AI Receptionist · How it worksby Tactly
From the first ring to your inbox
Here is exactly what a caller hears, what the receptionist is allowed to do, and what lands in your email once the call ends.
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One call, start to finish
- Your line rings outNo answer after your ring time, so the call forwards0:00
- Greeting and noticeYour greeting, plus a note that this is a virtual assistant0:05
- Booked: Tuesday 2:30 pmCalendar confirmed the slot before the caller heard yes1:40
- Summary emailedCaller, reason, outcome and full transcriptDone
During the call
What the caller experiences
A clear introduction
The call opens with your greeting and a short notice that the caller is talking to a virtual assistant and that the call may be recorded. If your greeting leaves that out, the notice is added for you.
Answers from what you wrote
Hours, service area, what you do and do not offer: it answers from your knowledge base and notes. It does not guess at prices, availability or promises you never gave it.
A useful next step
Most calls end one of three ways: an appointment on your calendar, a message with a confirmed callback number, or a transfer to someone on your team during business hours.
Emergencies sent the right way
A caller describing an emergency is told to hang up and dial 911. The receptionist is there for your business, not for a crisis.
After the call
What you get
An email for every call
Who called, why, and how it ended, with the full transcript underneath so you can read the exact words.
Calls next to your other leads
Each call also appears in your 1Digital account alongside your form fills and chats, so nothing lives in a separate inbox.
Bookings already on the calendar
A booked call needs no follow-up to confirm. The receptionist only tells a caller they are booked after your calendar accepts the time.
Protection from runaway bills
Calls are capped per day and per caller. Once a limit is reached, calls ring through as they would without the receptionist.
Step by step
Setting it up
- 1
Write the greeting and notes
Tell it your name, hours, services and anything callers usually ask. Plain sentences are fine.
- 2
Pick when it answers
Missed calls and after hours, after hours only, missed calls only, or every call. Set your hours and how long your phone rings first.
- 3
Test call, then go live
Call it yourself for free, listen, adjust your notes, then switch answering on and forward your line.
Hear it answer
Listen to Tactly take a call
Example calls in Tactly's voice, with a sample voice playing the caller. Under each one is the summary the owner gets by email.
Plumbing · 0:26
Books a repair
Brightline Plumbing
A caller with a leaking water heater booked a visit for Thursday at 9 a.m. The summary and full transcript were emailed to the owner.
Read the transcript
- Tactly: Thanks for calling Brightline Plumbing. I'm the virtual assistant, and this call may be recorded. How can I help?
- Caller: Hi, yeah, my water heater's leaking. Is there any way someone can come out this week?
- Tactly: I'm sorry to hear that. I have Thursday at 9 or Friday at 1. Which works better?
- Caller: Oh, Thursday at 9 works. Thanks.
- Tactly: You're booked for Thursday at 9. We'll see you then.
HVAC · 0:41
Repair booking
Northwind Heating and Air
Paula Reyes called because her furnace is blowing cold air. She booked a no-heat repair for tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. at 41 Linden Court.
Read the transcript
- Tactly: Thanks for calling Northwind Heating and Air. I'm the virtual assistant, and this call may be recorded. How can I help?
- Caller: Hi, yeah, our furnace is blowing cold air, and it's getting pretty chilly in here.
- Tactly: Sorry about that. I can get a technician out to you. May I have your name and address?
- Caller: Sure, it's Paula Reyes, at 41 Linden Court.
- Tactly: Thanks, Paula. I have tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. or 1 p.m. Which works better?
- Caller: Oh, 8:30. The earlier the better, honestly.
- Tactly: You're booked for tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. at 41 Linden Court. The technician will see you then.
Law firm · 0:34
Transfer to a person
Calder and Voss Law
A new caller was in a car accident yesterday and has a sore neck. They are looking for a lawyer and were transferred to Dana in Intake.
Read the transcript
- Tactly: Thank you for calling Calder and Voss Law. I'm the virtual assistant, and this call may be recorded. How can I help?
- Caller: Hi. So, I was in a car accident yesterday, and I think I need a lawyer.
- Tactly: I'm sorry that happened. Is anyone hurt and in need of help right now?
- Caller: No, no, I'm home now. My neck's just sore, that's all.
- Tactly: Thank you. Dana in Intake handles new cases. Would you like me to connect you to her now?
- Caller: Yes, please, that would be great.
- Tactly: Connecting you to Dana now. One moment.
Cleaning · 0:42
Price question
Sparrow Home Cleaning
Dev Patel asked about a move-out clean for a three-bedroom house at the end of the month. He was told move-out cleans start at $250 up to two bedrooms and booked a walkthrough for Friday at 10 a.m.
Read the transcript
- Tactly: Good morning, Sparrow Home Cleaning. I'm the virtual assistant, and this call may be recorded. How can I help?
- Caller: Hi, so I'm moving out of a three-bedroom house at the end of the month, and I was wondering how much a move-out clean is.
- Tactly: Move-out cleans start at $250 for homes up to two bedrooms. For three bedrooms or more, the team does a quick walkthrough first so the quote is exact. Would you like to book one?
- Caller: Yeah, sure. Could we do Friday?
- Tactly: Friday at 10 a.m. is open. Can I take your name?
- Caller: Yeah, it's Dev. Dev Patel.
- Tactly: You're all set, Dev. Friday at 10 a.m. for the walkthrough.
Bakery · 0:35
A question it can't answer
Larkspur Bakery
Amy asked whether the bakery ships birthday cakes to another state, for her sister in Ohio. That was not in your notes, so she left a message for a call back.
Read the transcript
- Tactly: Hi, thanks for calling Larkspur Bakery. I'm the virtual assistant, and this call may be recorded. How can I help?
- Caller: Hi! Quick question. Do you ship birthday cakes out of state? It's for my sister in Ohio.
- Tactly: I don't have that information, and I'd rather not guess. I can have the owner call you back with an answer. Would that help?
- Caller: Yeah, that's fine. It's Amy, at 555 0163.
- Tactly: That's Amy at 555 0163. The owner will call you back about shipping a cake to Ohio.
More sample calls, with transcripts and downloads, on Tactly.ai ›
Get AI Receptionist
Try it free first
7 days free on Tactly
Sign up on tactly.ai, pick a plan and the receptionist answers your calls the same day. The trial includes 30 answered minutes, with a card on file and nothing charged until it ends. Cancel anytime.
- ›Your existing number stays: unanswered calls forward to the receptionist.
- ›Change the greeting or notes any time from your account.
- ›Same knowledge base as your website's AI chatbot, if you have one.
Already a 1Digital or WorkspaceCMS client?
Add it from Add-ons in your client portal or your WorkspaceCMS dashboard instead of starting a new trial, so it stays on the same account and bill.
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Common questions
How does it know what to say?
What if I want it to answer every call, not just missed ones?
How long does my phone ring before it picks up?
Can I hear it before callers do?
Where do the call summaries go?
Explore the AI Receptionist
See how it fits your business
Try it live: call (305) 928-1811. Our AI receptionist answers our own line.
Guides
Features
- After-hours answeringNights, weekends and holidays answered, with a booking or a message waiting in the morning.
- Appointment bookingCallers book open times on your calendar, confirmed only once the calendar accepts them.
- Call transferHands the caller to your team during business hours, and books a time when no one is free.
By industry
- DentistsNew patient calls and appointment requests answered while the front desk is with a patient.
- HVACNo-heat and no-cool calls answered while your techs are on a roof or in a crawl space.
- Law firmsProspective clients get an answer and a consultation time instead of a voicemail box.
- Med spasTreatment questions answered from your menu and consultations booked between appointments.
- PlumbersLeak and drain calls captured with the address and a confirmed callback number.
- Real estateBuyer and seller calls answered during showings, with a time on your calendar to talk.