Learn what Latency means in AI voice systems, why it matters for call automation, and how low-latency responses drive better customer experiences.
Latency refers to the time delay between a user’s action (like speaking into the phone) and the system’s response. In AI voice interactions, it’s a tiny but crucial gap between when a customer finishes speaking and when the AI voice agent replies.
Measured in milliseconds (ms), latency can make or break the perceived quality of an AI-driven call experience.
In a live conversation, even slight delays feel unnatural. Humans expect near-instantaneous responses, usually within 300-500 milliseconds. Anything longer can cause users to talk over the agent, repeat themselves, or assume the call dropped.
High latency leads to:
Customer frustration and confusion
Disrupted conversation flow
Lower trust in the AI system’s capability
For B2B companies relying on AI voice agents to manage high-value or high-volume customer interactions, maintaining low latency is essential to ensuring smooth, human-like dialogue that reflects well on the brand.
Speech Recognition Processing (ASR)
Time taken to transcribe spoken words into text.
Response Generation (NLG or LLM)
Time to understand and craft an appropriate, contextual reply.
Speech Synthesis (TTS)
Time to turn the generated text back into spoken words.
Network Transmission
Delays caused by sending audio and data between systems, especially in cloud setups.
Use ultra-fast ASR and TTS engines
Deploy AI models closer to the customer’s location (edge computing or regional hosting)
Pre-load likely responses for faster reaction times
Optimize API integrations to avoid unnecessary round trips
A healthcare company using Retell AI ensures sub-500ms latency during appointment scheduling calls. Patients experience seamless, natural conversations, resulting in fewer dropped calls and higher satisfaction scores compared to legacy IVR systems.
Low latency is an underrated business advantage. AI voice systems that respond naturally create stronger customer trust, higher resolution rates, and better brand loyalty.
See how Retell AI optimizes for the lowest latency possible across the entire call stack to deliver fast, natural, and reliable voice interactions.
Revolutionize your call operation with Retell.
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