Latvian start-up developing AI voice call assistant for the service sector
Latvian startup instadial has developed a voice-based artificial intelligence (AI) assistant capable of both receiving and initiating phone calls, conducting full-fledged conversations with customers, booking services, and automating a range of customer service processes. The solution was initially created for the healthcare sector, where medical institutions deal daily with a high volume of incoming calls and the need to remind patients of upcoming appointments, but the company is already working on adapting the product for insurance, real estate, and other service sectors as well.
The solution functions as a virtual customer service assistant capable of maintaining a full-fledged conversation with a customer, understanding natural language, and responding to various requests. Before implementation, it is customised to the specific needs of the company and integrated into customer service and appointment scheduling systems. This means that the assistant can not only answer questions about services but also suggest available appointment times with specific specialists, schedule, reschedule, or cancel appointments, and send the customer a summary via text message or email after the conversation. The solution is capable of handling up to 100 concurrent calls at once.
The core team behind instadial consists of three co-founders—Olga Ļesņikoviča-Riņķe, Janis Cīrulis, and Klāvs Slavenieks—who combine expertise in business development, sales, and the development of artificial intelligence technologies. The idea for this solution emerged in late 2025 during an artificial intelligence hackathon. Initially, the team worked on a solution for automated reminder calls, but it soon became clear that the technology’s potential was much broader.
“We saw that clinics and other service providers were losing clients every day—not because of poor service, but simply because they couldn’t answer all the calls. We realised that this was a problem we could solve with artificial intelligence,” says Ms Lesnikoviča-Riņķe.
After winning the hackathon, the team focused on product development and market validation, collaborating with medical institutions and testing the solution in real-world conditions. The first pilot projects confirmed high industry interest, so the company was founded in March of this year and active product commercialisation began. Now, just a few months after the company’s founding, instadial has already implemented pilot projects in more than 10 clinics in Latvia, attracted its first paying customers, and is continuing negotiations with potential partners in both the healthcare sector and other industries.
“We’re not out there proclaiming that we want to replace people. Our goal is to streamline routine tasks and allow administrative staff to devote more time to patients and more complex tasks. Every project begins with an analysis of the client’s workflows—we understand what kinds of calls the company receives, what information their customers need, and what systems are already in use. The AI assistant is then tailored to the specific needs of the company, trained to work with the necessary information, and integrated into existing systems so that it can not only answer questions but also schedule, reschedule, or cancel appointments and perform other customer service functions,” explains the company’s CEO.
Following the company’s founding in March of this year, instadial also joined the business incubation programme of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA). The company’s CEO acknowledges that during the transition from an idea to a commercial solution, the opportunity to receive expert advice, development support, and the chance to discuss business development strategies with experienced specialists is particularly valuable.
Although the company’s initial focus was on healthcare, during the pilot projects the team concluded that similar problems are encountered across a much broader range of service companies. Therefore, in addition to working with medical institutions, instadial is currently expanding its collaboration with companies in the insurance, real estate, and other sectors where providing customer service over the phone plays a significant role in daily operations.
“The more we spoke with companies from various sectors, the more we realised that the problem is not unique to the medical field. Our team has presented the solution to representatives of the Ministry of Health, discussing the potential of AI in advancing healthcare communication processes at national level. Such discussions with sectoral institutions provide valuable feedback and help refine the solution, ensuring it aligns with the needs and priorities of the sector. Real estate agents, insurance agencies, and other service providers also receive a high volume of calls every day, which they cannot always answer immediately. For example, in the real estate industry, a virtual assistant can become a full-fledged helper for an agent—it is familiar with all properties, knows their prices, square footage, locations, and other details, and is therefore able to answer most of the questions from potential buyers or renters even before they speak with an agent. “On the other hand, if a customer is interested in a specific property, the assistant can immediately schedule a viewing or a meeting,” says Ms Ļesņikoviča-Riņķe.
The company is confident that, in the coming years, voice-based AI assistants will become just as common a customer service tool as chatbots or online booking systems. Similar solutions are becoming increasingly common on the market, but the decisive factors for competitiveness are quality, security, and the ability to integrate into a company’s daily processes.
“Some people are already willing to interact with a virtual assistant today, while others still prefer to communicate with a human. This is completely understandable, as a shift in habits is still underway. However, it is clear that AI solutions will gradually play an increasingly significant role in customer service. In recent years, AI technologies have become much more accessible, which is why the number of competitors in the market is growing; however, technology alone is not enough. It is important for customers to know where data is stored, how it is processed, what security requirements are followed, and who is responsible for the solution’s operation. This is particularly important in healthcare and other sectors where sensitive information is handled on a daily basis,” emphasises Ms Ļesņikoviča-Riņķe.
Consequently, the company pays special attention to data security and compliance with regulatory requirements, and is preparing to obtain international certification.
The instadial assistant currently works in Latvian, English, and Russian. The company notes that support for the Latvian language is one of its key competitive advantages, as most international solutions are primarily developed for major markets, while there are still relatively few high-quality voice assistants tailored to smaller languages.
Although the company is already receiving interest from abroad and is conducting initial negotiations with potential partners in Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, and Germany, its immediate priority is to strengthen its position in the Latvian market. Company representatives believe that the local market is the ideal place to refine the product and gain experience before pursuing more rapid growth abroad.
Information material prepared with the support of the European Regional Development Fund
