As it builds more connections between its flagship Flex contact center as a service and Segment CDP, Twilio has released new generative AI features and previewed more at its annual user conference.
Generally available now is ConversationRelay, which enables developers to create voice AI agents with their choice of large language model. Prebuilt tools include expressive voices, streaming speech recognition and interruption handling. Conversational Intelligence -- available for voice now and in private beta for digital messaging -- analyzes customer conversations and turns them into structured data.
On the Segment CDP side, Twilio updated its Engage marketing suite journey management tools to include new personalization tools, native integrations with SendGrid email and SMS tools, and event-based triggers that launch actions after user-programmed "events" such as a customer putting items into a digital shopping cart. All of these features are currently in public beta.
In sum, these features show the growth of two disparate product lines -- the Twilio communications platform and Segment CDP -- into a single offering that catches up to competitors yet holds its appeal for loyal developer customers, said Liz Miller, an analyst at Constellation Research.
Twilio has shown over the years that the sum total of its "Lego blocks" approach to CX can be turned into a complete, composable CX platform, she said. What the company is doing -- preassembling some of those blocks -- is crucial now, as competitors from both the contact center and marketing sides encroach upon Twilio.
"Now is the time for Twilio to step on the gas to show how these building blocks are driving better value," Miller said.
Twilio adds its voice transcription generative AI tools to digital conversations, such as messaging tools, SMS text and WhatsApp.
Twilio partners with Microsoft
Integrating the CDP and Twilio communications services more tightly is part of the company's CX strategy under new CEO Khozema Shipchandler. He replaced Twilio founder Jeff Lawson, who stepped down last year after 16 years at the helm.
Twilio was and shall remain a platform for developers -- or in the company's language, builders -- said Andy O'Dower, vice president of product management for Voice, Video and Flex at Twilio.
Now is the time for Twilio to step on the gas to show how these building blocks are driving better value.
Liz MillerAnalyst, Constellation Research
"We maintain, for our builder audience, the ability to have the lower-level APIs," O'Dower said. "But when we observe customers that need a layer of abstraction above, we're going to offer that as well ... so they don't have to build the same thing over and over again."
Twilio also entered into a multiyear partnership with Microsoft to jointly build CX AI agents for customers and contact center agents on Azure AI Foundry. O'Dower said the partnership will save time and developer bandwidth as they spin up AI agents and connect data sources for Twilio customers that are also Azure shops.
The product releases and previews were made in conjunction with Signal, Twilio's user conference, held this week in San Francisco.
Don Fluckinger is a senior news writer for Informa TechTarget. He covers customer experience, digital experience management and end-user computing. Got a tip? Email him.
