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Call Scenarios: guide your receptionist through specific situations

Use Call Scenarios to teach your AI receptionist how to handle pricing questions, booking requests, complaints, memberships, and other specific caller situations.

Written by Nikita Podelenko

Call Scenarios: guide your receptionist through specific situations

Call Scenarios help your AI receptionist handle special call situations the same way your team would.

Instead of writing every rule into one long instruction box, you can create a separate guide for each situation. For example, you can have one scenario for pricing questions, another for booking requests, another for complaints, and another for membership cancellations.

Creating or changing Call Scenarios requires a custom plan. If you are not on a custom plan, you may still see the section in receptionist settings, but scenario creation and editing will be locked.

When to use Call Scenarios

Use a Call Scenario when the receptionist needs to follow a specific process for a certain kind of caller.

Do not use Call Scenarios just to split one simple job into many small pieces. If your receptionist has one clear goal, keep the main receptionist instructions simple. Too many tiny scenarios can make the receptionist less confident about which path to follow.

Good examples:

  • A caller asks for pricing, an estimate, or a quote.

  • A caller wants to book, reschedule, or cancel an appointment.

  • A customer is upset and needs a careful response.

  • A member wants to cancel, pause, or update their membership.

  • A delivery driver, employee, or vendor calls and should be routed differently.

  • A caller asks about a policy that has exceptions.

You usually do not need a scenario for simple facts such as your address, regular hours, or a short list of services. Those can stay in your business profile or knowledge base.

How it works during a call

  1. You create a scenario inside the receptionist settings.

  2. You write when that scenario should be used.

  3. You write what the receptionist should do in that situation.

  4. When a caller matches that situation, the receptionist uses the right guide.

  5. If no scenario fits, the receptionist continues normally.

The caller does not see your scenario names or setup notes. They only hear the receptionist's natural response.

The three fields

Scenario name

Use a short name your team will recognize.

Examples:

  • Pricing and quotes

  • Membership cancellations

  • Angry customer or complaint

  • Booking a wash package

  • Vendor or delivery call

Use this when

Write one simple sentence that describes the caller's situation. This helps the receptionist decide whether the scenario applies.

Examples:

  • Caller asks for price, cost, estimate, quote, or package options.

  • Caller wants to cancel, pause, or ask about a membership.

  • Caller is upset about service quality, damage, billing, or a bad experience.

  • Caller wants to book, reschedule, or ask what times are available.

What should the receptionist do?

Write the steps you want the receptionist to follow. Plain text is fine. Short sections and bullet points work well.

Include:

  • What to say first.

  • What information to collect.

  • What not to promise.

  • When to transfer, take a message, or ask your team to follow up.

  • Any exceptions or edge cases.

Template: pricing or quote request

Scenario name: Pricing and quotes

Use this when: Caller asks for price, cost, estimate, quote, or package options.

What should the receptionist do?

  • First, ask what service or package the caller is interested in.

  • If pricing depends on vehicle size, job size, location, or condition, collect those details before giving a range.

  • If exact pricing requires a team member, say: "I can collect the details and have someone send you an accurate quote."

  • Collect name, phone number, preferred contact method, and any details needed for the quote.

  • Do not promise discounts or final pricing unless it is listed here.

Template: booking or scheduling

Scenario name: Booking requests

Use this when: Caller wants to book, reschedule, cancel, or ask what times are available.

What should the receptionist do?

  • Ask what service they want to book.

  • Ask for their preferred day and time.

  • Collect name, phone number, and any required appointment details.

  • If the calendar is connected, check availability and offer matching times.

  • If the calendar is not connected or the request needs approval, take the details and say the team will confirm.

Template: complaint or unhappy customer

Scenario name: Complaint or issue

Use this when: Caller is upset about service quality, damage, billing, wait time, or a bad experience.

What should the receptionist do?

  • Start by acknowledging the issue: "I'm sorry that happened. I can take the details and make sure the right person sees this."

  • Collect the caller's name, phone number, date of visit or appointment, and what happened.

  • Ask what outcome they are hoping for.

  • Do not admit fault, promise refunds, or promise compensation unless your policy says to do so.

  • If the caller is very upset, offer to have a manager call them back.

Template: membership change or cancellation

Scenario name: Membership cancellations

Use this when: Caller wants to cancel, pause, update, or ask about a membership.

What should the receptionist do?

  • Ask whether they want to cancel, pause, update payment, or ask a question.

  • Collect the member's name, phone number, email, and any account details your team needs.

  • Explain the next step clearly, such as: "I'll send this to our membership team so they can review the account and follow up."

  • Do not promise the cancellation is complete unless your business allows the receptionist to complete it during the call.

  • If there is a required notice period or policy, include it here.

Tips for better scenarios

  • Keep each scenario focused on one situation.

  • Start with the most common caller problems first.

  • Use the same words callers use, such as "price," "quote," "cancel," "refund," or "book."

  • Write the exact first response when tone matters.

  • Add clear limits: what the receptionist can promise and what needs human follow-up.

  • Turn on only the scenarios you are ready to test.

Draft vs active

A draft scenario stays saved but is not used during calls. Turn on "Active during calls" when you are ready for the receptionist to use it.

You can also reorder scenarios. Put the most important or most common scenarios first.

Need help setting them up?

If your business has many policies or call types, send us your documents or describe the call situations you want covered. We can help turn them into clean scenarios for your receptionist.

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