Are AI voicebots actually better than IVR in real-world use?

Traditional IVR is predictable but frustrating for users.
AI voicebots sound promising, but accuracy, latency, and escalation matter more than demos.

For those who’ve worked with or deployed them:

Did voicebots reduce call handling time?

How reliable was speech recognition (especially accents)?

Did users prefer it over IVR, or ask for agents anyway?

Looking for real experiences, not vendor claims.