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Basic settings define who your agent is and how it talks on each call.
From here you choose the voice type, greetings, skills, main prompt, and the context fields the agent can use. On this page:

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What basic settings control

Basic settings answer questions like:
  • How does this agent sound and introduce itself?
  • What can it do during a call (schedule, route, call back, search, etc.)?
  • What instructions and examples guide its behavior (the prompt)?
  • What information about the caller or business can it reference (call context)?
These choices apply whether the agent is used:
  • On an inbound number (after‑hours, main line, support, etc.), or
  • In an outbound campaign (sales, reminders, follow‑ups).

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Voice type

Voice Type lets you choose the general voice category for the agent, e.g.:
  • Male
  • Female
This selection works together with the voice you pick elsewhere (in the agent or voices feature). Think of it as choosing the type of speaker your agent should be. Use cases:
  • Match your existing brand voice (e.g., “Our support line is always a calm female voice.”)
  • Differentiate agents (e.g., sales vs. support) with different voice types
You can change this later without affecting any campaigns or numbers already using the agent.

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Initial and voicemail messages

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Initial message

The Initial Message is what your agent says at the very start of a call. Examples:
  • Inbound support:
    “Hi, this is the virtual assistant for {your_company}. How can I help you today?”
  • Outbound sales:
    “Hi {first_name}, this is an automated assistant calling on behalf of {your_company}. Do you have a quick minute?”
This message should:
  • Clearly say who is calling
  • Briefly explain why they’re calling
  • Invite the caller to respond
You can use variables (like `{first_name}`) that come from Call Context or your CRM.

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Voicemail message

If the agent reaches voicemail or needs to leave a recorded message, it uses the Voicemail Message. Example:
“Hi {first_name}, this is an automated assistant from {your_company}. I wanted to share a quick update. I’ll follow up shortly, or you can call us back whenever it’s convenient.”
Keep this:
  • Short
  • Clear about who called and what to do next

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Skills

Choose Skills defines what your agent is allowed to do during a call. In the UI you’ll see options such as:
  • Appointment Scheduling
  • Call Routing
  • Call Back Later
  • Knowledge Search
  • Switch Communication
You can think of skills as capabilities you toggle on or off. Examples:
  • After‑hours agent:
    • Appointment Scheduling, Call Routing, Call Back Later
  • Outbound sales agent:
    • Call Back Later, Knowledge Search (for FAQs), maybe Appointment Scheduling
If a skill is not enabled, the agent will avoid flows that depend on it.

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Agent prompt

The Agent Prompt is the main set of instructions that shapes how your agent speaks and behaves. In the UI you have:
  • A dropdown to select from saved prompts (if you have any)
  • A Generate Prompt button to help build a prompt template
  • A text area where you can write or edit your prompt
  • An Add variable button to insert context variables like `{first_name}`
A typical prompt might include:
  • The agent’s role/persona
    “You are an AI outreach agent for {your_company}…”
  • Tone and style
    “Be friendly, concise, and professional…”
  • What the agent should do
    “Qualify the caller and, if appropriate, book an appointment or schedule a follow‑up…”
  • Guardrails
    “If unsure, ask a clarifying question. Do not discuss topics outside of {your_company}’s services…”
  • How to handle transfers, callbacks, etc. (if relevant)
The prompt and the skills work together:
  • Skills = what the system will allow the agent to do
  • Prompt = how and when the agent chooses to use those skills

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Call context fields

Call Context fields are pieces of information about the caller or the situation that your agent can reference in conversation. You’ll see them in a panel on the right with fields like:
  • first_name
  • test (or any custom field you define)
  • Potentially others (e.g., business_name, industry, etc.)
Each context field can be used as a variable inside:
  • Initial & voicemail messages
  • The agent prompt
  • Other message templates

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How variables work

If you have a context field called first_name, you can use it like this: Hi {first_name}, this is the virtual assistant from {your_company}. At call time:
  • If first_name is available (from your CRM, campaign, or manual input), the agent will say “Hi Alex…”.
  • If it’s missing, the agent will typically fall back to a more generic phrasing, depending on your prompt and system defaults.
Typical uses for context:
  • Personalization: `{first_name}`, `{business_name}`, `{appointment_date}`
  • Segmentation: industry, plan_type, etc., which you can reference in the prompt to change behavior.

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Test Call Agent

Test Call Agent lets you try your agent in a real call before connecting it to campaigns or inbound numbers. When you click Test Call Agent, you’ll see a dialog with:
  • Caller Number – Which of your numbers will be shown as the caller ID.
  • Receiver Number – The phone number you want to call (often your own mobile).
  • VM Detection – How voicemail detection is handled (e.g., Off or enabled).
  • Do not call detection – Optional protection so you avoid calling numbers on a DNC list.
  • HIPAA Compliant – Optional setting for healthcare/compliance‑sensitive scenarios.
Then:
  1. Choose a Caller Number you own or have linked.
  2. Enter your mobile or test number as the Receiver Number.
  3. Adjust VM detection / compliance settings as needed.
  4. Click Make Call.
Use this to:
  • Hear your Initial Message and Voicemail Message in context.
  • Verify that your skills and prompt produce the behavior you expect.
  • Confirm that variables from Call Context (like `{first_name}`) are being read correctly when they’re available.

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Suggested starting configurations

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Inbound after‑hours agent

  • Voice type: Friendly, neutral (Male or Female)
  • Initial message:
    “Hi, this is the after‑hours assistant for {your_company}. How can I help you today?”
  • Voicemail message:
    “It looks like I missed you. I’ll pass your details to the team at {your_company} and they’ll follow up.”
  • Skills: Appointment Scheduling, Call Routing, Call Back Later
  • Prompt: Focus on capturing contact information, reason for calling, and preferred follow‑up.

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Outbound sales rep agent

  • Voice type: Energetic, confident
  • Initial message:
    “Hi {first_name}, this is an automated assistant calling on behalf of {your_company}. Do you have a quick minute?”
  • Voicemail message:
    Short, clear call‑back invitation using `{first_name}` and `{your_company}`.
  • Skills: Call Back Later, Knowledge Search (for FAQs), Appointment Scheduling (if you book meetings).
  • Prompt: Focus on qualifying interest, handling common objections, and booking next steps.

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Where to go next