |
| Google Cloud | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not detailed; Agent Assist coaches human reps |
| Amazon Connect | Not listed | Not listed | n/a | n/a | "When a customer escalates, full context follows" |
| Regal | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Yes | Not detailed; pairs AI agents with its unified agent desktop |
| Retell | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Cold, warm or 2-way warm transfer with a summary |
| Synthflow | Yes | Yes | Via enterprise setup | Yes | Transfers the call and briefs your team |
| Bland | Not listed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Routes "edge cases to humans with full context" |
n/a: Amazon Connect is itself a contact center, so it replaces Genesys or Five9 rather than plugging into them. Retell says it connects to any phone system through SIP trunking. Handoff quotes come from Decagon Voice, Bland and each linked vendor page.
What do vendors say about SOC 2, HIPAA and PCI?
All claims below are the vendor's own, from its website on 14 Nov 2026. A badge isn't an audit report.
| Vendor | SOC 2 | HIPAA | PCI DSS |
|---|---|---|---|
| PolyAI | Type 2 | Badge shown; BAA on Enterprise only, per its pricing page | Badge shown |
| Parloa | Type II | Badge shown | Badge shown |
| Sierra | Badge shown | Badge shown | Badge shown |
| Decagon | Type II | Badge shown | Badge shown (4.0.1) |
| NiCE Cognigy | SOC badge, type not stated | Badge shown | Badge shown |
| Google Cloud | Not checked | Covered under a Google Cloud BAA | Not checked |
| Amazon Connect | "Support for" SOC | "HIPAA eligible" | "Support for" PCI DSS |
| Regal | SOC badge | Badge shown | Not mentioned |
| Retell | Type 1 and Type 2 | Homepage says compliant and signs a BAA; pricing page says "HIPAA-ready" | Not mentioned |
| Synthflow | Type II | Self-attested; signs a BAA | v4.0.1 |
| Bland | Type I and Type II | FAQ says compliant "with a signed BAA"; plan table lists the BAA on Enterprise only | Self-attested |
Before patient or card data touches the agent, ask for the SOC 2 report, a signed BAA, and how card numbers are captured (by the AI itself or by a PCI-scoped payment step). Clinics should also read Best AI receptionists for dental and medical clinics.
Which should you shortlist?
Enterprise contact centers - PolyAI: voice-first, names Genesys, Five9, NICE, Amazon Connect, Avaya and Twilio, and you can pilot on its pay-per-minute Platform tier from 9.5¢ a minute or a plan from $49 a month (PolyAI pricing). Watch out: handoff isn't documented publicly, and HIPAA with a BAA is Enterprise only. - Parloa: the fullest public detail on integrations and handoff in this list. Watch out: no published rates. - Sierra: one agent for every channel, priced on outcomes. Watch out: little public detail on phone-system integrations. - Decagon: voice on the same platform as chat and email, and the vendor says it supports 70+ languages (Decagon). Watch out: Genesys and Five9 aren't named, and pricing isn't published. - NiCE Cognigy: NiCE closed its acquisition of Cognigy on 8 Sep 2025 (NiCE). The vendor says it's "built for Amazon Connect, Avaya and Genesys", and it also runs inside NiCE CXone (Cognigy). Watch out: Salesforce and Zendesk aren't named, and there's no public price. - Google Cloud: published voice pricing for Conversational Agents, plus $600-$1,000 in trial credits for new users (Google). Watch out: the suite is now sold as Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience (Google Cloud docs), and Agent Assist for voice is priced through sales (Google). - Amazon Connect: AWS says all AI capabilities are included in the channel price (AWS). Watch out: telephony is extra, and this means running AWS's contact center, not adding a bolt-on. - Regal: aimed at regulated industries, with Salesforce, Zendesk and Five9 integrations. Watch out: no published price, and Genesys isn't named.
Mid-market teams - Retell: published per-minute pricing, warm transfers with summaries, and the vendor says it signs BAAs without an Enterprise plan (Retell help center). Watch out: no named Zendesk, Salesforce, Genesys or Five9 integration, so plan on SIP, HubSpot or APIs. - Synthflow: the only one of the 3 that names all 4 platforms (Genesys through an enterprise setup). Watch out: annual enterprise contract only, with no free plan or trial. - Bland: a self-serve start, with Genesys, Five9, NICE CXone and Amazon Connect integrations. Watch out: no Zendesk, and while its FAQ says it signs BAAs, its plan table lists the BAA under Enterprise only (Bland pricing).
Weighing other jobs, like booking or outbound? See Best AI voice agents for business in 2026, by use case. Shopping around Synthflow: Synthflow alternatives after its move to enterprise-only.
How we picked
- Each vendor sells an AI voice agent for inbound support calls today, according to its own site, checked 14 Nov 2026.
- We compared what's public: pricing model, named Zendesk, Salesforce, Genesys and Five9 integrations, human handoff, and stated SOC 2, HIPAA and PCI status.
- We split enterprise contact-center platforms from mid-market platforms.
- No speed or call-quality claims: Kall hasn't test-called these yet. Method: How Kall tests and ranks AI voice agents.
Sources
- Pricing, PolyAI, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Integrations, PolyAI, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Security, PolyAI, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Homepage, Parloa, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Integrations, Parloa, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Pricing, Parloa, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Homepage, Sierra, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Channels, Sierra, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Decagon Voice, Decagon, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Integrations, Decagon, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Security, Decagon, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Homepage, NiCE Cognigy, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Contact center integrations, NiCE Cognigy, checked 14 Nov 2026
- NiCE closes acquisition of Cognigy, NiCE, 8 Sep 2025
- Gemini for customer experience, Google Cloud, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Gemini Enterprise for CX documentation, Google Cloud, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Conversational Agents pricing, Google Cloud, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Agent Assist, Google Cloud, checked 14 Nov 2026
- HIPAA compliance, Google Cloud, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Amazon Connect, AWS, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Amazon Connect pricing, AWS, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Homepage, Regal, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Integrations, Regal, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Homepage, Retell AI, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Pricing, Retell AI, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Do I need the Enterprise plan for HIPAA compliance?, Retell AI Help Center, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Homepage, Synthflow, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Pricing, Synthflow, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Homepage, Bland AI, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Integrations, Bland AI, checked 14 Nov 2026
- Pricing, Bland AI, checked 14 Nov 2026
FAQ
Can AI answer customer support phone calls?
Yes. PolyAI, Parloa, Sierra and Decagon sell AI voice agents for support lines, and Amazon Connect and Google Cloud build them into their contact-center products. Most vendors describe passing calls to human agents with context when the AI can't resolve them.
Which AI phone agents work with Genesys and Five9?
As of 14 Nov 2026, PolyAI, Parloa, Bland and NiCE Cognigy name both on their sites. Synthflow has a built-in Five9 connection and supports Genesys Cloud through an enterprise setup. Regal names Five9 but not Genesys.
Are AI phone agents HIPAA compliant?
Some vendors say so, but what counts is a signed BAA. Retell and Synthflow say they sign BAAs; Bland says so too, but its plan table lists the BAA on Enterprise only. Amazon Connect is HIPAA eligible, and Google covers its customer-experience AI under a Google Cloud BAA. Get the BAA before patient data flows.
How much does an AI phone agent for customer support cost?
Most enterprise vendors quote through sales. Published rates as of 14 Nov 2026: Amazon Connect $0.038 per voice minute with AI included, Google Conversational Agents $0.06 to $0.12 per minute of audio, PolyAI's platform from 9.5 cents a minute, and Bland $0.14 a minute.
Related
- Best AI receptionists for dental and medical clinicsWhich dental and medical AI receptionists sign a HIPAA BAA, on which plan and at what cost, and which connect to Dentrix, Open Dental or Epic.
- Best AI voice agents for business in 2026, by use caseThe best AI voice agents for 5 jobs: answering calls, booking, support at scale, outbound sales and custom builds. Prices checked 14 Nov 2026.
- Synthflow alternatives after its move to enterprise-onlySynthflow now sells only annual enterprise contracts. 7 self-serve alternatives for building voice agents without code, priced as of 14 Nov 2026.
- AI phone ordering for restaurants: best optionsWhich AI phone ordering systems send orders into Toast, Square and Clover, what they cost as published, and which upsell or take payment.
Ranks are never for sale. This page has no affiliate links and no paid placements. Prices change often: check the vendor's pricing page before you buy.