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Your AI Receptionist for Chat

This best practice guide is designed to help you successfully set up and manage your AI Receptionist inside your app. With the right foundation, you can start seeing real results—like more captured leads and faster, accurate responses—from day one.

Treat Your AI Like a New Employee​

Your AI Receptionist is smart—but it still needs training. Think of it like onboarding a new team member. You wouldn't expect a new hire to instantly know your services, policies, and tone of voice just by reading your website.

Just like a human employee, your AI Receptionist requires:

  • Training (via instructions and knowledge)
  • Feedback (by reviewing past chats)
  • Ongoing coaching (by updating based on performance)

Step 1: Configure the Basics​

Start in your app’s AI Workforce section and click Configure.

  • Name and Image
    Give your AI a friendly, professional name and photo. Be transparent—make it clear to customers that they’re chatting with an AI.

  • Communication Channels
    Enable Web Chat (default) and optionally turn on SMS.

  • Set Your Goals:

    • Capture Lead Information
      Instructs the AI to ask for contact info like name, phone number, or email. If this is disabled, even if a user provides their info, it will not be saved to your CRM.

    • Book Appointments
      Connect your calendar, and the AI will guide users through scheduling a meeting, offering available time slots, and collecting booking details.

Step 2: Understand Instructions vs Knowledge​

To respond accurately, your AI needs context. There are two tools for this: Instructions and Knowledge.

FeatureWhat It DoesWhen to Use It
InstructionsRules the AI follows every time it respondsFor core behaviors and tone (e.g., “Always collect home address.”)
KnowledgeContent used only when questions are askedFor FAQs, service descriptions, pricing info, policies, and more

You can upload or connect:

  • Business profile information
  • Website pages
  • FAQs and service documents

To manage website content:

  • Go to the Train tab in the AI configuration.
  • Select which pages to include or exclude.
  • If you update your site, revisit this tab and click Refresh.
info

Keep both instructions and knowledge concise. Use clear language and offer examples when possible.

Example instructions using Markdown formatting:

# Services
## We are not licensed plumbers
### If asked, take contact info and suggest a referral

Step 3: Test and Iterate​

Use the Try it button to simulate customer chats. For best results, open the test in an incognito window so it starts with a clean session.

Ask the kinds of questions your real customers might ask, and pay attention to:

  • How the AI responds
  • Whether it gives too much or too little information
  • If it's assuming something you didn’t intend

Then go back and adjust your instructions or knowledge sources as needed.

Step 4: Monitor and Improve​

Regularly review the Inbox and Anonymous Visitors tabs in your app:

  • Review successful chats where contact information was captured
  • Check anonymous conversations to see what people are asking
  • Identify misunderstandings or overly complex responses—these are key areas for improvement

Pro Tip:
When reviewing a conversation, expand the Source material beneath any AI response bubble. This reveals where the AI pulled its information from. If a response was incorrect, you can use this insight to:

  • Refine your instructions
  • Add new knowledge
  • Remove or update outdated knowledge sources

This is like an-app audit of all your online information!

Tips from the Pros​

Set Realistic Expectations​

AI is non-deterministic—that means it may not give the exact same answer every time. That’s not a bug; it’s part of how it adapts to different inputs.

Think of your AI like a helpful teammate, not a fixed script.

Capture What You Know​

You're the expert on your business. Create a simple guide that answers:

  • What services do you offer—and which do you not?
  • What questions do customers ask the most?
  • What information should always be collected?

Use this guide to build your instructions and upload content to your AI knowledge base.

Why It’s Worth It​

Even if the AI doesn’t always respond perfectly, your AI Receptionist can:

  • Capture leads you might have missed
  • Offer 24/7 support across channels
  • Save your team time on manual follow-up

With regular reviews and small improvements, your AI becomes a reliable digital team member—one that knows your services and speaks your language.

Next Steps​

  • ✔ Configure your AI with the basics
  • ✔ Add clear instructions and useful knowledge
  • ✔ Test it by chatting like a customer would
  • ✔ Review conversations weekly
  • ✔ Update and improve as needed