​

Creating Voice Assistants

​

Before You Begin

• The primary purpose of your voice assistant (customer support, appointment booking, etc.)
• The types of inquiries it will handle
• Whether you need to integrate with existing phone systems
• The voice and language preferences appropriate for your audience

​

Creating a New Voice Assistant

​

Step 1: Initiate Creation

1. Navigate to the Assistants section in the sidebar
2. Click the + Create Assistant button
3. Select Voice as the assistant type
4. Click Continue

​

Step 2: Basic Configuration

1. Name: Give your assistant a descriptive name (e.g., “Phone Support Assistant”)
2. Description: Add a brief description of the assistant’s purpose
3. Language: Choose the primary language for your assistant

​

Step 3: Voice Model Configuration

1. Voice Selection:
   • Choose from multiple voice options (gender, accent, tone)
   • Listen to voice samples
   • Adjust speaking rate and pitch if needed
2. Speech Recognition:
   • Select speech recognition model
   • Configure dialect settings (if applicable)
   • Set noise tolerance level

​

Step 4: AI Model Configuration

1. Instructions: Write detailed instructions for how your assistant should handle calls:
   • Define its role and purpose
   • Specify how to greet callers
   • Set conversation guidelines
   • Determine when to transfer to a human
2. Model: Select the AI model to power your assistant
   • GPT-4: Best for complex, nuanced conversations
   • GPT-3.5: Good for straightforward inquiries
3. Temperature: Adjust the creativity level (0.0-1.0)
   • Lower values: More consistent, predictable responses
   • Higher values: More varied, conversational responses

You are a phone support assistant for Acme Inc., answering customer calls about our products and services.

When answering calls:
1. Greet the caller politely: "Thank you for calling Acme Inc. This is Alex, your virtual assistant. How can I help you today?"
2. Listen carefully to their inquiry
3. Provide clear, concise answers
4. Speak in a natural, conversational tone
5. Use simple language and avoid jargon

You can help with:
- Product information and pricing
- Order status inquiries (if customer provides order number)
- Store locations and hours
- Basic troubleshooting for common product issues
- Scheduling appointments with sales representatives

If a caller asks about order status:
- Ask for their order number
- Only provide information if they can verify the order number
- If they don't have the order number, offer to transfer them to a representative

Transfer the call to a human representative when:
- The caller explicitly requests to speak with a human
- The inquiry is too complex for you to handle
- The caller seems frustrated or upset
- After three attempts to understand an unclear request
- For billing disputes or account-specific issues

When transferring a call:
1. Inform the caller: "I'll connect you with a representative who can better assist you. Please hold for a moment."
2. Summarize the conversation for the agent who will take the call

Always maintain a professional, helpful demeanor and speak at a moderate pace with clear pronunciation.

​

Step 5: Knowledge Base Connection

1. Click the Knowledge tab in the setup wizard
2. Select files from your Knowledge Base to associate with this assistant
3. Adjust the knowledge retrieval settings:
   • Relevance Threshold: Set how closely content must match (0.0-1.0)
   • Number of References: How many knowledge snippets to include

​

Step 6: Call Handling

1. Greeting Message: Set the initial message spoken when answering calls
2. Call Flow:
   • Linear: Follow a specific conversation path
   • Open-ended: Allow natural conversation flow
   • IVR-style: Offer menu options to callers
3. Call Duration: Set maximum call length (optional)
4. Silence Handling: Configure how to respond to silence or unclear speech
5. Background Music: Add hold music if desired

​

Step 7: Human Transfer

1. Transfer Triggers:
   • Explicit request from caller
   • Specific keywords or phrases
   • Call complexity threshold
   • Number of misunderstandings
   • Call duration
2. Transfer Settings:
   • Forward number configuration
   • Agent availability rules
   • Queue behavior
   • Voicemail options
3. Transfer Message: Customize what the assistant says when transferring

​

Step 8: Advanced Settings

1. Call Recording: Enable/disable recording of calls
2. Transcription: Configure automatic transcription of calls
3. Sentiment Analysis: Enable real-time analysis of caller sentiment
4. Custom DTMF Handling: Configure responses to keypad inputs
5. Post-Call Survey: Set up satisfaction surveys after calls

​

Step 9: Finalize Creation

1. Review all settings across the different tabs
2. Click Create Assistant to save your configuration
3. You’ll be redirected to the assistant details page

​

Setting Up Phone Number

1. Navigate to the Channels tab on your assistant’s page
2. Click + Add Channel and select Phone Number
3. Choose how to obtain a number:
   • Get New Number: Purchase a new number from available options
   • Use Existing Number: Forward an existing number to our system
   • SIP Integration: Connect via SIP to your existing phone system
4. If getting a new number:
   • Select your preferred country code
   • Choose from available numbers
   • Select number type (local, toll-free, etc.)
5. Complete the setup and associate the number with your assistant

​

Testing Your Voice Assistant

1. On the assistant details page, click the Test tab
2. Use the test call feature to simulate a phone call
3. Speak naturally and test different scenarios
4. Verify that knowledge retrieval works correctly
5. Test the transfer functionality if configured

​

Best Practices for Voice Assistants

​

Voice-Specific Instructions

• Emphasize natural conversational flow
• Include phonetic spellings for unusual words or brand names
• Keep sentences shorter than in written communication
• Avoid complex structures that may be difficult to follow when spoken

​

Voice Selection

• Choose a voice that represents your brand personality
• Consider your audience’s preferences and expectations
• Test the voice with actual content for natural flow
• Adjust speaking rate to match your typical caller expectations

​

Call Flow Design

• Begin with a clear, welcoming greeting
• For first-time callers, briefly explain that they’re speaking to an AI
• Design for conversation branches based on common inquiries
• Plan for interruptions and topic changes
• Create natural-sounding transitions between topics

​

Error Handling

• Develop specific responses for misunderstandings
• Create recovery paths when the assistant can’t help
• Configure clear transfer messaging
• Prepare for background noise and poor connections

​

Troubleshooting

​

Next Steps