What to Give an AI Receptionist Before It Answers Its First Call
Before an AI receptionist takes a call, give it your services, no-go jobs, area, hours, booking rules, FAQs, handover numbers and a clear AI disclosure.
Before an AI receptionist in Australia answers its first call, give it eight things: your services and the jobs you don't take, your service area, your hours, your booking rules, your FAQs in your own words, handover numbers, an AI disclosure and a call recording notice. Then review real calls in week one.
Why does setup decide how good an AI receptionist is?
The voice and the tech are rarely the problem now. What callers notice is whether it knows your business. Does it know you don't do gas fitting? That you stop at the river? That Saturday slots go first?
An AI receptionist only knows what you give it. A thin setup gives you a polite voice that says "I'll pass that on" to every second question. A full setup gives you something that books jobs. If you are still picking a provider, start with our six questions to ask before you buy an AI receptionist. This post is for after you've picked one.
The AI receptionist setup checklist
Work through this list with the person who answers your phones today. They know the real questions better than anyone.
| Item | What to give it | Done? |
|---|---|---|
| Services | Every service you offer, in the words customers use | [ ] |
| No-go jobs | Jobs you don't take and what to say instead | [ ] |
| Service area | Suburbs or postcodes you cover and where you stop | [ ] |
| Hours | Office hours, job hours, public holidays, after-hours rules | [ ] |
| Booking rules | Job lengths, buffers, who can be booked for what | [ ] |
| FAQs | The questions your team answers every week, with your real answers | [ ] |
| Handover | Who to transfer to and when, plus what to do if nobody picks up | [ ] |
| Disclosure | A line saying it is an AI assistant, plus a call recording notice | [ ] |
Services and the jobs you don't take
List your services the way customers say them, not the way your website does. People ring about a "leaking tap", not "general plumbing maintenance". A dental clinic gets calls about "a chipped tooth", not "restorative care".
Then list the no-go jobs. This is the most skipped item and the one that saves the most time. If you don't do strata work, small repairs under a set size or NDIS claims, say so. Give it a kind line to use, and a referral if you have one.
Service area and hours
Give it a list of suburbs or postcodes, not "Greater Brisbane". Tell it what to do with the edge cases: "Over the bridge we only do jobs above a certain size, so take details and flag for a callback."
For hours, separate office hours from job hours. A clinic may answer calls from 7am but only book from 8am. Add public holidays and your after-hours rule: emergency jobs only, messages only or book the next free slot. Our post on who answers after-hours calls covers the options.
Booking rules
This is where most early mistakes happen. Write down:
- Job lengths: a quote visit is 30 minutes, a new patient consult is 45.
- Buffers: travel time between jobs, clean-up time between patients.
- Who does what: only two techs do switchboard work, only one practitioner sees kids.
- Limits: no more than two quote visits a day, no bookings less than two hours out.
- Confirmation: what text or email goes out after booking, and from whom.
FAQs in your own words
Ask your front desk to keep a tally for a week. Every question, every time. Use the tally to answer the questions callers ask most.
Write the answers the way your best person says them. Short and plain. If the honest answer to "how much is it?" is "it depends, we quote on site", say that, and give the reason. Avoid answers that promise a price you haven't approved.
Handover numbers and rules
Decide when a call must go to a person. Common triggers are an emergency, an upset caller, an existing customer with a problem and anyone who asks for a person. Give a number for each type and a backup if nobody answers.
If the transfer fails, the receptionist should take full details and send them straight to a phone. A text back to the caller saying when they'll hear from you keeps them from ringing the next business, the same idea behind missed call text back.
Do you have to tell callers it's an AI?
We recommend you always do. A short opening line like "Hi, you've reached Smith Electrical, I'm the AI assistant" is honest. In our experience most callers move straight on.
Privacy matters too. If your business is covered by the Privacy Act, the OAIC's guidance on notifying people explains what to tell people when you collect their details. The OAIC also has guidance on using commercially available AI products, which is worth a read before you go live. If calls are recorded, tell callers at the start. Recording rules also differ between states, so check the rules where you operate or get advice.
What should you check in the first week?
Listen to real calls. Not a sample of five. As many as you can in the first week, then a handful each week after that.
- Read every transcript where a caller hung up early. Find what confused them.
- Check every booking against your rules. Wrong length, wrong person, wrong suburb.
- List every question it couldn't answer. Add the good ones to the FAQs.
- Test every handover. Did the person get the details? Did the caller have to repeat themselves?
- Fix, then listen again. Small changes each day add up quickly.
Where Njin fits
We run this checklist with your team, write the setup and connect the receptionist to your calendar and CRM. Then we review real calls with you in week one and keep tuning. Read more about our AI receptionist for Australian service businesses and what goes into the setup.
Common questions
How long does it take to set up an AI receptionist?
Gathering the information usually takes the longest, often a week of collecting real questions. The technical setup is often quicker. Plan for a week of close review once it goes live.
Can an AI receptionist book appointments in my calendar?
Yes, if it is connected to your calendar or booking system. Give it clear rules on job lengths, buffers and who can be booked for what. Without them it will book the wrong slots.
Is it legal to use an AI receptionist in Australia?
Yes. You still need to handle personal information properly and be clear about call recording. Telling callers they are speaking with an AI assistant is the honest approach.
What happens if the AI receptionist can't answer a question?
It should take the caller's details and pass them to a person, with the conversation attached. It should never guess or make up an answer. Add the question to its FAQs so it can answer next time.
Not sure your phones are ready for an AI receptionist? Take the free AI readiness check. Want it set up properly from day one? Book a call.
