This guide covers how to configure an AI Receptionist for inbound calls during business hours. The agent answers calls, responds to common questions from your Knowledge Base, and routes callers to the right team based on what they say.
User level: Admin
This article covers the during-hours setup specifically. For a general overview of the AI Receptionist template, see VoiceAgent templates: AI Receptionist.
Before you start
To set up a During Hours AI Receptionist, make sure you have:
An active AI Receptionist or AI Specialist package on your account
Admin access to the CloudTalk Dashboard
A clear idea of which teams or groups callers should be routed to
Configuring During Hours AI Receptionist
Step 1: Set up your agent profile
In VoiceAgents > Agents, click + New VoiceAgent and select the Receptionist type.
Setting | Notes |
Name | Appears in call logs and analytics. |
Language | Select your primary language. Add secondary languages if needed; the agent detects the caller's language automatically. If you configure more than one, define language handling in your goal prompt. |
Voice | Preview options in the dashboard before choosing. |
Greeting | What the agent says when it picks up. Keep it brief and let callers know they're speaking with an AI. |
Example greeting:
Hey there, thanks for calling [Your Company]! I'm [Agent Name], your AI receptionist.
Quick note, many things are faster through our chat at [website]. Otherwise, just tell me what's on your mind.
Step 2: Configure VoiceAgent skills
Skills define what the agent can do during a call. Each skill adds a specific capability (answering questions, transferring to a human, capturing data, or taking a message). You configure which skills are active and how each one behaves. For more details, see VoiceAgent Skills.
Answer Questions (recommended)
Answer Questions is a fallback behaviour setting, not a routing skill. It tells the agent what to do when it cannot find an answer in the Knowledge Base. Callers always get a next step, even when the agent cannot find an answer.
Set the fallback to Hand over to a person so callers are not left without a next step. If using a Custom template, add to your goal prompt: "Only answer from the knowledge base. Do not guess."
Transfer to Human (recommended)
Transfer to Human offers two options. Choose based on whether you need a fallback for unanswered transfers. Callers reach the right team without having to repeat themselves.
Option A: Transfer to Human (Agent/Group)
Transfer to Human passes full conversation context to the receiving agent. Use this when agents are reliably available during business hours.
Enable transfer verification to confirm the routing destination with the caller before connecting
Include caller name, AI-generated summary, and any custom fields so the agent has context before picking up
Transfer rule | Destination |
Caller asks about [Topic A] or requests [Team A] | Group > [Team A] |
Caller asks to speak to a live agent | Group > [General Support] |
The agent does not check if agents are available before transferring. If you need a fallback for unanswered transfers, use Option B instead.
Option B: Transfer to Call Flow
Use this when you need a fallback branch (voicemail, external redirect) for unanswered transfers, or when you want to route based on data extracted during the call.
Configure a fallback branch in Call Flow Designer to handle unanswered calls
For advanced routing (e.g. by customer tier), use the Extract Information skill to capture data during the call, then use a Condition Splitter in Call Flow Designer
The Context Card is only shown to agents receiving a direct transfer to an Agent or Group. It does not appear when the call is routed to a Call Flow.
Extract Information (recommended)
Extract Information skill captures structured data from the call and sends it to your CRM via webhook. Your team has full context on every call before they follow up.
Property name | Type | Instruction for AI |
| Text | "Summarize the key points of the call and how it was resolved in one to two sentences." |
| Text | "Extract primary reason for calling. Use "" if not clearly stated." |
| Yes/No | "Set to Yes if the call was transferred to a human agent. Default: No." |
| Yes/No | "Set to Yes if the AI resolved the call without a transfer. Default: No." |
Property names are case-sensitive. Do not rename them after setup, as they're used to send data to your CRM.
Test webhook output on several real calls before connecting your production CRM.
If you use custom fields for advanced routing, add the same fields here so data is exported after the call.
Take a Message (optional)
Use this when the AI cannot answer and no transfer is configured. Take a Message skill captures the caller's name and message automatically. No caller leaves without their details being recorded for follow-up.
This skill does not offer message-taking on its own. You need to add a Scenario that explicitly triggers it.
Confirmation message:
Got it, I've noted your details. Someone from our team will be in touch as soon as possible.
Do not use Take a Message as a fallback for unanswered transfers. Use Transfer to Call Flow with a fallback branch for that.
Step 3: Build your Knowledge Base
The agent only answers from the documents you upload. It will not use external knowledge or guess. For a full guide on setting up your Knowledge Base, see Knowledge Base for VoiceAgents.
One source of truth per topic. If pricing appears in multiple documents, consolidate them. Conflicting information produces inconsistent answers.
Structured content. Use Q&A format or short paragraphs. Avoid pasting entire policy documents or terms and conditions.
Keep it current. Outdated information causes wrong answers. Update documents when things change.
Scope it to what callers ask. Focus on the questions that come up most often on calls.
File limits: 21MB per file. Accepted formats:
.pdf,.txt,.docx,.html,.epub. You can also add URLs pointing to FAQs or public help content.
Adding more documents does not improve the agent. A smaller, well-structured Knowledge Base performs better than a large, inconsistent one. After launch, listen to call recordings to find gaps and fix them.
Step 4: Set up scenarios
Scenarios define how the agent handles situations its normal behaviour cannot resolve.
Trigger | Response | Action |
Caller says goodbye or has no more questions | "You're welcome! Have a great rest of your day. Goodbye!" | Hangup |
Caller idle 15+ seconds | "I haven't heard anything, are you still there? Feel free to call back anytime." | Hangup |
Caller asks to speak to a human (catch-all, no transfer rule triggered) | "Of course, let me connect you with the team now." | Transfer |
Topic is outside the Knowledge Base | "That's a bit outside what I can help with. Let me connect you with the team." | Transfer |
Caller asks if they're speaking to a human | "I'm an AI assistant for [Company]. How can I help?" | Response only |
Step 5: Connect to your call flow
Connect the agent to your phone number so it handles inbound calls.
During-hours and after-hours agents are separate agents. Use a Time Router to route calls to the correct agent based on business hours. For after-hours configuration, see VoiceAgent templates: After Hours AI Receptionist.
Pattern A: AI handles every call
All inbound calls go to the agent first. Use this if you want the agent to act as the main contact point before any agent's phone rings.
All inbound calls
→ Time Router
→ AI Voice Agent → [Your Receptionist Agent]
→ Call ends
→ Transfer → Group → [Destination Team]
Pattern B: Agents first, AI as overflow
Calls ring your team first. If unanswered after 20–30 seconds, the agent picks up. Use this if your team wants to take calls directly but needs coverage during busy periods.
All inbound calls
→ [Agent Group] (rings for 20–30 seconds)
→ Unanswered → AI Voice Agent → [Your Receptionist Agent]
→ Call ends
Set your Time Router to your exact business hours and test both branches before going live.
Always add a fallback branch after any transfer step.
Use Transfer to Call Flow rather than Transfer to Group if you need a fallback when no one answers.
FAQs
How do I handle after-hours calls?
Configure a separate After Hours AI Receptionist agent and use a Time Router in Call Flow Designer to route calls to it outside business hours. See VoiceAgent templates: After Hours AI Receptionist.
The agent transferred to the wrong team. How do I fix it?
Review your Transfer to Human rules. Refine the conditions to be more specific, or add rules for topics that are being misrouted.
Can I route calls based on customer tier or account type?
Yes. Use Transfer to Call Flow with the Extract Information skill to capture the relevant data point during the call, then use a Condition Splitter in Call Flow Designer to route based on that value.
Can the agent book appointments? Not through a calendar integration at this time. You can use the Send SMS tool to send the caller a booking link so they can schedule asynchronously.
What happens if no agent is available when a transfer is triggered?
The agent does not check availability before transferring. Use Transfer to Call Flow and configure a fallback branch (voicemail or external redirect) to handle unanswered transfers.
Need help or have a question? Just reach out through our Support portal — we’re here for you.