This Startup Makes AI Chat Easy – Periscope Chat Startup Review

You’re likely juggling a lot – tons of customer questions flooding in, maybe from all over the globe in different languages. Right now, you might be throwing more people at the problem, or your teams are stuck doing the same things over and over. It’s like trying to put out fires everywhere, all the time.

What if you could handle all those questions without the constant scramble? That’s where AI steps in, but often it sounds complicated, right? Periscope Chat gets it. They’re not about fancy tech for tech’s sake. Instead, they look at your biggest headaches – those communication bottlenecks – and build AI that just… works. Easy AI for chat. Sounds good?

We sat down with Vishnu Pillai, Co-founder of Periscope Chat, to learn how they’re making AI chat simple and actually helpful for businesses like yours.

What is Periscope Chat?

Periscope Chat is an AI solution focused on streamlining communication for businesses. It caters primarily to Chief Operating Officers, Customer Experience Managers, and Heads of IT in medium to large enterprises across industries like manufacturing, e-commerce, and customer service. The platform helps manage high volumes of queries, offering multilingual support, which is a boon for businesses dealing with diverse audiences.

At its core, Periscope Chat designs AI agents that handle both complex and repetitive tasks. This reduces the dependency on human agents, freeing up your workforce for more strategic tasks. You get a custom AI agent that integrates seamlessly with existing workflows – whether it’s through your web platform, ERP, or even Slack. It becomes a part of your toolset, improving response times and reducing operational costs.

What makes Periscope Chat different is its commitment to practical problem-solving rather than dazzling with unnecessary technology. They start with understanding the problem. Sometimes, the solution might be simple, like an Excel sheet. Their honesty in providing what truly fits your needs – with proven savings in cost and time – is what sets them apart.

Periscope Chat Founders

Vishnu Pillai is more than just a co-founder; he’s an entrepreneur with an impressive 14-year history in advanced AI. Over the years, he’s delved deep into the world of artificial intelligence, and his experience shines through Periscope Chat’s innovative approach. Satyajeet Jadhav joins him as a co-founder. Satyajeet brings a solid background in product engineering, having honed his skills at the University of Minnesota, making them a formidable team with complementary strengths.

The story behind Periscope Chat started more organically than planned. Initially, Vishnu and Satyajeet were interested in building technology for its own sake. But things soon changed when a few friends approached them with real-world challenges that demanded AI solutions. It turns out that these issues almost always revolve around communication gaps, causing bottlenecks in operations. Solving these problems consistently revealed even more, convincing.

Interview with Vishnu Pillai, I am the Co-Founder of Periscope Chat

Right, so we got the chance to chat with Vishnu Pillai, the Co-founder of Periscope Chat. We were keen to understand how they are making AI chat accessible and useful for businesses. Here’s how it went.

Q: Vishnu, tell us a bit about Periscope Chat. What exactly does it do?
A: We build AI that speaks your brand. Essentially, we create custom AI agents for businesses. These agents are designed to handle customer queries and streamline internal communications. They can integrate directly into your existing systems, whether it’s your website, ERP, Slack, or even WhatsApp. The goal is to make communication smoother and more efficient.

Q: Who is Periscope Chat for? Who are your ideal customers?
A: We focus on medium to large enterprises. Specifically, we often work with Chief Operating Officers, Customer Experience Managers, and Heads of IT. Industries we work in include manufacturing, e-commerce, travel, hospitality, real estate, HR, customer service, and BPOs. Any business dealing with high volumes of questions, multilingual support needs, and the desire to reduce reliance on human agents for repetitive tasks will find our solution helpful.

Q: What kind of problems are you trying to solve for these businesses? What are their main pain points?
A: The core problem is managing communication effectively. Think about the challenges of handling a huge number of customer or employee inquiries. Providing support in multiple languages is another big one. Many businesses are also looking to reduce their dependence on human agents for routine tasks. Improving response times without increasing costs is always a pressure. And finally, integrating new tech into their current systems without disruption is crucial. These are the areas where Periscope Chat steps in.

Q: What inspired you to start Periscope Chat?
A: It started with helping friends. We were asked by a few people we knew to help solve some of their business problems using AI. As we talked to them, we realised many of their issues were related to communication breakdowns in their processes. These gaps were causing inconsistencies. When we solved one problem, they’d tell us about more. We saw common threads and kept solving these problems, gradually building what is now Periscope Chat.

Q: How did the early days of Periscope Chat look? Any lessons learned?
A: Initially, we made a mistake. We focused on building cool tech first and then looked for problems it could solve. We built some impressive tech, but nobody wanted to buy it. The problems it solved, even though we thought they were significant, weren’t worth the investment for users. So, we flipped our approach. We stopped building tech in isolation and started focusing on industry problems first. We realised that many problems are similar across different industries and can be solved with similar tech. So, we started building tech specifically to solve those common problems. This ensured we always had a market for our solution because we were directly addressing real needs.

Q: What makes Periscope Chat different from other AI chat solutions out there? What’s your unique approach?
A: We start with the problem. Then we look at the tech. If a problem can be solved with something as simple as an Excel sheet, we’ll say so. We pride ourselves on being honest with our customers. We’ll tell them straight up if they actually need our AI or not. This problem-first approach, and our honesty, sets us apart.

Q: Periscope Chat is self-funded, right? No external investment so far?
A: That’s correct. We haven’t taken any external funding yet.

Q: What does the future hold for Periscope Chat? What are your plans?
A: We’re expanding. Soon, we’ll offer our product to developers. This will allow them to design their own AI agents and deploy them wherever they need. We’re also moving into VOIP integrations. This means voice-based service providers can integrate our solutions and offer them as part of their packages. Imagine sales teams making calls and Periscope automatically summarising the call and updating CRM details. That’s where we’re heading.

Q: Can you give us an idea of Periscope Chat’s current traction?
A: We’re still early stage. Currently, we’re making nearly $1200 per month and serving about 5 customers on average each month. It’s early days, but we’re seeing good growth. Around 100% month-on-month growth at the moment.

Q: Any advice for people thinking of starting their own business?
A: Do everything yourself. Don’t wait for help. No one is coming to save you. You are your own saviour. That’s the reality of it.

Q: Finally, are there any industry stats or facts about conversational AI that are relevant to Periscope Chat’s work?
A: Absolutely. The conversational AI market is growing rapidly. It’s projected to grow at around 26% per year between now and 2029. Some estimates say it will be a $150 billion market by 2033. In 2024, it was valued at around $13 billion, and it’s expected to reach almost $50 billion by 2030. This growth shows the increasing importance of AI in communication, which is exactly what Periscope Chat is focused on.

Feedough’s Take on Periscope Chat

Alright, so Periscope Chat seems to be onto something useful. They’re tackling a real pain point for businesses – the sheer volume of communication and the struggle to manage it efficiently. The way they’re going about it, focusing on problems first and tech second, that’s smart. Loads of tech startups get lost in the ‘cool tech’ trap, building solutions nobody actually needs. Periscope Chat appears to be different; they listen to what businesses are struggling with and then craft AI to fix those specific issues. That’s a much stronger approach for long-term growth.

Looking ahead, their move to empower developers and integrate with VOIP is interesting. Opening up their platform could create a whole ecosystem around their AI agents. Voice integration? That’s where things are heading. Think about the data and insights they could unlock from voice interactions. The challenge for them, like any startup, will be scaling and staying ahead of the curve as the AI chat space heats up. But with their pragmatic approach and focus on real business problems, they’ve got a solid foundation to build on. It’s early days, but they’re definitely one to watch in this space.