An AI calling agent can place outbound calls, speak naturally in English or Hindi, answer common questions and book a meeting, all from a script you control. For Indian businesses this makes it possible to follow up with every lead quickly, without hiring a large calling team. But India has its own rules for commercial calls, and they matter more than the technology.
How an AI cold call works
- You write a script, or describe your offer and let AI draft one.
- You choose a voice and language for the agent.
- You upload a list of leads with their phone numbers.
- The agent calls each lead, follows the script, handles questions from your knowledge base and logs the result.
- You review recordings, transcripts and outcomes, and improve the script.
The rules: TRAI, DND and DLT
Commercial calls in India are regulated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) under its rules on unsolicited commercial communication (TCCCPR). The key points every business should know:
- DND / NCPR: people can register on the National Customer Preference Register (for example by calling or texting 1909) to block promotional calls. You must not make promotional calls to numbers that have opted out.
- DLT registration: businesses that send commercial communication are expected to register as a principal entity on a telecom operator’s DLT platform.
- Number series: promotional voice calls are meant to come from the special number series allotted for them (the 140 series), not from ordinary mobile or landline numbers.
- Consent: calling people who have clearly agreed to hear from you, such as existing customers or leads who filled in your form, is safer than calling cold lists.
- Honesty: say who you are and why you are calling, and stop calling anyone who asks you to.
TRAI updates these rules from time to time, and penalties for unsolicited calls can include disconnection of numbers. Check the current rules on the TRAI website or with your telecom operator before running promotional campaigns.
Good use cases in India
- Following up on inbound leads from ads, forms or WhatsApp.
- Reminders and confirmations for appointments and demos.
- Re-engaging past customers who have agreed to be contacted.
- Qualifying leads before a human salesperson calls back.
What it costs
On Hellio, calls are paid with credits. Calls to India use 1 credit per minute, the same as most countries. You can see the credits per minute for every country on the Call Rates page.
Tips for better results
- Keep the opening line short and say why you are calling.
- Use Hindi or English depending on your audience.
- Give the agent real facts about your offer so it never has to guess.
- Call during reasonable daytime hours.
- Review a few transcripts every day and improve the script.
This guide is general information, not legal advice.
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