AI voice agents bring plenty of appeal, especially for high-volume sales environments:

• 24/7 availability: Bots don’t sleep or skip dials
• Scalable outreach: Thousands of calls daily, no burnout
• Low cost per touchpoint: Especially attractive in resource-constrained teams
• CRM integration: Bots can log calls, book meetings, and sync notes automatically
• Contextual recall: Some tools can remember previous interactions and tailor responses

In theory, it’s an SDR that never calls in sick.

But not all that glitters is gold. Despite the hype, many teams are discovering the limits of AI voicebots. Sales forums and LinkedIn threads are filled with mixed reviews: 

• Calls that almost sound human… but don’t quite get there
• Jarring silences or mis-timed responses 
• Bots talking over the prospect 
• Confusing handoffs to human reps

The risk? Damaging trust before the relationship even begins. 

And in the US, regulators are paying attention. 

In February 2024, the FCC ruled that AI-generated voice calls qualify as illegal robocalls under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The key takeaways: 

• You can’t use AI voice agents to cold call without prior consent 
• You must disclose the use of AI at the beginning of the call 
• Violations can result in heavy penalties 

One telecom provider, Lingo Telecom, was fined US$1 million for using a synthetic voice that mimicked Joe Biden in robocalls without disclosure. 

Why AI cold calls aren’t winning over Australia and NZ

So how does all this land in Australia and New Zealand? 

With healthy scepticism – and good reason. 

In the ANZ region, B2B sales aren’t just transactional. It’s deeply relationship-based. Whether you’re selling to a mid-sized SaaS firm in Melbourne or a financial services leader in Auckland, buyers expect real conversations, real relevance, and real humans. We’re not a market where anonymous, high-volume cold outreach performs well – and that goes double when the voice on the other end turns out to be synthetic. 

Trust is the real currency 

In smaller, tight-knit markets like Australia and New Zealand, reputation travels fast. That makes trust not just a “nice to have”– it’s the foundation of every commercial relationship. 

An AI voice agent that sounds “off” or fails to understand local context doesn’t just create a poor experience – it signals a lack of effort. It can quickly raise red flags for decision-makers who expect tailored communication. 

Aussie and Kiwi buyers are also not shy about calling things out. If something sounds robotic, if it dodges a question, or if it fails to disclose upfront that it’s AI, it’s often a conversation ender. 

And thanks to years of spam and scam call fatigue, many business leaders are already sceptical of unexpected calls. Adding a synthetic voice into the mix can feel like a shortcut – or worse, a deception.

Perception matters more than performance 

Even if the AI call gets the job done – books the meeting, asks the right questions – it can still damage your brand if it feels unnatural or evasive. In a high-context culture like ANZ, how you start a conversation often matters more than what you say. 

It’s not just cultural – it’s regulatory too 

Beyond buyer sentiment, Australia and New Zealand have some of the strictest communications regulations in the world when it comes to unsolicited contact: 

• The Do Not Call Register Act 2006 prohibits unsolicited calls to any number listed. 
• The Spam Act 2003 bans unsolicited commercial messages without express consent. 
• The Telecommunications Industry Standard 2017 mandates caller identification, opt-outs, and calling windows. 
• Australian Consumer Law prohibits misleading or deceptive conduct – including impersonation or misrepresentation by synthetic agents. 

In 2023, the ACMA issued more than $600,000 in penalties for non-compliant marketing calls. Regulators are actively monitoring AI-enabled communications, and compliance breaches aren’t just reputational – they’re costly. 

If it’s not clearly disclosed, it’s not welcome 

Both legally and socially, disclosure is non-negotiable. Any AI used in prospecting – voice or otherwise – must identify itself immediately, clearly, and accurately. Failing to do so can land you in breach of multiple regulatory frameworks and destroy trust before the real sales conversation ever begins. 

And even when disclosure is handled correctly, the burden of making the message relevant, timely and respectful still applies. Anything less feels like spam – even if it’s dressed up in a realistic voice clone. 

Augment, don’t replace – how Firmable uses AI

Firmable Co-CEO Leigh Jasper says: “AI agents aren’t replacing sellers – they’re replacing the old way of selling.”
At Firmable, this isn’t a theoretical debate – we’ve had prospects ask if our reps are AI. 

We believe AI should be a multiplier, not a mouthpiece. That’s why our team uses AI to: 

• Build and filter ICP-aligned target lists 
• Surface timely buyer signals based on hiring, tech adoption, growth, and more 
• Draft first-pass outreach tailored to industry, persona, and stage 
• Recommend messaging based on what’s worked before 
• Transcribe calls and generate coaching insights 
• Automate follow-up after the first connect 

AI does the heavy lifting on admin, research, and timing – so our SDRs can focus on what they do best: human connection.Learn how AI signals help our reps reach buyers at the right time

AI tools are best used to accelerate workflows, reduce grunt work, and make every touch more relevant.
But the conversation? That’s still better with a human on the line.

Explore our view: AI sales agents vs human reps
We don’t believe in brute-force automation. We believe in smart outreach, built around signal-based targeting and ethical practices – all backed by verified, local data. 

There are use cases where an AI voice could make sense – for example: 

• Confirming a scheduled demo 
• Routing inbound support or pre-sales calls 
• Following up with opt-in leads in off-hours 

AI also has potential in research-heavy tasks like case study prep or persona testing – areas where speed matters, but trust isn’t at risk. 

But even these must follow the letter of the law – and the spirit of local trust expectations. 

The bar is high: full disclosure, clear handoff, warm context, and robust compliance. 

It’s up to Sales and Revops leaders to set the guardrails – from compliance checks to testing protocols – before AI agents go live. 

Conclusion: Keeping it real (with a little help from AI)

 AI voicebots are generating buzz – and in the US, they’re being tested hard. Some teams are seeing faster dials, faster follow-ups, and more meetings. 

But they’re also seeing compliance fines, trust breakdowns, and backlash. 

In Australia and New Zealand, where sales run on relationships and straight talk, full AI cold calls are unlikely to gain mainstream traction anytime soon. 

At Firmable, we’re committed to keeping sales human-first – with AI in the background, making every call smarter, better timed, and more relevant. 

Because the best conversations still happen person to person – especially when your prospect starts the call wondering, “Are you real?” 

Rest assured, we are. But we’ve got a little AI in our corner too.

👉 See how human SDRs, backed by AI signals, can reach the right buyers at the right time.