Conversational AI in Action: Redefining Self-Service and IVR with Human-Like Interactions
Conversational AI in Action: Redefining Self-Service and IVR with Human-Like Interactions
Voice-based customer support is evolving fast. Consumers now expect IVR systems to understand natural language, recognize their identity and resolve issues without delays. Enterprises are responding by shifting from rigid menu-driven workflows to conversational AI that mimics human interactions. This shift has fueled significant investments in voice biometrics, AI-powered call routing and speech analytics across the industry.
Munesh Kumar Gupta, an Infrastructure Administration Engineering Lead, aSenior IEEE Memberand a veteran in enterprise communication technologies, has helped lead that transition. With more than sixteen years of experience in contact center engineering, Mr. Gupta has worked across major global platforms to make self-service not only functional but intelligent. His work has brought these concepts to life through large-scale, measurable implementations.
From Legacy to Cloud: Smarter, Faster SupportThe move to cloud-based contact centers is accelerating. As companies seek better scalability, uptime and cost efficiency, traditional on-premise platforms are giving way to cloud-native solutions. Providers like Genesys, NICE CXone and Five9 now dominate a growing market that prioritizes agility and integration.
Mr. Gupta led his company’s strategic migration from an aging Avaya infrastructure to Genesys Cloud. This migration covered more than 4,000 agents and became a flagship project. “It was not just a platform change,” Mr. Gupta says. “It was a shift in mindset—toward resilience, flexibility and modern engagement.” The transformation reduced annual costs by $1.3 million and improved system scalability for future growth.
Voice Biometrics as Seamless SecurityThe adoption of voice biometrics is reshaping identity verification. Across finance, healthcare and government, organizations are investing in passive authentication methods that reduce customer friction and strengthen fraud defense. Advanced solutions now analyze speech tone, cadence and behavior to detect synthetic voices and authenticate users with minimal interruption.
Mr. Gupta led his company from Nuance’s on-premise biometric suite to the cloud-based Gatekeeper platform. The switch eliminated over 100 servers and cut licensing and maintenance costs by $800,000 annually. “What we needed was a security solution that didn’t feel like a security step,” he explains. Gatekeeper quickly authenticates callers and flags anomalies, contributing to an expected fraud loss prevention exceeding $20 million.
AI That Summarizes as You SpeakCall summarization is now one of the fastest-growing use cases for AI in customer service. As teams look to streamline CRM workflows and reduce post-call work, AI-driven transcription and summarization tools are helping agents stay focused on conversations rather than documentation.
In 2024, Mr. Gupta spearheaded the deployment of automated call summarization. The system uses Genesys Live Transcript integrated with external AI tools to generate concise summaries after each customer interaction. It processes around 16 million calls annually and is estimated to save over 60 full-time roles in effort. “Every minute an agent spends on data entry is a minute lost on service,” Mr. Gupta says. “This project changed that.”
Building Resilient and Human-Centered SystemsThere is growing awareness that scalable platforms must support both technical robustness and human usability. Enterprises are embracing modular architectures, API-first designs and continuous delivery pipelines that can handle scale without sacrificing reliability or accessibility.
Mr. Gupta’s scholarly paper, titledBuilding Resilient Software Platforms: API Design and Infrastructure Engineering for Scalable Systems, explores these principles in depth. His work, both in writing and implementation, focuses on systems that adapt to scale without disruption.
Why It MattersCustomer expectations are changing. They want fast, accurate, natural-feeling support—and they want it without compromise on privacy or security. For enterprises, meeting those demands means rethinking how every voice interaction is designed, delivered and secured.
Mr. Gupta, ajudge at the Business Intelligence Awards, continues to advocate for platforms that serve real-world needs while remaining simple, stable and secure. His work across AI automation, cloud migration and biometric authentication has helped redefine what enterprise call centers can achieve. “The goal,” he says, “is to make digital support feel as capable and natural as a trusted human interaction. And now we have the tools to do it.”
