Assistant Setup Guide
A detailed breakdown of each field in your Assistant Setup form. Use this guide to ensure your AI Receptionist is perfectly tuned to your business operations and customer service standards.
1. Business Information
The basic facts your assistant needs to answer questions about your business accurately.
Business Name
The official name of your company. If your company name is hard for the AI to pronounce or the AI is getting it wrong, you may need to adjust the spelling.
Tip: HeritageAi was being pronounced "Heritage I", so I adjusted it to "Heritage A.I." and the AI started pronouncing it correctly.
Business Description
A brief summary of what you do. The assistant uses this to explain your business to new callers. Be as descriptive as you like—this is what the AI will tell callers about your business.
Example: "A family-owned plumbing team serving Metro Atlanta since 1998"
Business Hours
Your standard operating hours. The assistant uses this to know when to book appointments versus taking messages.
Example: "Monday-Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm"
Example: "Monday-Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm, Saturday: 9:00am - 12:00pm"
Email Address
The primary contact email for your business. The assistant can provide this to callers who ask to email you.
Website
Your business website URL. The AI can direct customers here for more information.
Street Address, City, State, ZIP Code
The physical address of your business operations. Critical if you want the AI to calculate distances or inform customers where your shop is located.
Service Radius (Miles)
The maximum distance your team will travel for a job. The AI will use this alongside the customer's location to automatically reject jobs that are out of bounds.
Preferred Area Code
When provided, we will attempt to set up your assistant's phone number with this area code. Please note that we cannot guarantee a phone number in the requested area code; availability is strictly limited to the numbers currently provided by our telecom vendor.
How will customers reach your AI? (Routing Strategy)
Defines how calls get to the AI. You can either use the AI as your primary business number, forward missed calls to it, or use it for after-hours only.
Provisioned AI Number
The dedicated phone number our system generates for your AI Receptionist. You will forward your calls to this number.
Timezone
Your local timezone to ensure calendar bookings are synchronized with your local time (e.g., "America/New_York").
2. AI Behavior & Personality
This section defines how your assistant speaks and interacts with your customers.
Assistant Name
The name the AI will use to identify itself to callers.
Voice Profile
Choose the voice that best fits your business. We currently do not support custom voices. However, this may be a future enhancement.
Call Forwarding
Enable this to allow the AI to transfer live calls to you or your staff. (Requires Growth or Elite tier)
Staff Forwarding Number
The default phone number where the AI receptionist will route urgent/emergency calls. This is used as a fallback if a specific Key Contact isn't assigned to the keyword.
Enable Smart Caller Recognition (Memory)
Allows the AI to recognize returning callers by their phone number and remember past interactions to provide a more personalized experience. (Requires Elite tier & Caller ID)
Enable Bilingual Support
Let your assistant talk to callers in both English and Spanish without missing a beat. It automatically detects the caller's language. (Requires Growth or Elite tier)
Preferred Language
Dictates the default language used by the receptionist when first answering the phone. The AI will speak this language in its greeting before evaluating the caller's language.
After-Hours Mode
Enable this to activate the "After-Hours Greeting" feature when a call comes in outside the "Business Hours" you set in the Business Profile.
Profanity Filter
Censors offensive language in transcripts and call logs to keep your dashboard clean.
Humor Protocol
Toggle this on to give your AI permission to use lighthearted quips and tasteful jokes during casual conversation.
Default Greeting
The very first sentence your assistant says when picking up the phone.
Example: "Thank you for calling Heritage Plumbing. My name is Alex, how can I help you today?"
After-Hours Greeting
This message is played ONLY IF After-Hours Mode is enabled, the call comes in outside your configured Business Hours (or during a Lunch Break), AND the AI needs to take a message or transfer the call.
Example: "Thank you for calling Joe's Plumbing. We are closed for the day, but I am your AI assistant and I am here to help you. How can I help you today?"
End Call Message
The final message the AI will say to conclude the conversation before it automatically hangs up the call.
Example: "Thanks for calling Joe's Plumbing! Have a great day."
Additional Instructions
This field is where you give your assistant its "personality" and specific rules. Think of this as the "Employee Handbook" for your AI assistant. You can tell it how to handle specific situations, what to focus on, or even give it a specific "voice" (e.g., "friendly and conversational" or "short and professional").
Example: "Be very friendly and empathetic to customers who have plumbing emergencies."
Example: "Always mention that we have been in business for over 20 years."
Example: "If someone asks for Joe, tell them he's out on a job but you can help them."
Tip: The more detail you provide here, the better your assistant will perform. Don't be afraid to be very specific!
Tip: You can use this field to tell the AI how to handle things like referrals, specific service areas, or even common objections from customers.
3. Service Information
This section is where you tell the AI exactly what your business does and what it costs.
Service Name
The name of the trade or task (e.g., "Deck Design", "New HVAC Installation", "Siding Replacement").
Description
A detailed description of what the service includes. The assistant uses this to answer questions like "What exactly do you do?".
Price
A specific price or a range to help the assistant set expectations with callers.
Example: "$99"
Example: "$100 - $500"
Tip: The AI will only include prices if the customer requests them. You can change when the AI mentions pricing by updating the "Additional Instructions" field.
Tip: The AI is strictly prohibited from attempting to negotiate prices with callers under any circumstances.
Diagnostic Fee
The cost to assess an issue before quoting the full repair price. This can represent a trip charge, an hourly time charge, or a flat diagnostic fee.
Pricing Depends on Setup
Check this box if the price depends on the job site or what you find when you get there.
Requires On-Site Visit
Check this box if an in-person assessment is required to provide an accurate estimate.
Qualifying Questions
Specific questions the AI should ask the caller about this service before booking or taking a message.
Example: "Is the water heater gas or electric?"
Example: "How long has the issue been occurring?"
4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Equip your assistant with the answers to common questions your customers ask.
Question
A common question callers ask.
Example: "Do you offer free estimates?"
Example: "Are you licensed and insured?"
Answer
The factual answer the AI should provide to the customer.
Example: "No, we charge a $99 diagnostic fee which is waived if you proceed with the repair."
Example: "Yes, we are fully licensed and carry a $2M liability insurance policy."
5. Payment Options
Let customers know how they can pay you (e.g., Cash, Checks, Credit/Debit Cards, and Financing).
Invoice Terms
This defines when a customer must pay their bill, for example "Net 30" or "Due upon completion".
6. Scheduling Logic
Connect your assistant to your Google calendar so it can book jobs for you automatically.
Appointment Types
The specific categories of meetings you allow (e.g., "Estimate", "Repair"), including their default duration and whether they require an on-site visit.
Buffer Time
How much "cleanup" or travel time you need between jobs.
Example: "30 minutes"
Example: "1 hour"
Lunch Break
A daily blocked-out period where the assistant will never schedule an appointment. If After-Hours Mode is enabled, the After-Hours Greeting will be used during this time.
Example: "12:00pm - 1:00pm"
Cancellation Policy
When filled in, the AI will include this policy when an appointment is scheduled.
7. Urgency & Routing
Define which calls are too important for an AI to handle and must be transferred immediately.
Urgency Keywords
Specific words that tell the AI to escalate the call or take a special action.
Example: "broken", "not working", "leak", "emergency"
Action to Take
Choose whether the AI should 'Transfer Call To' a specific role, or execute a 'Custom Instruction' (like routing a message email to a founder).
Target Role
(If transferring) The exact role from your Key Contacts list that the AI should transfer the call to.
Custom Instruction
(If custom action) A free-form instruction explaining what the AI should do. Note: Checked by our system to make sure the assistant actually has the tools to do what you're asking.
Example: "Take a message and email it to the Founder"
Example: "Transfer the call to the Lead Technician"
8. Key Contacts
The authorized people within your business that the assistant can notify or transfer calls to.
Name & Role
The person's name and their title (e.g., "Joe Smith, Founder"). The role is heavily used by the AI to dynamically route calls and emails.
Phone & Email
The contact information used for internal transfers and instant message notifications.
9. VIP Whitelist
Define specific phone numbers that will completely bypass the AI receptionist. Use this to ensure personal calls from family members, spouses, children's schools, or close friends ring straight through to your device without the AI interfering. (Starter tier is limited to a maximum of 5 numbers).
VIP Name
The name of the person or entity (e.g., "Wife", "Kid's School").
Phone Number
The exact phone number of the VIP. When a call comes in from this number, the AI is immediately disabled and the call is forwarded straight to your personal device.
10. Revision History
A secure log of changes you've made to your assistant's configuration. Easily view exactly what changed and instantly revert mistakes.
View Diffs
Click "View Diffs" on any previous version to open a detailed comparison window. It dynamically isolates and highlights the exact fields, instructions, or list items (like specific FAQs or Services) that differ from your active setup.
Restore Version (Rollback)
If a recent change isn't working out, click "Restore Version" inside the diff viewer to immediately revert your live assistant back to that exact historical snapshot. Note: This is an instant action. It automatically overwrites your settings and redeploys the assistant without requiring you to click save. (Requires Elite tier)
Action Buttons
Controls to manage assistant deployment and live environment simulation.
Save & Deploy Assistant
This will save your configuration to our system and set up your assistant to start receiving calls.
Test Assistant
This button is only available after your assistant has been deployed. It lets you use your computer's microphone to make a test call and hear exactly how your assistant sounds and responds. When using this feature, please be aware that while the assistant may attempt to transfer a call based on your rules, actual call transfers can only occur phone-to-phone, not during a web-based test.
Tip: It is highly recommended that you test your assistant, especially if you included a lot of instructions in the "Additional Instructions" field.
Tip: When you test your assistant, you will be able to see the conversation in the "Call Log" section of the dashboard.
Tip: Make sure the assistant is pronouncing your business name correctly, greetings are working as expected, and that the assistant is able to answer questions about your business.
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