Skip to main content

​
AI Receptionist

The AI Receptionist is Crew’s flagship voice agent that handles inbound calls with human-like conversation. It answers calls, understands caller intent, provides information, books appointments, and routes calls—all without human intervention.

​
What It Does

The AI Receptionist can:
  • Answer calls instantly — No hold times, 24/7 availability
  • Understand natural speech — Handle accents, interruptions, and complex requests
  • Provide information — Answer questions from your knowledge base
  • Book appointments — Integrate with calendars to schedule in real-time
  • Route calls — Transfer to the right person or department
  • Collect information — Gather caller details for follow-up
  • Handle multiple calls — Scale to hundreds of simultaneous calls

​
Quick Start

1

Create an Agent

Navigate to your Crew and create a new Voice Agent
2

Configure Persona

Set the agent’s name, voice, and personality
3

Add Knowledge

Populate the knowledge base with FAQs and business information
4

Connect Phone Number

Link a Twilio or RingCentral number to the agent
5

Test and Launch

Place test calls, refine responses, and go live

​
Configuration

​
Basic Settings

{
  "name": "Sarah",
  "type": "voice",
  "voice": "nova",
  "language": "en-US",
  "greeting": "Thank you for calling Acme Medical. This is Sarah, how can I help you today?",
  "business_hours": {
    "timezone": "America/New_York",
    "schedule": {
      "monday": { "start": "09:00", "end": "17:00" },
      "tuesday": { "start": "09:00", "end": "17:00" },
      "wednesday": { "start": "09:00", "end": "17:00" },
      "thursday": { "start": "09:00", "end": "17:00" },
      "friday": { "start": "09:00", "end": "17:00" }
    }
  }
}

​
Voice Options

VoiceDescriptionBest For
novaWarm, professional femaleHealthcare, professional services
echoClear, confident maleLegal, financial services
alloyNeutral, approachableGeneral business
shimmerFriendly, energetic femaleRetail, hospitality

​
Greeting Customization

Customize the initial greeting based on context: 
// Time-based greeting
if (currentHour < 12) {
  greeting = "Good morning, thank you for calling...";
} else if (currentHour < 17) {
  greeting = "Good afternoon, thank you for calling...";
} else {
  greeting = "Good evening, thank you for calling...";
}

// After-hours greeting
if (!isBusinessHours) {
  greeting = "Thank you for calling after hours. I can still help you with...";
}

​
Core Capabilities

​
Intent Recognition

The receptionist identifies caller intent automatically:
IntentExample PhrasesAction
Schedule”I need an appointment”Start booking flow
Question”What are your hours?”Search knowledge base
Transfer”Can I speak to Dr. Smith?”Route call
Emergency”This is urgent”Escalate immediately
Cancel”Cancel my appointment”Lookup and cancel

​
Appointment Booking

Integrate with calendar systems for real-time scheduling: 
{
  "calendar_integration": "google_calendar",
  "calendar_id": "appointments@yourdomain.com",
  "slot_duration": 30,
  "buffer_time": 15,
  "booking_window_days": 30
}
The agent will:
  1. Check availability in real-time
  2. Offer available slots to the caller
  3. Confirm the selected time
  4. Create the calendar event
  5. Send confirmation (SMS or email)

​
Call Routing

Route calls to humans when needed: 
{
  "routing_rules": [
    {
      "condition": "intent == 'billing'",
      "destination": "+1234567890",
      "type": "warm_transfer"
    },
    {
      "condition": "intent == 'emergency'",
      "destination": "+1987654321",
      "type": "immediate"
    },
    {
      "condition": "caller_requests_human",
      "destination": "reception_queue",
      "type": "warm_transfer"
    }
  ]
}

​
Performance Metrics

Track receptionist performance in the dashboard:
MetricDescription
Answer RatePercentage of calls answered
Resolution RateCalls resolved without transfer
Average Handle TimeDuration of calls
Appointment ConversionCalls that result in bookings
CSATCaller satisfaction score

​
After-Hours Handling

Configure behavior outside business hours:
The agent provides the same service 24/7—answering questions, booking appointments, and collecting messages.
After hours, the agent only collects messages and promises callback during business hours.
Outside business hours, send callers directly to voicemail.
After hours, only handle emergencies and route to on-call staff.

​
Industry Use Cases

​
Healthcare

  • Patient appointment scheduling
  • Prescription refill requests
  • Insurance verification
  • After-hours triage routing
  • Client intake
  • Appointment scheduling
  • Case status inquiries
  • Document request handling

​
Home Services

  • Service appointment booking
  • Quote requests
  • Emergency dispatch
  • Follow-up scheduling

​
Professional Services

  • Client scheduling
  • General inquiries
  • Lead qualification
  • Meeting coordination

​
Best Practices

Always inform callers they are speaking with an AI assistant. Transparency builds trust.
  • Set clear expectations — Tell callers what the AI can and cannot do
  • Provide human fallback — Always offer a path to reach a person
  • Keep knowledge current — Update information as your business changes
  • Review transcripts — Regularly audit calls to improve performance
  • Test regularly — Place test calls to verify behavior

​
Troubleshooting

​
Callers hang up quickly

  • Greeting may be too long—shorten it
  • Voice may not match expectations—try different voice
  • Initial response time may be slow—check latency

​
Agent gives wrong information

  • Check knowledge base accuracy
  • Verify information priority
  • Test specific questions in simulator

​
Calls not being answered

  • Verify phone number configuration
  • Check Twilio/RingCentral connection
  • Confirm agent is assigned to the number

​
Next Steps