What is our primary use case?
I'm a reseller and consultant, and I mainly use Deepgram as an AI voice integration service.
When I use Vapi AI to implement voice AI call solutions, the understanding of German in Nova 2 feels more reliable than the last version. This observation was from approximately two months ago when I used it.
I use Deepgram for voice integration when I have a customer getting voice calls, implementing solutions with AI. I use it for calling agents, cold calling agents, and mostly for speech to text. I always use it to transcribe the voice to LLM text streams. I also used it for a platform with web integration, allowing customers to schedule calls with AI coaches on different topics, where I did the transcription with Deepgram API integration into LiveKit so the system could understand what the customer is saying.
I started with Vapi AI, which introduced me to Deepgram. Now I have a private account there for other solutions than Vapi. Initially, Deepgram was the only reliable service for my needs, which is why I have always used it and never switched. I stick with Deepgram because it consistently works; I have no reason to test something else that might not be as effective.
What is most valuable?
The most important feature of Deepgram for me is the transcription service, along with the reliability of the service. If you integrate a service and it does not respond or has delays, if it's not reliable, it doesn't matter if it's high quality; it has to work every day so that my customers are always happy and not offended because nothing is working at times.
Deepgram's low latency transcription has greatly impacted my ability to deliver reliable voice agents and provided very good transcription. I showcased this on my website, allowing someone to call and have real-time transcription displayed, which was very beneficial. I didn't find a good service a year ago that could perform this, and without Deepgram, I probably wouldn't have sold any AI automation services.
What needs improvement?
Deepgram is very reliable for normal conversation, but when it comes to special names or information, I'm not entirely sure how to implement it perfectly. I did use a feature to highlight special words based on the topic, but I've seen overweighting of this topic, where normal words weren't recognized properly.
The handling of different topics needs to be optimized to be more accurate. I could upload lists with special words for specific topics. In my experience, it was not perfect, as there were only a few words that were understood properly. When I had an AI interview for coding, Deepgram didn't capture the names of programming languages or well-known LLMs accurately all the time. For example, when a person said "I'm experienced in Python development," Deepgram didn't get the word Python correctly.
When Deepgram Nova 3 was released, I experienced problems with the API, but it could be on the Vapi side; I'm not sure, which is why I stick with version two, but I think currently there is no problem anymore.
The setup could be easier, as everything is moving towards no-code solutions. You can configure everything properly on the dashboard and get a JSON file with the structured output to insert into other programs. If there were a way to configure special words for the API more readily, that would be helpful.
The initial setup needs to be optimized to be more intuitive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Deepgram for a bit over a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Deepgram always matched the workload, so I didn't have any performance issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Deepgram always matched the workload, so I didn't have any performance issues. In Germany, we face GDPR issues, which is annoying. We have to ensure services remain within EU borders. I'm not sure if Deepgram offers options to choose the server location, such as having a server in Frankfurt like AWS.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't communicated with Deepgram's technical support at all. Until now, I've always found the documentation sufficient and managed without needing support.
The documentation is fine. Most of the time, I use AI to read it and implement directly. If my programming assistant can't find the information in the documentation, I go in and read it myself, pointing out specific topics for the AI to understand how to implement features. For me, the most important aspect of the documentation is that it is structured so that AI can read it effectively.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I started with Vapi AI, which introduced me to Deepgram. Now I have a private account there for other solutions than Vapi. Initially, Deepgram was the only reliable service for my needs, which is why I have always used it and never switched. I stick with Deepgram because it consistently works; I have no reason to test something else that might not be as effective.
How was the initial setup?
The setup could be easier, as everything is moving towards no-code solutions. You can configure everything properly on the dashboard and get a JSON file with the structured output to insert into other programs. If there were a way to configure special words for the API more readily, that would be helpful.
The initial setup needs to be optimized to be more intuitive.
What was our ROI?
I've seen a return on investment with Deepgram. Last week, I sold an agent for 2,500 and included Deepgram in the configuration. The customer had tested different solutions and found them inadequate. I hosted a demo service for my agent using Deepgram, and the customer tested it through a link on my landing page. He stated that the performance was significantly higher than elsewhere, and he found it suitable for his needs. Deepgram is part of it, contributing to my revenue.
What other advice do I have?
If the handling of the German language improves continuously, it would be beneficial for me.
I always use Krisp or something similar as a second service to filter out background noise, but I haven't checked if different languages or speakers are detected properly.
On a scale of 1-10, I would rate Deepgram a 9.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other