Set up the AI receptionist

Setting up the AI receptionist takes about half an hour. Everything is on one page — Settings › AI receptionist › AI receptionist — in seven places down the left. Every change waits for Save at the bottom, except buying the number.

Before you start

• Put money on your balance and a card on file — see The card for your balance. A number can't be bought while the balance is $1 or less.
• A new company starts with MoveBoard's recommended call flow. Recommended flow brings it back any time.

1. Phone & routing

1. 1Get the AI its own number — search by Area code, City or State, then Use for the AI. It's a new local number; your texting number is never used. Buying it is its own confirmed step.
2. 2How calls reach the AI — pick one: - the AI answers every call and puts callers through, - the AI answers and briefs your team, or - your phones ring first, and missed and after-hours calls go to the AI. With RingCentral, Set up forwarding in RingCentral shows how to send calls to the AI's number.
3. 3Business hours and Holidays — outside them the AI uses the after-hours greeting and doesn't transfer.
4. 4If the AI is Unavailable — Forward Calls To a number, after Rings before forwarding.
5. 5Repeated Calls From the Same Number — limits per hour and per day, so one number can't run up your balance.

2. Voice & personality

The receptionist's name, voice, tone, languages and pace — see The receptionist's voice and words.

3. Conversation

• The greetings — the normal one, the busy one and the after-hours one.
• The questions it asks for an estimate, in order. Some are required; it asks the rest too, but callers may skip them.
• Give the estimated cost — on, the caller hears the estimate; off, a specialist follows up with the price.
• Send the welcome email and text after the call.
• Recording, and the notice that tells callers.
• Checking existing customers (Ask the last name), and where Change requests go to.
• Anything else, in plain words — extra instructions, up to 4,000 characters.

4. Knowledge

Frequently asked questions in your words — Import from account brings in your customer FAQ — and Documents such as price sheets, policies and service areas (text files under 200 KB). The AI answers questions only from these and your company's information.

5. Transfers

Who the AI can transfer calls to — people and departments, each with Their direct number and the words callers may use. Add Your main number, turn on Enable Round-Robin Routing to ring salespeople in turn, and choose who gets call-back tasks in Assign Call-Back Tasks To.

6. Switch it on

On Overview, turn on AI receptionist on or off and press Save. The state turns Live — Answering calls now. Call the number yourself to hear it.

If something goes wrong

The Save bar names what's missing, for example Give the receptionist a name., Every question needs an answer., Nobody is set up to take transfers., Keep the greeting under 500 characters. or Every holiday needs a name.