Voice AI Drives 35% Sales Lift at Cars24, Scales Across India

Key Takeaways

• Cars24 deployed 400 voice agents and saw 35% improvement in sales conversion for lead qualification
• Healthcare platforms report patients are more willing to share sensitive information with AI than human providers
• Voice interfaces reduce cognitive load by eliminating keyword searches and complex navigation

From Pilot Projects to Production Systems

Voice AI has quietly moved from experimental chatbots to core business infrastructure. At Inc42's AI Summit 2026, ElevenLabs India head Karthik Rajaram laid out how the technology is delivering measurable gains in sales, support, and customer retention.

The shift is significant. Companies are no longer testing voice AI in sandboxed environments. They're deploying it at scale, handling thousands of customer interactions daily across multiple languages.

“Voice AI is moving from novelty pilot projects to core, scaled production systems, serving as the critical infrastructure layer for the next wave of consumer-facing businesses.”

— Industry Analyst, Inc42 AI Summit 2026

Cars24 and Meesho: Voice AI in Action

The numbers from early adopters are compelling. Cars24, the used car marketplace, deployed about 400 voice agents focused on lead qualification and assisted sales. The result: a 35% improvement in sales conversion.

Meesho, the social commerce platform, is using ElevenLabs' voice agents to handle customer queries across languages. Rajaram noted this has resulted in significantly improved resolution rates and cost optimization, though specific figures weren't disclosed.

The economics make sense for high-volume businesses. Voice AI can handle routine inquiries around the clock without staffing costs. For companies processing thousands of leads daily, even modest conversion improvements translate to substantial revenue gains.

Healthcare: Patients Trust AI More Than Doctors

Perhaps the most surprising finding came from healthcare. Ramakrishna R, cofounder and CTO of dermatology healthtech Cure, shared that patients are now more comfortable sharing information with AI than with human healthcare professionals.

"They can engage with AI without the fear of being judged. Besides, unlike humans, AI can give answers to a customer's long list of queries without getting frustrated," Ramakrishna said.

This has implications beyond customer satisfaction. Better information leads to better diagnosis. When patients hold back symptoms due to embarrassment or fear of judgment, providers miss critical data. Voice AI, it seems, removes that barrier.

Rajaram added that voice AI technology has become sophisticated enough to understand emotional context throughout conversations and respond accordingly. This matters for healthcare interactions where tone and pacing affect how comfortable patients feel.

Why Customers Disengage: Voice AI Finds the Answer

Traditional analytics can tell you where customers drop off in a funnel. Voice AI goes further. It captures why they disengage.

The technology analyzes intent signals throughout conversations. When a customer hesitates, changes topic, or expresses frustration, that data feeds back into the system. Companies can then adjust their approaches in real time or refine their processes based on aggregate patterns.

Industry executives at the summit noted that voice interfaces have also reduced cognitive load for users. By eliminating keyword-based searches and complex navigation flows, voice AI makes it easier for customers to find what they need.

The Trust Gap in Emerging Markets

For Indian startups, voice AI addresses a specific challenge: linguistic diversity. India has 22 officially recognized languages and hundreds of dialects. Building trust with customers who don't speak English fluently has historically limited digital adoption.

“By allowing users to interact in their native tongue and accent, we are effectively breaking down the trust barrier that has historically separated millions of users from digital financial services.”

— Maitreya Wagh, Co-Founder at Bolna AI

The data supports this. Indian AI-native startups raised $679 million in Q1 2026 alone, reflecting investor confidence that AI-first infrastructure will define the next wave of consumer businesses in emerging markets.

Conversion Gains Across Sectors

The impact extends beyond ecommerce and healthcare. Insurance startups using voice AI to handle off-hours inquiries have observed a 40% increase in conversion rates. Real estate startups leveraging voice-first interfaces report 62% improvement in lead qualification speed.

These gains come from a simple principle: faster, more natural interactions reduce drop-off. When customers don't have to navigate phone trees, wait on hold, or type out complex queries, they're more likely to complete transactions.

The Moat Question

Technical discussions around voice AI often focus on defensibility. If large language models keep improving and APIs commoditize voice synthesis, what prevents big tech from replicating startup offerings?

The emerging consensus: the moat lies in vertical-specific tuning and enterprise integration. A voice agent that understands dermatology terminology, integrates with clinic management systems, and has been trained on thousands of patient interactions is harder to replicate than the underlying language model.

Companies like ElevenLabs, founded in 2022 by Mati Staniszewski and Piotr Dąbkowski, have focused on natural-sounding speech synthesis using deep learning. But the real value accumulates as these systems are deployed, trained, and refined in specific business contexts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is voice AI in customer service?

Voice AI refers to artificial intelligence systems that can understand spoken language, process intent, and respond in natural-sounding speech. In customer service, these systems handle inquiries, qualify leads, and assist sales without human agents.

How much can voice AI improve sales conversion?

Results vary by implementation, but Cars24 reported 35% improvement in sales conversion after deploying 400 voice agents. Insurance and real estate sectors have seen 40-62% improvements in specific metrics.

Why do patients prefer talking to AI over doctors?

According to Cure's CTO, patients can engage with AI without fear of being judged. AI also handles long lists of questions without showing frustration, making patients more comfortable sharing sensitive health information.

What languages does voice AI support in India?

Leading voice AI platforms now support multiple Indian languages and regional accents, addressing the linguistic diversity that has historically limited digital adoption among non-English speakers.

How much are Indian AI startups raising?

Indian AI-native startups raised $679 million in Q1 2026, indicating strong investor confidence in AI-first business infrastructure.

Source: Inc42 Media / Gaurav Bagur