vcita AI Receptionist

What is AI Receptionist?

AI Receptionist is an app that helps when you can’t get to the phone. The app talks to your callers in a friendly, natural way, gathers the details you need, and helps you stay on top of every opportunity. You can stay focused on your work, knowing AI Receptionist is always there to take care of your calls.

Install AI Receptionist

Once it’s installed, you’ll be automatically taken to your AI Receptionist dashboard.

To install AI Receptionist:

1. Open the platform.
2. Click App Market.
3. Select the AI Receptionist app.
4. Click Install app.
5. Click Open app.
6. Click the Allow Access.

Claim a Phone Number

To get started with AI Receptionist, you’ll need a phone number to forward your calls to. You can claim a free number using the Calls & Texting app, available right in the App Market.

To claim a phone number:

1. Open the platform
2. Click App Market.
3. Click Calls & Texting.
4. Click Install app.
5. Click Open app.
6. Choose a staff member.
7. Add their phone number.
8. Optional: Enable two-way texting.
9. Click Claim Number to get a new number.

Forward Calls to Your Number

To let AI Receptionist handle your missed calls, set up call forwarding through your phone carrier. Most carriers use a quick star-code to do this. Once it’s set up, test it by calling your number from another phone.

Find your carrier and dial the star-code to set up call forwarding. If you can't find your carrier or need assistance, feel free to contact us or schedule a call with an expert:

• AT&T
• Ring Central
• T-Mobile
• Verizon
• Xfinity

Start AI Receptionist Free Trial

The AI Receptionist is a smart, third-party app from AI Receptionist that answers your missed or forwarded calls using friendly, natural conversations powered by your own business information.

To start AI Receptionist free trial:

1. Open the platform.
2. Click App Market.
3. Click AI Receptionist.
4. Click Install app.
5. Click Start Free Trial.
6. Click Allow Access.

Navigate the Dashboard

Now that the AI Receptionist app is installed and call forwarding is set up, you’re all set to explore your dashboard.

Here's what you'll see:

• New Calls – Shows how many calls you’ve missed.
• Unhandled Leads – Indicates how many leads still need a follow-up.
• New Voice Messages – Tells you how many voicemail messages were left.
• Tags – Categorizes what each customer was calling about

To review a customer interaction:

• Click on the customer’s name to open the full conversation transcript, including the call recording.

On the bottom right of the dashboard, you'll find quick access to:

• Contact AI Receptionist Support – Send an email to the support team.
• Schedule a Call – Book time with an expert for help.
• Visit the Help Center – Browse support articles and FAQs.

How Call Routing Works

The platform uses a streamlined technical process to ensure the AI Receptionist manages your calls whenever you are unavailable. While the app provides you with a dedicated Voice Number, you can continue using your existing business number as your primary contact point for customers. To integrate your current number with the AI service, follow these steps:

1. The client calls your existing business number.
2. Your business number forwards the call to a dedicated number provided by the platform. This process uses Conditional Call Forwarding (CCF) or Unconditional Call Forwarding based on your carrier settings, such as AT&T or Verizon.
3. The call reaches the staff or the AI Receptionist according to the specific settings you defined in the app.

Adjusting Ring Time Before Voicemail

Most major carriers set a default ring duration of 15 to 20 seconds, which is about 3 to 4 rings. You can usually extend this up to 30 seconds, or about 6 rings, to ensure the AI Receptionist has enough time to pick up. Here is how to do it based on your provider:

T-Mobile / Mint Mobile (Dialer Code)

T-Mobile allows you to change this directly from your phone's dial pad using a GSM star code:

1. Open your phone keypad.
2. Dial: 61*1805637724330# and press Call.
3. The 30 at the end sets the ring duration to 30 seconds. You can use increments of 5, such as 15, 20, 25, or 30.

AT&T

AT&T gives you two main options:

• Online/App: Log into your AT&T account, go to Manage Voicemail & Features, and select Set Number of Rings Before Voicemail.
• Customer Support: Call 611 from your cell phone and ask customer service to increase your call forwarding delay or ring time before voicemail to 30 seconds.

Verizon

Verizon does not have a self-serve code for this. You must call their support team directly:

1. Call 611 (or 1-800-922-0204) from your phone.
2. Ask the representative to "extend the ring time before call forwarding to voicemail." Depending on the network switch in your region, they can typically increase it up to 30 or 40 seconds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is my personal voicemail answering calls instead of the AI Receptionist?

This usually happens because your carrier's voicemail is set to answer faster than the AI service. You must increase the ring-time delay on your phone or disable your carrier voicemail entirely. Depending on your provider, follow these steps:

1. T-Mobile / Mint Mobile: Open your phone keypad and dial 61*1805637724330# then press Call. The 30 at the end sets the duration to 30 seconds.
2. AT&T: Log into your account online to find Set Number of Rings Before Voicemail under Manage Voicemail & Features, or call 611 to request a 30-second delay.
3. Verizon: Call 611 and ask a representative to "extend the ring time before call forwarding to voicemail" to 30 or 40 seconds.

Q: I use Ooma. How can I set up the AI Receptionist to work with it?

To ensure the AI Receptionist connects correctly when you miss a call, you must adjust your Ooma ring settings. Log in to your Ooma account and locate the voicemail ring-time delay settings. Set the Ooma voicemail delay to a longer duration than the AI Receptionist activation time, or disable the Ooma voicemail entirely. If your Ooma voicemail picks up before the AI Receptionist has enough time to activate, your standard voicemail will answer the call first.

Q: Where can I find the transcripts of the calls the AI answered?

You can find all transcripts by opening the platform and navigating to the AI Receptionist dashboard. Click on a customer's name to view the full text and listen to the recording.

Q: Do I need a new phone number to use this service?

The platform provides a dedicated number for the AI Receptionist to use. You then forward your existing business calls to this new number so the AI can manage them when you are unavailable.

Q: How do I know which calls need my immediate attention?

The dashboard features an "Unhandled Leads" section. This area highlights potential customers who interacted with the AI but still require a manual follow-up from your team.

Q: What information does the AI Receptionist provide about my calls?

The dashboard categorizes your calls using "Tags" to show what each customer was calling about. It also tracks the number of missed calls, unhandled leads, and new voice messages left by callers.