Why it matters
High-quality audio and accurate transcription are essential for reliable call performance. If callers cannot hear the agent clearly, or if the agent mishears callers, instructions and workflows break down. Troubleshooting call quality ensures the agent sounds natural, understands callers correctly, and delivers consistent results. Although AI agents can also message, this guide focuses specifically on call-related quality issues.
Key Concepts
Speech-to-text mode: Controls how caller audio is transcribed. Accuracy mode improves precision, while speed mode reduces latency.
Denoising: Removes background noise and, optionally, background speech to improve transcription quality.
Voice stability: Controlled by voice temperature and speed settings.
Ambient sound: Optional background noise that can enhance or interfere with clarity.
Interruption behavior: Defines how easily the caller can interrupt the agent, shaping the flow of the conversation.
Step-by-Step: Diagnose Call Quality Issues
Review a recent call transcript and recording in the Calls tab.
Identify whether issues relate to audio clarity, transcription accuracy, or spoken output from the agent.
Check the agent’s speech-to-text mode in the call-related settings.
Review denoising settings to ensure appropriate noise reduction is enabled.
Examine voice temperature and voice speed to confirm delivery sounds natural.
Verify that boosted keywords and pronunciation entries are set for domain-specific terms.
Use a phone preview to reproduce the behavior and validate your assumptions.
Adjust settings and retest until call quality improves.
Tips and Best Practices
Improving Transcription Quality
Use Accuracy mode when callers use technical or domain-specific vocabulary.
Enable noise + background speech cancellation in noisy call environments.
Add boosted keywords for names, product terms, or jargon the agent commonly misinterprets.
Improving Agent Voice Quality
Keep voice temperature low (0 to 0.4) for stable and predictable delivery.
Adjust voice speed to natural ranges between 0.9 and 1.1.
Disable ambient sound if clarity is more important than realism.
Reducing Interruptions or Overlapping Speech
Lower interruption sensitivity if the agent stops speaking too easily.
Decrease responsiveness slightly if the agent reacts too quickly to caller speech, causing overlap.
Testing and Iteration
Always use phone preview to validate behavior under real audio conditions.
Compare call recordings over time to identify recurring patterns.
After changing settings, review multiple new calls to ensure improvements are consistent.
Troubleshooting
Issue | Possible Cause | Fix |
Agent mishears caller | STT mode set to speed; denoising disabled | Switch to accuracy mode and enable denoising |
Agent sounds robotic | Voice temperature too low or voice speed too high | Increase temperature slightly or reduce speed |
Background noise in recordings | Insufficient denoising | Enable noise cancellation or noise + background speech cancellation |
Agent cuts off mid-sentence | Interruption sensitivity too high | Lower interruption sensitivity |
Caller and agent overlap frequently | Responsiveness too high | Reduce responsiveness |
Incorrect transcription of key phrases | Missing boosted keywords | Add relevant boosted keywords or pronunciation entries |