Setting Up Your AI Receptionist

The Receptionist page is where you configure everything about how your AI answers calls. It is organized into two tabs: Configure and Notifications. The Configure tab shows a completion tracker ("Completed X/Y") so you can see your setup progress at a glance.

Video walkthrough

Accessing the Setup Page

Click Receptionist in the sidebar under AI Workers. The Configure tab opens by default.

How the Configure Page Is Organized

Settings are grouped into collapsible sections. Click any item to expand it and make changes. Each item has a badge indicating its importance:

  • Required -- Must be completed for basic functionality
  • Recommended -- Strongly suggested for a good caller experience
  • Optional -- Nice to have but not essential
  • Advanced -- For power users and developer integrations
  • Enabled -- Already active on your account

The completion tracker at the top of the Configure tab counts how many items you have filled in out of the total available. It excludes Advanced Settings from the count.

Basic Settings

These are the foundational settings for your receptionist.

Greeting Phrase

The opening line your receptionist uses when answering the phone. For example: "Thank you for calling Acme Plumbing, how can I help you today?"

Custom Commands

Customize the prompts that guide your AI receptionist's behavior. You can set separate prompts for voice calls and text conversations.

Business Information

Provide the information your receptionist needs to answer caller questions. You can add content in three ways:

  • Plain text
  • A website URL (the AI will read the page)
  • Upload documents

Common Questions

Add frequently asked questions and their answers. Your receptionist references these when callers ask similar questions.

Languages

Make your receptionist multilingual. Select which languages it should support.

Choose Voice

Select the voice your AI receptionist uses when speaking to callers. Browse featured voices and pick one that fits your brand.

In-Call Actions

These settings control what your receptionist can do during a live call.

Transfer Call

Set up rules for when and how your receptionist should transfer calls to a real person. You define the scenario (e.g., "caller asks for the manager") and the phone number to transfer to. You can listen to a sample audio clip demonstrating how the AI handles call transfers.

Send Text Message

Your receptionist can text the caller during the call -- useful for sending links, menus, appointment confirmations, or any information that is easier to read than hear. A sample audio clip is available to hear how this works.

Collect Information (Intake Form)

Set up forms that your receptionist fills out by asking the caller questions during the call. For example, collecting a name, email, and reason for calling. Responses are stored and available in your intake form logs. A sample audio clip demonstrates this feature.

Schedule an Appointment

Connect your calendar so your receptionist can book appointments in real time during the call. This integrates with your calendar provider for live availability checking.

After-Call Actions

These settings control what happens after a call ends.

Send a Text to Caller

If a caller hangs up on your receptionist, automatically send them a follow-up text message to re-engage them. Your texting AI continues the conversation over text.

Smart Call Analysis

AI-powered summaries and outcomes are generated automatically after each call. This is enabled by default.

Developer Automations

For technical users who want to connect Frontdesk to other systems.

API Integration

Your receptionist can make real-time API requests during a phone call -- retrieving or submitting information to your systems while the caller is on the line.

Zapier Integration

Connect your AI receptionist to 6,000+ apps through Zapier. Automate workflows that trigger after each call.

Custom Webhook

Send call data to your own webhook endpoint after each call for custom processing.

Advanced Settings

Additional controls including extension digits, call recording preferences, and other fine-tuning options.

Notifications Tab

Switch to the Notifications tab to configure how you are notified about calls, texts, and voicemails. This tab is labeled as "Recommended" to encourage you to set it up.

Completion Tracking

The Configure tab header shows Completed X/Y where:

  • X = the number of items you have configured
  • Y = the total number of configurable items (excluding Advanced Settings)

Items count as completed when they have content. For example:

  • Greeting Phrase is complete when you have set a greeting
  • Business Information is complete when you have added at least one knowledge source
  • Transfer Call is complete when you have at least one call transfer workflow
  • Send Text Message is complete when you have at least one texting workflow
  • Languages is complete when you have selected a voice and languages

Work through each section until your completion count is maximized. You can always come back and adjust settings later.

Next Steps