Can an AI calling agent speak Hindi and regional languages?

Yes. Platforms built for India, such as DubCall, support 32+ languages and can switch between Hindi and English mid-sentence.

Do borrowers know they are talking to an AI?

The agent introduces itself and the lender at the start of the call, as RBI disclosure rules require, and can transfer to a human at any time.

How fast can an NBFC deploy an AI calling agent?

With a no-code agent builder and existing LOS or LMS connectors, most teams run a pilot within days and go live in one to two weeks.

How much does an AI calling agent cost?

Per-minute platforms charge for every second of talk time, answered or not. Outcome-based platforms charge a fixed rate only when a call produces a payment commitment, a completed KYC, a completed follow-up or a resolved query.

Is an AI calling agent safe for borrower data?

Look for end-to-end encrypted calls, data kept in your own tenant, SOC 2 controls, and a clear statement that your data is never used to train shared models.

Guide · Updated 25 September 2026

What is an AI calling agent? A guide for NBFCs and banks

Written by

Pretam Ram · Founder & CEO, DubCall

Former software developer at Deepnap Softech, where he built scalable SaaS products. Owns DubCall's core AI voice platform, reliability and delivery.

Reviewed by

Piyush Modi · Co-Founder & CBO, DubCall

10+ years in lending and collections. Led DubCall's go-to-market strategy and closed its first revenue; owns sales and customer growth.

Published 25 September 2026 · About the team

Direct answer

An AI calling agent is software that makes and answers phone calls on its own, understands what the person says, replies in a natural voice, and completes a task during the call. Lenders such as NBFCs (non-banking financial companies) and banks use them to remind borrowers about EMIs (equated monthly instalments), capture payment promises, verify KYC (know-your-customer) details, and answer account questions in the borrower's own language, 24×7.

How an AI calling agent works

An AI calling agent combines four parts that run in under a second:

01Speech recognition
Turns the borrower's words into text, including Hindi, English and regional languages.
02A language model
Understands intent, such as “I can pay on the 18th”, and decides what to say next.
03Text-to-speech
Replies in a natural, human-like voice, with pauses and interruptions handled.
04Actions
Updates your systems during the call: records a promise-to-pay, sends a payment link, marks KYC complete, or escalates to a human.

Good agents respond in about 300 milliseconds, so the conversation feels like talking to a person, not an IVR (interactive voice response) menu.

What AI calling agents do for lenders

What AI calling agents do for lenders, by use case, and the outcome each produces
Use case	What the agent does on the call	Outcome you can measure
EMI collections	Reminds the borrower, handles objections, agrees an amount and date	Payment commitment (promise-to-pay)
Loan follow-ups	Chases documents, confirms application status, re-engages drop-offs	Follow-up completed
KYC verification	Confirms identity details and documents over the phone	KYC verified
Customer support	Answers EMI, statement and charge queries, raises requests	Query resolved

Swipe to see all columns

AI calling agent vs telecaller vs IVR

AI calling agent compared with a human telecaller and an IVR system
Capability	AI calling agent	Human telecaller	IVR
Handles a real conversation	Yes	Yes	No, menu only
Works 24×7 at any volume	Yes	No, shift-bound	Yes
Speaks 30+ Indian languages	Yes	Rarely	Limited
Updates loan systems (LOS/LMS/CRM) during the call	Yes	Manually, later	No
Cost per completed outcome	Lowest at scale	Highest	Low, but rarely completes anything

Swipe to see all columns

How AI calling agents are priced

Most platforms charge per minute, so you pay even when the borrower does not answer, disconnects, or the call ends with no action.

A newer model is per outcome: you pay only when the call produces a defined result, such as a payment commitment or a completed KYC. Calls that achieve nothing cost nothing. Ask any vendor exactly how they define and verify an outcome before you sign.

See DubCall's outcome-based pricing

Is it compliant with RBI rules?

The RBI (Reserve Bank of India) sets the rules for recovery calls. Its August 2022 circular on recovery agents lists the conduct lenders and their agents must avoid:

“…persistently calling the borrower and/or calling the borrower before 8:00 a.m. and after 7:00 p.m. for recovery of overdue loans.”
— RBI circular RBI/2022-23/108, 12 August 2022

So an AI calling agent for collections in India should:

Call only inside permitted hours, typically 8 am to 7 pm.
State the lender's name and the purpose of the call.
Honour Do-Not-Call lists and borrower consent.
Record every call and log the outcome for audit.

Compliance settings should be agreed in writing before go-live and checked call by call.

Sources: RBI circular on Recovery Agents (2022) · RBI Guidelines on Digital Lending (2022) · TRAI Do-Not-Disturb rules · AICPA on SOC 2

How to choose an AI calling agent: 6-point checklist

1
Languages: Test it in the languages your borrowers actually speak, including code-switching between Hindi and English.
2
Latency: Ask for the average response time; under 500 ms feels natural.
3
Integrations: It must read and write your LOS, LMS, CBS or CRM, not just export a CSV.
4
Compliance controls: Calling windows, disclosures, DNC and recordings out of the box.
5
Pricing model: Per outcome beats per minute for collections, because you stop paying for wasted calls.
6
Pilot: Run it on one bucket of your portfolio for two weeks and compare contact rate, promise-to-pay rate and cost per outcome against your telecallers.

Example: one EMI call, start to finish

A borrower's ₹8,400 EMI is due on the 15th. The AI calling agent calls at 10:58 am, the borrower says they are delayed, and the agent offers a date. The borrower commits to the 18th. The agent sends a payment link by SMS, writes the promise-to-pay to the LMS, and schedules a reminder. Total time: about 90 seconds.

With outcome-based pricing, that call is billed once as one payment commitment. The three earlier calls that went unanswered that morning are billed at ₹0.

AI calling agent FAQs

They are the same thing. “AI calling agent”, “AI voice agent”, “voice bot” and “AI phone agent” all describe software that holds phone conversations and takes action.

See an AI calling agent on a live call

30 minutes with the DubCall BFSI team: we map your portfolio to billable outcomes and run a live Hindi or English borrower call.

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