It’s 2025, and Deepgram has once again partnered with Opus Research to examine the state of voice AI and rapid development of voice AI agents. 

The world of voice AI technology has rapidly evolved since we published our last report. 

Here’s the TL;DR in five sentences: 2025 is the year of the voice AI agent. More specifically, this year’s State of Voice AI Report reveals that companies are eager to replace their traditional IVR systems with more robust, intelligent technology. 

Many companies have deployed these legacy IVR-systems for tasks like customer service; however, low levels of satisfaction with this technology, accompanied with rising investment, are paving the way for voice AI agents to change how we handle certain tasks.

Voice AI Agents now handle complex tasks, from dynamic FAQs to detailed order processing, transforming customer service and sales support. Soon enough, adopting Voice AI Agents will no longer be seen as being “ahead of the curve,” but rather, the norm.

We’ve highlighted several key trends and data below, but if you want to dive deeper, download the full report here.

State of Voice 2025: The Year of the Voice AI Agent

From customer service automation to creating more inclusive experiences, voice AI is not just hype—it’s a foundational element of modern business strategy. The findings in our latest report, State of Voice AI 2025: The Rise of Enterprise Voice Agents, illuminate the expanding role of voice AI and its growing impact on industries worldwide.

Who was Surveyed?

We surveyed 400 business leaders across North America, with 82% of them based in the U.S. The majority of respondents (83%) hailed from large enterprises generating over $100M in annual revenue, and 36% came from organizations with revenue exceeding $1B.

Additionally, 42% of the respondents were key decision-makers, including C-suite executives, senior vice presidents, and heads of business units. Finally, to see exactly what industries each of these survey respondents work within, check out the image below.

Key Findings from the Survey

As organizations increasingly recognize the value of Voice AI, it’s no longer considered a novel technology but a crucial pillar of business strategy. According to our survey, 97% of respondents are currently using voice technology in some capacity (automated speech recognition, legacy voice agents, text-to-speech, and speech analytics). Even more telling, 67% of businesses now view voice technology as “foundational” to their products and long-term strategies.

Voice technology is no longer just about transcription or simple speech recognition. It’s becoming the gateway to developing sophisticated, voice AI solutions that drive customer satisfaction, improve operational efficiency, and ensure compliance. 

That is, the way we interact with technology is evolving. Voice is one of the fastest growing interfaces. After all, it’s much faster to speak than it is to type. And if time is of the essence, then speaking to an AI may indeed be more efficient than writing out a prompt for it to respond to. The point is as follows: The market clearly yearns for voice AI agents that enable seamless, natural interactions between humans and machines.

“Before we only had tapping and typing, and now there is talking. And in an era where efficiency and accessibility are paramount, AI voice agents are not just a convenience—they're a necessity.”

Note that 41 percent of companies built their voice technology solution completely in-house. However, the majority of organizations (57%) had some sort of external help—either relying completely on existing voice technology out-of-the-box or creating some sort of hybrid solution.

That is, companies across multiple domains undeniably have a hunger for voice technology. Thus, tech companies that build such voice AI—whether it’s technology as simple as speech-to-text or something as complicated as a low-latency voice AI agent—will find keen customers readily knocking at their doors now and into the future.

There’s no slowing down when it comes to investment in voice AI. Over 84% of survey respondents plan to increase their budgets for voice technology within the next year, signaling a broad commitment to integrating voice AI across customer touchpoints. 

In fact, 70% of respondents expect significant benefits from integrating voice AI into their operations. Whether it’s enhancing customer service, personalizing user experiences, or driving operational efficiencies, businesses are increasingly recognizing the immense value voice AI can bring to the table.

Despite 80% of surveyed organizations using some form of voice agent—ranging from traditional IVR systems to AI-powered solutions—only 21% are “very satisfied” with existing technology, highlighting the need (and desire) for more advanced AI capabilities that deliver human-like responsiveness.

Voice AI agents, with their human-like sound and robust responses, are replacing the robotic and limited IVR systems that many of these companies have implemented years ago. In fact, 15% of organizations are already actively developing voice AI agents, and a majority of them (98%) plan to have them in production within the next year. 

These plans mark the beginning of a new era where voice AI agents play a pivotal role in enhancing customer experiences and driving efficiencies.

Thus, we see that the organizations across various domains are simply waiting for the development of more advanced voice AI agents, eager to adopt and integrate the latest, cutting-edge technology to help their customers as efficiently and effectively as possible. 

Soon enough, adopting voice AI agents will no longer be seen as being “ahead of the curve.” Rather, it will be the norm. Organizations that fail to implement them will risk falling behind as human-like AI becomes the expected standard for automating customer interactions.

We see customer service and task automation as the launch pad for voice AI agents. Satisfying customers remains the top priority for most (if not all) businesses. And one quick way to make a customer unsatisfied is to force them into a conversation with a monotonously voiced IVR robot that only understands “Yes” and “No.”

Unfortunately, 50% of organizations surveyed are using these traditional IVR systems for task/service automation. However, when asked what the most compelling use cases are for more advanced voice AI agents, more than half of respondents said “task/service automation.”

Thus, many early adopters will focus on building voice AI agents to master service requests (e.g. Customer FAQs) and task management.

The survey revealed that flexibility and adaptability are critical drivers of voice AI adoption. 

Businesses are looking for solutions that can be fine-tuned to meet their specific needs, particularly in industries with niche terminologies. Nearly half of our respondents (46%) said the ability to customize AI models would accelerate adoption. In fact, compatibility with existing systems and performance quality were identified as the top factors for selecting AI voice vendors, highlighting the importance of seamless integration into enterprise tech stacks.

As voice AI becomes increasingly mainstream, it’s also helping organizations meet evolving accessibility and compliance standards. More than half of respondents view voice AI’s role in compliance as a primary motivator for implementation. 

Companies are leveraging compliant voice AI to simultaneously improve accessibility, enhance customer experience, and create operational efficiencies that deliver measurable ROI beyond mere regulatory checkbox-ticking. 

For example, healthcare providers are already leveraging voice-enabled applications to automatically transcribe and document patient interactions while maintaining HIPAA compliance, streamlining clinical workflows and improving patient experiences.

This approach transforms voice AI from a compliance necessity into a strategic advantage with tangible benefits across the enterprise.

Additionally, 86% of organizations see voice AI as a key driver for more accessible customer interactions, removing traditional barriers for individuals who may have difficulty using digital tools or communicating in non-native languages.

Why 2025 is the Year of the Voice AI Agent

The data collected strongly suggests that voice AI agents are gaining momentum and here to stay.

Many companies have deployed traditional voice agents and IVR systems to help with customer service automation and general task automation. However, many are unsatisfied with this legacy technology’s capabilities. They sound like robots, and have a very limited understanding of language.

Thus, voice AI agents come to the rescue. Since only 21% are “very satisfied” with their existing systems, these intelligent voice agents are ready to satisfy the remaining 79 percent. Rising investment and expanding budgets indicate a hunger for voice AI agents. And the broadening range of use cases make such AI more widely useful.

Organizations not only see voice agents as useful, but also necessary. 15% of the companies that are currently developing voice AI agents plan to integrate them within the next twelve months or sooner, as the chart above shows. And the applications  for voice AI agents are more diverse than ever, as we see in the chart below. Therefore, it is only a matter of time until companies shift away from traditional IVRs  to more dynamic, human-like interactions powered by AI-enabled voice agents.

From order taking to appointment scheduling, organizations are finding new and creative ways to apply voice AI technology. Specifically, voice AI agents can help both enhance customer experience externally while also easing repetitive tasks for sales people internally. Examples of voice AI agent applications across industries include:

• 📝 Order taking for quick-service restaurants: Quickly process food orders at restaurant drive-thrus, leading to faster service times and improved order accuracy.
• 👔 Retail FAQ handling: Provide instant answers about product information, availability, warranty terms, and return policies, offering 24/7 support and improving customer satisfaction.
• 💼 Policy quoting for insurance providers: Collect customer requirements, explain coverage options, provide preliminary quotes and qualify leads before connecting prospects with human agents. 
• 🚑 Medical appointment scheduling: Book, reschedule, and remind patients of upcoming appointments, while verifying insurance coverage, reducing no-show rates and improving overall patient experience.

The breadth of these applications highlights the versatility of voice AI agents. Nevertheless, respondents identified the most compelling use cases for implementing voice AI agents as order and task management, answering FAQs, and accelerating sales and support, according to the chart above.

Of course, the graph above showcases how satisfied people are with the current state of voice technology. However, we need look no further than lists like “The best AI voice agents to use in 2025” to understand the fact that organizations are beginning to develop more personal preferences for voice AI.

Some companies prefer higher customizability in their AI agents. Others are prioritizing low latency models over anything else. Overall, though, the prevailing question about voice technology is no longer “Will you integrate voice AI into your existing system?” but rather “Which voice AI agent will you integrate, and why do you prefer it to the alternatives?”

The Bottom Line

The State of Voice AI 2025 report demonstrates that voice AI is no longer just a trend—it’s an essential component of modern enterprise tech stacks. While legacy voice technology plays a pivotal role in the status quo, companies are growing eager to update their current systems with artificial intelligence. They’re expanding their budgets to integrate sophisticated voice AI agents capable of understanding context and managing nuanced customer interactions without human intervention.

Companies who adopt voice AI agents will capture a series of concrete advantages: reduced wait times, higher first-contact resolution, accessibility for customers across language barriers and disabilities.

But perhaps most importantly, customers will actually want to talk to these intelligent, human-sounding agents. 

Meanwhile, organizations that stick to traditional IVR will make their customers suffer through those frustrating “Press 1 for ‘Yes.’ Press 2 for ‘No.’” conversations. As a result, they’ll forgo opportunities for deeper customer engagement while doing nothing to mitigate operational inefficiencies.

With more organizations adopting voice AI agents, customizing their solutions, and viewing voice AI as fundamental to their future, the landscape is shifting rapidly.

The next wave of innovation is on the horizon. If you’re not already integrating voice AI into your operations, the time to start is now. For those already ahead of the curve, the potential for growth, revenue generation, and customer satisfaction is only expanding.

And since the AI world moves so fast, it’s only a matter of time before “ahead of the curve” simply becomes “the norm.”

To learn more about how voice AI is reshaping industries and what’s next for the technology, download our full report: State of Voice AI 2025: The Rise of Enterprise Voice Agents. We’re excited to continue driving innovation with our cutting-edge solutions and to see how the future unfolds.