How to Teach Your AI Receptionist: Best Practices
Your AI receptionist works best when each type of information is placed in the right part of SkipCalls. Short call rules belong in Instructions, common business facts belong in Business Profile, large documents belong in Knowledge Base, and special call flows can go in Call Scenarios if you are on an Enterprise plan.
Choose the right place for each kind of information
Use this guide when deciding where to teach your receptionist something new.
What you want to add | Best place | Examples |
Short behavior rules | Receptionist Instructions | Tone, what to collect, what not to promise, how to handle a short edge case |
Basic business facts | Business Profile | Hours, services, service area, pricing basics, payment methods, policies |
Large documents | Knowledge Base | Menus, product catalogs, manuals, long FAQs, employee handbooks, policies |
Specific caller situations | Call Scenarios (Enterprise only) | Pricing requests, complaints, booking requests, vendors, membership cancellations |
Live handoff rules | Call Transfer | Transfer sales calls to sales, urgent calls to the owner, billing questions to billing |
Use Instructions for short behavior rules
Instructions are read directly by your receptionist during calls. Use them for rules that should always be followed.
Good examples:
Ask every new lead what service they need, what city they are in, and whether the request is urgent.
Do not quote final prices over the phone. Collect job details and tell the caller a team member will follow up.
If the caller says goodbye, say goodbye once and end the call.
For roof leaks, ask whether water is actively entering the home.
Keep Instructions direct and practical. Write what the receptionist should do, not a long background story about your business.
Use Business Profile for common facts
Business Profile is best for structured question-and-answer information. It helps the receptionist answer common caller questions without making your main Instructions too long.
Good examples:
What services do you offer?
What areas do you serve?
What are your hours?
Do you offer emergency service?
What payment methods do you accept?
Write answers the way you want them said to callers. Short, clear answers usually work better than long paragraphs.
Use Knowledge Base for bigger content
Knowledge Base is for information that is too long for Instructions or Business Profile. It is useful when the receptionist may need to search a larger document during the call.
Good examples:
A restaurant menu.
A detailed services catalog.
A long FAQ document.
Company policies or procedures.
Product descriptions and specifications.
If the information is only a few sentences, put it in Instructions or Business Profile instead. Short information is more reliable when the receptionist can read it directly.
Use Call Scenarios for special situations (Enterprise only)
Call Scenarios are available for Enterprise customers. They are helpful when one type of caller needs a different process from normal calls.
Examples:
Pricing request: collect job type, location, timeline, and photos if needed.
Complaint: apologize, collect details, avoid admitting fault, and send it to a manager.
Booking request: ask service type, preferred date, and contact details before confirming next steps.
Vendor call: collect company name, reason for calling, and who they are trying to reach.
Keep each scenario focused on one situation. Too many tiny scenarios can make the receptionist less confident about which path to follow.
Use Call Transfer when callers should speak to a real person
If your receptionist should connect callers to someone live, set up Call Transfer. On the web dashboard, you can add multiple transfer numbers with labels and descriptions, such as sales, support, or owner. The receptionist uses the description to decide which number fits the caller's request.
For example:
sales — use when the caller asks about pricing, estimates, or buying.
support — use when an existing customer has a problem.
owner — use only for urgent issues or callers who ask for the owner by name.
Writing tips
Be specific. "Ask for the roof age and leak location" is better than "qualify the lead."
Use caller language. Write words callers actually say, such as price, quote, book, cancel, refund, or emergency.
Set limits. Tell the receptionist what not to promise, such as exact prices, refunds, legal advice, or guaranteed arrival times.
Keep facts consistent. Do not put one price in Instructions and a different price in Business Profile.
Start with your top call types. Teach the receptionist the calls you receive most often before adding rare edge cases.
Test after changes. Place a test call and ask the exact question a real caller would ask.
Example setup for a roofing business
Receptionist Instructions:
Be warm and professional. For new roofing leads, ask what service they need, the property address or service area, whether there is active leaking, and the best callback number. Do not promise final pricing or exact arrival time.
Business Profile:
Services: roof repair, inspections, replacements, storm damage, leak repair.
Service area: list your cities or counties.
Hours: your normal office hours and emergency availability.
Enterprise Call Scenario:
Use when the caller reports an active roof leak. Ask whether water is currently entering the home, what room is affected, whether they can safely contain it, and whether they need emergency follow-up.
When to ask SkipCalls for help
If you are not sure where something belongs, send support the rule, document, or call example you want handled. We can help turn it into clean Instructions, Business Profile answers, Knowledge Base content, or Enterprise Call Scenarios.