Core Concepts
Before diving into the platform, it's essential to understand the fundamental concepts that power Hanc.AI. This section explains everything from basic AI principles to specific platform terminology.
What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
Artificial Intelligence is computer software that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. Unlike traditional software that follows exact rules, AI can:
- Understand natural language — comprehend human speech and text
- Learn patterns — improve based on data and examples
- Make decisions — choose appropriate responses based on context
- Generate content — create human-like text, speech, or other outputs
AI in Simple Terms
Think of AI as a very sophisticated pattern-matching system:
Traditional Software:
IF customer says "hello" THEN respond "Hello, how can I help?"
IF customer says "hi" THEN respond "Hello, how can I help?"
IF customer says "hey" THEN respond "Hello, how can I help?"
... (needs a rule for every possible input)
AI-Powered Software:
UNDERSTAND that "hello", "hi", "hey", "good morning", "howdy"
all mean a greeting → respond appropriately based on context
AI doesn't need explicit rules for every situation — it understands intent and context.
What is a Voice Agent?
A Voice Agent (also called a voice assistant or voice bot) is an AI-powered program that communicates with people through spoken conversation.
How Voice Agents Work
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ VOICE AGENT PIPELINE │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Customer speaks AI processes Agent responds
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐
│ Voice │───▶│ Speech │───▶│ AI │───▶│ Text to │
│ Input │ │ to Text │ │ Brain │ │ Speech │
│ │ │ (STT) │ │ (LLM) │ │ (TTS) │
└───────────┘ └───────────┘ └───────────┘ └───────────┘
│
▼
┌───────────────────┐
│ Knowledge Base │
│ (Your business │
│ information) │
└───────────────────┘
Step by step:
- Customer speaks — "What time do you close on Saturdays?"
- Speech-to-Text (STT) — Converts audio to text
- AI Brain (LLM) — Understands the question, searches Knowledge Base
- Knowledge Base — Contains your business hours: "Saturday: 10am-6pm"
- AI generates response — "We're open on Saturdays from 10am to 6pm"
- Text-to-Speech (TTS) — Converts text back to natural-sounding speech
- Customer hears — Natural voice response
Voice Agent vs. Chatbot
| Feature | Voice Agent | Chatbot |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | Spoken voice | Written text |
| Channel | Phone calls, voice widgets | Website chat, messaging apps |
| Interaction | Real-time conversation | Can be asynchronous |
| Complexity | Higher (speech processing) | Lower |
| Use cases | Phone support, appointments | Website support, FAQ |
Hanc.AI specializes in Voice Agents — AI that handles real phone conversations.
Large Language Models (LLM)
The "brain" of a voice agent is a Large Language Model (LLM). This is the AI technology that:
- Understands what customers are saying
- Formulates appropriate responses
- Maintains conversation context
- Follows your instructions (the "prompt")
Popular LLMs
| Provider | Models | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | GPT-4, GPT-4o, GPT-4o-mini | Industry standard, excellent general performance |
| Anthropic | Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Claude 3 Opus | Strong reasoning, safety-focused |
| Gemini Pro, Gemini Flash | Fast, good multilingual support | |
| Meta | Llama 3 | Open-source alternative |
Hanc.AI supports multiple LLM providers, allowing you to choose the best fit for your needs.
How LLMs "Think"
LLMs don't truly "think" — they predict the most likely next words based on:
- Training data — Billions of text examples from the internet
- Your prompt — Instructions you give about how to behave
- Knowledge Base — Your specific business information
- Conversation history — What was said earlier in the call
┌────────────────────────────┐
│ LLM Decision │
└────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─────────────────────┼─────────────────────┐
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌───────────────┐ ┌───────────────┐ ┌───────────────┐
│ Your Prompt │ │ Knowledge │ │ Conversation │
│ (behavior) │ │ Base │ │ Context │
│ │ │ (facts) │ │ (history) │
└───────────────┘ └───────────────┘ └───────────────┘
Knowledge Base (RAG)
A Knowledge Base is a collection of documents containing information about your business. The AI uses this information to answer customer questions accurately.
What is RAG?
RAG stands for Retrieval-Augmented Generation:
- Retrieval — Finding relevant information from your documents
- Augmented — Adding that information to the AI's context
- Generation — Creating a response using that information
Why RAG Matters
Without RAG, the AI only knows general information from its training. It doesn't know:
- Your specific services and prices
- Your business hours
- Your policies
- Your team members
- Anything unique to your business
With RAG:
Customer: "How much does a haircut cost?"
AI: [Searches Knowledge Base] → Found: "Men's haircut: €25, Women's haircut: €35"
AI: "A men's haircut is €25, and a women's haircut is €35."
Without RAG:
Customer: "How much does a haircut cost?"
AI: "I don't have information about your specific prices.
Generally, haircuts range from €15 to €50..."
Knowledge Base Content
Your Knowledge Base should include:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Services/Products | Descriptions, prices, duration |
| Business Info | Hours, location, contact details |
| Policies | Cancellation, refunds, booking rules |
| FAQ | Common questions and answers |
| Staff | Team members, specializations |
| Promotions | Current offers, discounts |
The Prompt
A Prompt is a set of instructions that tells the AI how to behave. It's like giving an employee their job description and guidelines.
Prompt Components
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ AGENT PROMPT │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ROLE │
│ "You are Sophie, a virtual assistant for ABC Dental Clinic" │
│ │
│ GOALS │
│ - Answer questions about services │
│ - Book appointments │
│ - Provide clinic information │
│ │
│ RULES │
│ - Only use information from Knowledge Base │
│ - Never make up information │
│ - Be polite and professional │
│ - Transfer to human if customer is upset │
│ │
│ PERSONALITY │
│ - Friendly but professional │
│ - Speak in short, clear sentences │
│ - Use the customer's name when known │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Prompt Best Practices
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Be specific and clear | Use vague instructions |
| Define boundaries | Leave behavior undefined |
| Include examples | Assume AI understands context |
| Set escalation rules | Let AI handle everything |
| Specify language and tone | Forget communication style |
Speech Technologies
Speech-to-Text (STT)
Converts spoken words into written text. Also called:
- Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)
- Voice Recognition
- Transcription
Quality factors:
- Accent handling
- Background noise resistance
- Technical vocabulary recognition
- Real-time vs. batch processing
Text-to-Speech (TTS)
Converts written text into spoken words. Modern TTS sounds natural, with:
- Multiple voice options (male, female, different ages)
- Emotion and intonation
- Multiple languages
- Adjustable speed
Voice selection considerations:
- Match your brand (professional, friendly, energetic)
- Language and accent requirements
- Customer demographics
Real-Time Communication (WebRTC)
WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) is the technology that enables:
- Browser-based voice calls
- Low-latency audio streaming
- No plugins required
Hanc.AI uses LiveKit — a WebRTC platform — for:
- Voice widget on your website
- Test calls in the dashboard
- Real-time audio processing
Key Platform Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Agent | A configured AI voice assistant |
| Workspace | A container for agents, belonging to one organization |
| Customer | An organization using the platform (your business) |
| Call Log | Record of a conversation between agent and caller |
| Tool | An action the agent can perform (book appointment, transfer call) |
| Action | A specific capability enabled for an agent |
| First Message | The greeting the agent says when answering |
| Fallback | What happens when the agent can't help (transfer to human) |
| Escalation | Transferring a call to a human operator |
Next Steps
Now that you understand the core concepts:
- How It Works — Technical architecture overview
- Account Setup — Create your account
- Your First Agent — Build your first voice agent
Summary
| Concept | Key Point |
|---|---|
| AI | Software that understands and generates human-like responses |
| Voice Agent | AI that communicates through spoken conversation |
| LLM | The "brain" that processes language and generates responses |
| Knowledge Base | Your business information that the AI uses to answer questions |
| RAG | Technology that retrieves relevant info from your documents |
| Prompt | Instructions that define the agent's behavior |
| STT/TTS | Technologies for converting between speech and text |
Understanding these concepts will help you configure more effective voice agents and troubleshoot issues when they arise.