If you run a small business in Bloomington-Normal, you may have wondered: "Could an AI handle my phone?" It can be a real help. But the AI is only as good as the setup behind it. A receptionist that hasn't been told what your business does, what to ask or where to send the message can leave callers more confused than voicemail would.
Whether you work with us or set something up yourself, here are five things to settle before an AI answers a single call for your business.
1. The greeting: say who you are, and say it's an AI
The first few seconds set the tone. A good greeting does three things:
- Names your business the way you say it out loud. "Sample Plumbing Co.," not a web address or a legal name.
- Tells the caller they're talking to an AI. Pretending otherwise costs trust.
- Says the call is recorded, if it is.
Ours sounds like this: "Thanks for calling Sample Plumbing Co. You're speaking with an AI assistant, and this call is recorded. How can I help?" It's plain, it's honest, and the caller knows where they stand before they say a word.
Decide on the tone too. For example, a salon and an insurance office probably shouldn't sound the same. Warm and friendly, polished and professional, or laid-back: pick the one that sounds like you.
2. The questions: what you need to call someone back
Think about the last few calls you returned. What did you wish you'd known before you dialed?
For most small businesses, the list is short:
- The caller's name
- A good callback number
- What they need, in their own words
- The service address, if you go to them
- The best time to reach them
Some trades need one or two more, like the make of the furnace or the kind of appointment. Keep it short. Every extra question is one more thing a caller sits through. If you wouldn't ask it on the phone yourself, the AI probably shouldn't either.
3. Where the message goes
An AI receptionist is only useful if the message reaches you in a way you'll actually see. Pick one place and stick with it. For us, that's an email to you with the caller's details and what they asked for.
A few things to decide:
- Which email address? The one you check, not the one you set up years ago and forgot.
- Who else should see it? A spouse who handles scheduling, or an office manager.
- What counts as urgent for you? Write down what "urgent" means for your business and how you want those calls handled. And for anything life-threatening, the receptionist should always tell callers to hang up and call 911.
4. What it should never say
This is the step most people skip, and it's the one that protects your reputation. Write down the things your receptionist should not do:
- Prices. Do you want it to share prices or ranges, or say you'll follow up? Either is fine. Just decide on purpose.
- Promises. It shouldn't commit to arrival times, warranties or anything you haven't approved.
- Jobs you don't do. If you don't work on commercial buildings or don't take new patients, say so, so it can turn those callers away kindly.
- Advice. It shouldn't diagnose a leak over the phone or give legal, medical or money advice.
It should answer common questions only from information you've given it and approved: your hours, the area you serve and the services you offer. When it doesn't know, it should say so and take a message.
5. How you'll test it, and keep checking it
Never let an AI talk to your customers before you've heard it yourself. Before it goes live:
- Call it. Ask the questions your customers really ask, including the odd ones.
- Try to trip it up. Ask for a price it shouldn't give, or about a job you don't do.
- Read the messages it sends you. Are they clear enough to act on?
After it's live, keep checking. AI can make mistakes. Read a few call notes each week, and change the script when something sounds off. This is the part of the work we handle for our clients: we write the script from their answers, test it with real calls, and nothing goes live until they approve it. After that, we review calls and tune it every month.
Hear one for yourself
If you'd like to hear what this sounds like, call our demo line at (309) 928-1238 (our AI answers; calls recorded). You'll reach the front desk of a sample shop, not a real business, so ask it anything.
You can read how we handle call information in our privacy policy. If you're ready to set up your own, our setup form asks about these same things. Fill in what you know, skip the rest, and we'll help with the parts you're unsure about. Nothing goes live until you've approved it.