Set up an AI receptionist around the way your business actually handles calls. Voicy can be configured with your business information, FAQs, qualification questions, routing rules, scheduling workflow, and existing phone setup.
Try VoicyAn AI receptionist should not answer every company's phone the same way. A plumbing company, law firm, dental office, contractor, and real estate agency all receive different questions and need different information from callers.
Voicy is configured around your business before it starts handling customer calls. That includes what the receptionist should know, what questions it should ask, which callers can book appointments, when calls should be transferred, and what should happen when the AI does not have an approved answer.
The exact setup depends on the business, but a typical Voicy implementation follows these stages:
The goal is to give the receptionist enough business context and clear rules to handle the calls you want it to manage.
Company name, services, locations, business hours, service areas, and other approved information callers commonly ask about.
Answers to common caller questions so the receptionist can respond using information approved by your business.
Questions and criteria used to collect the information your business needs from prospective customers.
Booking requirements and supported calendar workflows for callers who should be offered an appointment.
Rules for deciding which calls should reach a person, follow another workflow, or be captured for follow-up.
Different instructions can be used when your team is unavailable, including booking, message capture, and configured priority-call workflows.
The receptionist needs a reliable source of business information. During setup, the relevant information about your company and call-handling process is organized into the knowledge and instructions the AI uses during conversations.
That can include information already available on your website as well as details about services, business hours, service areas, frequently asked questions, qualification requirements, scheduling rules, and other information your callers need.
The goal is not to let the AI guess. If information is important to a caller, it should be part of the approved business knowledge or handled through a defined alternative workflow.
For many businesses, answering the phone is only useful if the receptionist also collects the information needed to understand the opportunity. During setup, you can define the questions that matter before a caller is booked, transferred, or sent for follow-up.
That might include the service requested, caller location, project details, timing, customer status, or other criteria specific to your business. Learn more about AI lead qualification.
If you want callers to schedule appointments during the conversation, the booking workflow needs to reflect how your business actually manages its calendar. That can include appointment types, qualification requirements, scheduling boundaries, and the availability exposed through a supported connected calendar.
Once the workflow is configured, eligible callers can potentially move from an initial phone inquiry to a booked appointment without waiting for someone on your team to call them back. See how AI appointment scheduling works.
Some calls should be handled by the AI, while others should reach a person. During setup, your business can define the conditions that determine which configured call path should be followed.
Voicy can collect information before applying those rules, allowing the workflow to distinguish between different caller needs instead of simply forwarding every call. Learn more about AI call routing and transfers.
The configuration can reflect the decisions your receptionist or front desk would normally make during an incoming call.
Define the business information the receptionist can use when responding to common customer questions.
Specify the information that should be collected from different types of callers.
Set qualification requirements or call conditions that should be met before entering a scheduling workflow.
Define the call types and circumstances that should follow a configured live-transfer or escalation path.
Use a different workflow for evenings, weekends, or other periods when your regular staff is unavailable.
Keep medical, legal, safety, financial, or other professional judgments with the qualified people responsible for those decisions.
The usefulness of an AI receptionist depends heavily on whether it understands the business and has clear instructions for different caller situations.
| Capability | Generic Setup | Voicy Business Setup |
|---|---|---|
| Knows business-specific information | Limited | Uses configured business knowledge |
| Answers company FAQs | Limited | Uses approved answers |
| Asks custom qualification questions | Usually limited | Yes |
| Follows business-specific booking rules | Usually limited | Can when scheduling is configured |
| Uses custom routing rules | Usually limited | Can follow configured workflows |
| Handles after-hours calls differently | Limited | Can follow after-hours rules |
| Connects with supported business tools | Varies | Can through supported integrations |
Usually, yes. Most businesses do not need to replace the phone number customers already know. Calls can be forwarded or routed from the existing business number to a Voicy-powered receptionist.
The exact phone configuration depends on the current phone system and how the business wants Voicy to handle calls. For example, Voicy may handle all incoming calls or only certain situations such as after-hours or overflow coverage.
Some businesses need the receptionist to do more than answer questions. Appointment availability may come from a calendar, lead information may need to enter a CRM workflow, or call data may need to trigger another automation.
Supported CRMs, calendars, APIs, webhooks, and automation workflows can be connected based on the customer's requirements. Learn more about Voicy AI receptionist integrations.
Setup time depends on the complexity of the business, the number of call flows, the information the receptionist needs, and any integrations required.
For most customers, Voicy can be live within about 48 hours after the qualification call. More complex integrations or custom workflows may require additional setup time.
Before relying on an AI receptionist for real customers, the important call paths should behave the way the business expects. Testing can cover common questions, lead qualification, appointment requests, routing logic, after-hours scenarios, and situations where the receptionist should defer to a person.
The objective is not to predict every sentence a future caller might say. It is to make sure the receptionist has the right knowledge, boundaries, and next-step rules for the situations that matter to the business.
Business information does not stay frozen forever. Hours change, services change, teams change, qualification questions evolve, and scheduling or routing workflows may need to be adjusted.
The AI receptionist configuration can be updated as the business's approved information and call-handling requirements change.
Once the receptionist is configured, the same system can answer incoming calls, use your business knowledge, collect lead information, schedule eligible callers, follow routing rules, and continue answering when your regular team is unavailable.
Explore the broader Voicy AI receptionist or see how after-hours AI answering works.
Try Voicy's live AI receptionist, then schedule a qualification call to discuss how the receptionist could be configured for your business.
Try VoicyCall the 24/7 demo line and talk to Voicy's AI receptionist live — exactly what your customers would experience. If it's a good fit, she'll schedule a qualification call with our team.
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