Guide
What to give an AI receptionist before its first customer call
A business-information worksheet for greetings, service limits and booking rules.
Use approved facts, not a website dump
Your website may contain old hours, promotional prices and broad service claims. Before using it to configure an answering service, create a short approved brief and assign someone to maintain it.
Start with the business name, pronunciation, opening hours, service territory and callback number. Include the time zone. Record when the brief was last checked and who can approve changes.
Complete the operational worksheet
| Area | Information to supply | Boundary to define |
|---|---|---|
| Services | Work you accept and work you decline | No invented service offerings |
| Prices | Approved fee wording, if any | No repair estimate without the required assessment |
| Appointments | Job types, duration and availability source | Request versus confirmed booking |
| Existing customers | How the office identifies a current job | No unnecessary account disclosure |
| Escalation | Employee route and backup | What happens if neither answers |
| Follow-up | Queue owner and coverage window | No callback promise outside staffed coverage |
Keep customer-specific information out of a general training brief. Test using fictional records before granting access to production systems.
Write answers for the awkward questions
Prepare approved responses for “Can you come right now?”, “What will the repair cost?” and “I already spoke to someone.” An honest response can collect the request and explain the next step without making an unsupported promise.
Have office staff review the wording aloud. If they would not be allowed to give that answer themselves, it should not become an automated response.
Keep changes traceable
Record changes to fees, hours, territory and escalation contacts. Retest the affected scenarios after each change and keep a copy of the previous brief so you can restore it. Use the demo checklist and integration checklist before enabling customer-facing booking.
Prepared by Contractor Software HQ. Documentation research and editorial guidance; not a hands-on product test. Prices and features change — verify on the vendor's site before you buy.