Groq for voice agents: evaluate model speed without ignoring the call

A fast language-model response can help a voice assistant, but it is only one part of the time a caller waits. Recognition, end-of-turn decisions, tool execution, speech generation and playback also contribute. Evaluate Groq within the complete call rather than treating a token-throughput figure as a voice-quality guarantee.

Burki includes a Groq conversation-model adapter in its cascade runtime. Supported models, account access and admission requirements still apply. A provider integration does not imply that every newly released model or API feature is available in the product.

Understand API compatibility

Groq documents compatibility with OpenAI client libraries while also listing differences and unsupported fields. That compatibility can simplify integration, but it is not a promise that every OpenAI request can be forwarded unchanged. Groq compatibility documentation

Check the selected model's tool support, context limits, output behavior and account availability before migrating a working assistant. Keep provider credentials in server-side configuration or the platform's supported provider settings, not in a prompt or public browser code.

Measure the caller's waiting time

Use a timeline like this as an observation worksheet, not as an assumed latency formula for overlapping operations:

Caller finishes speaking
Turn is recognized as complete
Model begins useful output
Required tool returns, if any
Speech becomes audible to the caller

Record where time accumulates. If the calendar takes several seconds to answer, changing the model may barely affect a booking response. If the assistant waits unnecessarily for the caller's turn to end, a faster model cannot repair that policy on its own.

Test correctness alongside speed

Use the same instructions and speech components for the comparison. Include a caller correction, missing required information, an interrupted answer and a tool failure.

Check that the selected model forms valid tool arguments, retains corrected facts and waits for the returned business result before confirming success. A quick but incorrect action can create more work than a slower accurate one.

Keep speech concise

Long answers increase both caller waiting and generated speech. Give the assistant a clear task, short response style and an explicit fallback. Do not remove essential clarification simply to minimize output tokens; the correct destination, date or phone number is worth confirming.

Compare expense with the same workload

Include the model, transcription, synthesis and telephone components actually used. If a new model requires more retries or produces longer answers, its lower unit price may not lower the complete bill.

Use current Burki pricing and direct provider statements where applicable. The cost-tracking guide can help reconcile the result. Adopt the configuration that meets the business task and interruption requirements at acceptable cost, not the one with the most impressive isolated speed claim.