Getting ready for an AI receptionist
An AI receptionist only knows what it’s told. Twenty minutes with a notepad now saves a lot of “sorry, I’ll get him to ring you” later.
The short answer
Write down what a good apprentice would need to answer your phone: what you do, where, when, for how much, and which calls can’t wait.
Then decide when it answers, set up the forwarding on your phone, and ring it yourself before a customer does.
What to write down
- The jobs you do, and the ones you don’t, so it can say no nicely
- The suburbs you cover, and the ones you won’t drive to
- Your hours, and the days you’re off
- The prices you’re happy for it to give, word for word, and any call-out fee
- What counts as an emergency for you, and what can wait until morning
- How long a typical job takes, and the gap you need between jobs
- Which calendar or job app the bookings should land in
Decide when it answers
Some tradies want the phone to ring them first, and the assistant only picks up when they don’t. Others want it to answer every call, so they’re never interrupted on a job.
Plenty do both: ring me first during the day, answer everything after knock-off. Pick one to start. It’s easy to change.
Set up the forwarding
Get the assistant’s number
It’s the number your calls get forwarded to.
Pick the kind of forwarding
All of them, or just the ones you miss.
Dial your phone company’s code
Telstra, Optus and Vodafone each have their own. Our forwarding page has them.
Ring yourself from another phone
Check it rings the way you expect.
Test it like a customer
Ring it with a routine job
Does it ask the right questions and offer a sensible time?
Ring it with an emergency
Does the text reach you, and would you notice it at 2am?
Ask it something awkward
A suburb you don’t cover, or a job you don’t do. Does it handle it nicely?
Text it
If it answers texts too, check the reply reads like your business.
Your first week
Read every conversation for the first few days. You’ll spot the questions customers ask that you forgot to write down.
Fix the wording as you go. Small changes early beat a long list of complaints later.
With ours, you text us what to change and we do it. You never open a settings screen.
Getting ready questions
Should I tell my regular customers?
You can, but you don’t have to. A good one tells every caller it’s your assistant, and regulars can still ring you back.
Will I need a new number?
No. Keep your own and forward calls to the assistant.
How long does setup take?
With us, a few days. We have a chat with you, set it up, test it with you, then switch it on.
What if I forget something?
It says it doesn’t know, takes the caller’s details and you ring them back. Then add the answer.
This phone is answered.
Ring us on the number below, or email. Either way, a human gets back to you.
0468 075 000Or email hello@offsitemate.com.au