How to Set Up an AI Receptionist in an Afternoon

Setting up an AI receptionist is not a multi-week IT project. Most of the work is deciding what you want said and to whom calls should transfer — the technical part is a single forwarding change. Here is the order that avoids rework.

1. Gather the information before you touch the software

Write down, in plain language, the questions your current staff or you personally get asked most: hours, service area, pricing basics, what you do and do not do, and how appointment requests should be handled. Do this on paper first so you are not composing answers under pressure while staring at a form.

2. Write the answers the receptionist will give

Keep each answer short and specific. Vague answers produce vague calls. If pricing depends on the job, say so explicitly rather than leaving the receptionist to guess — configure it to explain that a technician needs to see the job first, if that is true for you.

3. Set up your transfer list, if your plan includes it

Warm transfers depend on your plan: Starter has none, Professional allows one destination, and Business and Scale allow up to five, each configured by name, role or department with the hours they are reachable. Decide who should be reached for what, and what happens if nobody answers.

4. Forward your business line

1. Get the number Get Assistant assigns to your account.
2. Forward your existing business number to it — most carriers support conditional forwarding for no-answer or busy, and unconditional forwarding for full-time coverage.
3. Decide whether you want all calls answered by the receptionist or only overflow and after-hours calls.

5. Test it like a caller would

Call your own number from a different phone. Ask an easy question, then a harder one, then ask to be transferred if you set that up. Listen for anything that sounds wrong or incomplete, and note it rather than trying to fix it mid-call.

6. Tune based on real calls

After a few days of live calls, read the transcripts. You will find questions you did not anticipate — add those answers. This is normal and expected; no first draft covers everything callers actually ask.

None of these steps require special technical skill. If you can log into a web dashboard and forward a phone number, you can complete the whole setup in one sitting. The bigger time investment is thinking clearly about what you want said, which is worth doing carefully since it shapes every call after.

For forwarding specifics by carrier, see the call forwarding setup guide, and for writing stronger answers, see how to write a receptionist call script.