Conversational AI has changed substance twice in the last decade: from rules-based chatbots, to intent-classifier-plus-retrieval systems, to LLM-driven agents that can plan and act. The 2026 reference architecture is the third generation.
The interesting question for a buyer is no longer "does it understand language", every modern stack does, but rather "what does it do once it does." The dividing line in the market is between vendors that resolve the conversation (book the slot, file the claim) and vendors that merely complete it.
For an SME, the practical filter is whether the system writes to your existing tools natively. If the conversational AI ends with "please call our office to confirm," the customer has been talked at, not helped.
Vorel sits squarely in the resolution camp, every conversation ends with a row written to your CRM.