Use a voice broadcast when you only need to tell people something, an IVR when a keypress is enough, and an AI voice agent when you need a spoken answer, a detail or a decision. A broadcast plays one recorded message. An IVR plays a menu and listens for keys. An AI voice agent holds a two-way conversation in Hindi, Hinglish or a regional language, and records what the person said as data. Most outbound programmes end up using more than one. On Edesy, AI voice campaigns run as bulk voice campaigns, and keypad menus run on IVR.
Hear the difference yourself: Try an AI voice agent free — self-serve, Rs 50 free credit, no demo needed.
The three tools in one table
| Voice broadcast | IVR call | AI voice agent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the listener hears | One recorded message | A recorded menu | A natural conversation |
| How they respond | They don't | Keypad (press 1, 2...) | By speaking, in their language |
| Handles "wrong number", "already paid", "call later" | No | Only if you add menu options | Yes |
| Captures details (date, address, reason) | No | Digits only | Yes, as structured fields |
| Personalised with name, amount, date | Only with text-to-speech | Partly | Yes, from your contact file |
| Setup effort | Lowest | Menu design | Script and fields |
| Relative cost per call | Lowest | Low | Higher per minute, often lower per outcome |
When a voice broadcast is enough
A broadcast works when the message is the whole job:
- A clinic closed for a festival
- A scheme or tax deadline
- An event time and venue
- A service outage notice
Keep it under 30 seconds, say who is calling, and add a callback number or WhatsApp for questions.
When an IVR call is the right fit
An IVR adds one simple response. It works well for:
- "Press 1 to confirm your appointment, 2 to cancel"
- "Press 1 if you have made the payment"
- Routing inbound callers to a department
It struggles when people don't press anything, press the wrong key, or want to say something that isn't on the menu. Those calls end without an outcome, and you call them again. Edesy's IVR handles keypad menus for both inbound and outbound calls.
When you need an AI voice agent
Choose an AI agent when the call needs a real answer:
- COD confirmation with address changes. See COD confirmation: AI call vs WhatsApp vs IVR.
- Payment reminders where people say "already paid" or "next Friday".
- Surveys with spoken answers. See AI phone surveys in Indian languages.
- Lead qualification with budget, timeline and interest.
- Anything in the caller's own words: complaints, feedback, reasons.
An AI agent understands Hindi, Hinglish and regional languages, handles off-script replies, sends a payment link or confirmation on WhatsApp or SMS during the call, transfers to a person when asked, and saves every answer as a field you can export.
Cost: per minute vs per outcome
On Edesy, AI voice calls are billed per started minute at Rs 4-6 per minute depending on your prepaid top-up, and unanswered calls are free. A broadcast or IVR minute costs less.
Compare cost per useful outcome, not cost per minute:
- If 10,000 IVR calls produce 3,000 clear keypresses, and you then call the other 7,000 again, your real cost includes those repeat calls and the people you never resolved.
- If an AI call resolves a larger share on the first attempt, including the "already paid" and "change my address" cases, the cost per resolved contact can be lower even at a higher per-minute rate.
Run both on a small list and measure it on your own audience. The AI outbound calling guide for India covers how to set that test up.
Combine them: the layered flow
Most mature outbound programmes use layers:
- Message first: WhatsApp or a short broadcast, the cheapest touch.
- AI voice call for everyone who didn't respond, with retries by outcome.
- Transfer to a person for anyone who asks, or who needs negotiation.
For inbound, replace "press 1 for sales" with an agent that asks "how can I help?" and routes by what the caller says, keeping a keypad fallback. Our guide to replacing a legacy IVR with a conversational voice bot walks through the migration.
Quick decision guide
- Do you need a reply? No: broadcast. Yes: keep going.
- Is a single keypress enough? Yes: IVR. No: AI voice agent.
- Will people answer in their own words, or need a detail captured? AI voice agent.
- Could the conversation need a person? AI voice agent with transfer.
Try all three on one list
Upload a small list and run the same message as a broadcast and as an AI call, then compare outcomes. Create a free account, or talk to us about a larger programme. For the campaign mechanics, see the 10,000-contact campaign playbook.