Your AI receptionist answers your calls 24/7. It greets callers, answers questions about your business, books appointments, takes messages, and can connect callers to your team. This guide shows how to create your first receptionist in the web dashboard and what to set up before it takes real calls.
Before you start
You need an active free trial or plan to create a receptionist. Each plan includes a set number of receptionists: Starter includes 1, Growth includes 3, and Business includes 10.
Three ways to create a receptionist
Open Receptionists in the left sidebar to see the AI Receptionists page. You'll find three buttons at the top.
1. Set up from your business (recommended)
This is the fastest way to start. SkipCalls reads your public business information and prepares your receptionist for you.
Click Set up from your business. (If you don't have a receptionist yet, the button says Use your website or Google.)
Choose Website and enter your website address, or choose Google Maps and type your business name and city, then pick your business from the list.
Wait while SkipCalls learns your services, hours, and service area and prepares your business profile and call instructions.
Answer a few quick questions about what the receptionist should help callers with first. Tap a choice or type your own answer.
Try a call right in your browser to hear how your receptionist sounds.
You can leave and come back later. Your progress is saved, and the page will offer to pick up where you left off.
2. Pick Template
Click Pick Template to start from a ready-made receptionist for incoming or outgoing calls. Choose a template, adjust the name and instructions, and click Create Agent.
3. Create New Receptionist
Click Create New Receptionist to start from a blank receptionist. Enter a name and an optional internal description, then click Create Agent. You'll be taken straight to its settings.
Your receptionist's settings
After you create a receptionist, its settings page opens. Changes save automatically while Autosave on is shown at the top. The menu on the left is grouped into sections:
Identity: name, voice, and whether the receptionist is Active or Inactive.
Call Script: greetings, goodbye message, instructions, and call length, with separate tabs for incoming and outgoing calls. See How to Write Effective Receptionist Instructions.
Text & SMS and Email: follow-up texts and email replies.
Settings: call sounds, caller language, spam protection, and the recording notice.
Tools: your Knowledge Base and connected tools.
Transfer: phone numbers your receptionist can connect callers to. See Call Transfer.
Tasks and Scenarios / Skills: what to focus on during calls, and focused rules for specific situations.
Booking: connect a calendar so your receptionist can book appointments. See Calendar Integration.
Embed: a chat or voice widget for your website.
Lead Alert, Data Extraction, and Lead Qualify: what happens after each call.
Testing, History, and Recognition Boost: test calls, a log of changes, and help with names and special words.
Some sections, such as Transfer, Tasks, Booking, and Testing, appear after the receptionist has been created.
What to set up first
Name and voice: in Identity, choose a name and listen to the voices to find one that fits your business.
Greeting: in Call Script, write what the receptionist says when it answers.
Instructions: in Call Script, explain how the receptionist should handle calls.
Business facts: add your hours, services, and policies to your Business Profile, and upload documents such as price lists and FAQs to your Knowledge Base. Your receptionist uses both on every call.
Phone number: assign the receptionist to a phone number so it can answer real calls. See Phone Numbers.
Test your receptionist
Always test before going live. On the receptionist's page, click Talk to followed by your receptionist's name, or open the Testing section. Choose Incoming Call to play the caller, or Outgoing Call to play the customer, and talk to your receptionist using your computer's microphone.
To update an existing receptionist with fresh information from your website or Google listing, click Train from your business on its page.
Using the mobile app
In the SkipCalls mobile app, your first receptionist is created during setup. To change it, open the Settings tab and tap Receptionist Settings on your receptionist's card. To add another receptionist, swipe past your receptionist cards and tap Add receptionist. Adding more than one receptionist requires PRO.
Tips for success
Start simple: give your receptionist one or two clear goals first, then add more as you get comfortable.
Keep facts in one place: put business details in your Business Profile and Knowledge Base, and use the instructions for behavior and tone.
Test after big changes: make a quick test call whenever you change the instructions, greeting, or business details.