Guide
How to set up an AI receptionist in one day
You don't need developers or weeks of work. With the right information ready, you can build, test and launch an AI receptionist in an afternoon. Here's the checklist to follow.
Updated · 2 min read
Before you start: what to have ready
- Your opening hours, services and prices.
- Answers to the ten questions callers ask most.
- Who should get transferred calls, and when.
- Your calendar, if the agent should book appointments.
- Any documents or web pages the agent should answer from.
Step 1: Create your agent
Sign up and create an assistant. Describe your business in plain words, pick a voice and a language, and choose whether it answers calls or makes them.
Step 2: Write the greeting and the rules
Keep the greeting short and say who's answering, for example: “Thanks for calling Bright Smile Dental, this is the front desk assistant. How can I help?”
Then write the rules the agent follows: which questions it answers, what it asks before booking, and when it hands over to a person. Clear rules work better than long scripts.
Never let the agent take card details or passwords over the phone. Send those calls to your team instead.
Step 3: Add your knowledge
Upload your FAQs, price list or policies to the knowledge base, so the agent answers from your own information instead of guessing. Update it when things change.
Step 4: Connect your calendar and tools
To let the agent book appointments, connect Cal.com, Calendly or GoHighLevel. Calendar integrations are included on the Grow and Scale plans. Add the numbers the agent can transfer calls to, and connect your CRM or a webhook if you want call details sent there automatically. See all integrations.
Step 5: Get a phone number
Pick a number in your dashboard, or connect your own number through Twilio, Telnyx or any SIP trunk. You can also keep your current number and forward calls to the agent, for example only after hours or when your line is busy.
Step 6: Test it like a customer
- Call it yourself and ask the questions your customers ask.
- Try to trip it up: change your mind, ask for a person, ask something it shouldn't know.
- Read the transcripts and summaries, then tighten the rules wherever it hesitated.
- Ask a colleague to call too, since you'll know the script too well.
Step 7: Go live, then keep improving
For a gentle launch, start with after-hours calls, then let the agent answer during the day once you're happy. Review a few call summaries each week and add to the knowledge base when callers ask something new.
If you record calls, check the consent rules where you and your callers are, and mention it in the greeting where they require it.
Try it on your own calls
Build an agent today. No code, and you can be live the same day.
Questions and answers
Do I need technical skills?
No. You describe your business, write the rules in plain language and connect tools with a few clicks. There's no code.
Can I keep my current phone number?
Yes. Forward calls from your current number to the agent, or connect your own number through Twilio, Telnyx or a SIP trunk.
How do callers reach a person?
You decide. Common rules are transferring when the caller asks for a person, for emergencies, or for billing questions.
