AivahHelp CenterGo to Aivah
⌘K

No guide matches that yet.

Try a shorter phrase, such as “voice”, “website” or “billing”. Or ask the Aivah guide, which answers from these guides.

Contact support →
Recipes3 min read

Recipe: AI phone receptionist

An AI employee that answers every call on your number, handles common questions and takes messages, with every call logged.

By the end of this guideHave an employee answering your phone line around the clock, with every call and transcript in Insights.

Who this guide is for

Front desks, agencies, local services, hospitality and any business that misses calls

Last reviewed 17 October 2026
On this page
  1. Before you start
  2. Steps
  3. 1. Hire from the Front desk template
  4. 2. Connect your number
  5. 3. Write the call prompt
  6. 4. Call it yourself
  7. 5. Read your calls
  8. Good to know
  9. Troubleshooting
  10. Next steps

Never miss a call again. Your employee picks up on your own number and answers the questions callers ask most. When someone needs your team, it takes a message.

Before you start

  • A Twilio account (the phone service your number runs on), with your phone number and Elastic SIP Trunking.
  • Your opening hours, services, prices and the questions callers ask most.
  • A plan with voice calls (Starter and up).

Steps

1. Hire from the Front desk template

Open Employees → Hire employee → Templates and choose Front desk. Add your opening hours, services and FAQs as knowledge, so it can answer them on your website and in chat. On the phone, it answers from the call prompt you write in step 3.

2. Connect your number

Open Deploy → Phone numbers → Connect a number. Choose the Model (the AI that writes its replies) and the Voice. Enter your Phone number and your Twilio SIP details. The Twilio setup guide shows where to find each value. See Set up a phone number.

3. Write the call prompt

Choose Front desk as the Call persona, then adjust the Call prompt. The call prompt is what your employee knows and does on calls. Cover the greeting, the facts callers ask for and how it takes a message:

Receptionist call prompt
Greet callers with "Thanks for calling [business name], how can I help?". Answer questions about our opening hours, services, prices and location using these facts: [your hours, services, prices and address]. If someone wants to book, change an appointment or speak to a person, take their name, phone number and reason for calling, confirm them back, and tell them our team will call back within [time]. Keep answers short and friendly, and never give medical, legal or financial advice.

Copying doesn’t change anything in your workspace.

Choose Save and connect.

4. Call it yourself

Call your number from your mobile. Ask about opening hours, ask a price and ask to speak to someone. Check the answers, the voice and the message it takes.

5. Read your calls

Open Insights → Call history to see every call, with a transcript where available. Call back anyone who left a message.

Good to know

Your employee answers incoming calls on the number you connect. Start with after-hours calls. Once you're happy, add daytime overflow too.

Troubleshooting

  • The number won't connect: compare each value with the Fields tab of the Twilio setup guide.
  • Callers hear the wrong voice: change the Voice in the phone settings.
  • It doesn't take messages properly: spell out exactly which details to collect in the call prompt.

Next steps

Put the same employee on your website with the website support recipe.

Last reviewed 17 October 2026

Keep going