Agent Configuration

The agent editor is a tabbed dialog with six tabs, in this order: Basic Info, Knowledge Base, Scheduling, Timing, Advanced, and Integrations. This page is the full reference - every field, every toggle, and what each one does.

Getting here

In Auto-Respond, go to Voice Agent → Voice Agents → pick an agent and click Edit, or click Create New Agent.

Agent types

Every agent picks one type when it is created. The type affects which fields appear and how the agent is used.

• Answering Agent - handles inbound calls. Typical goal: “You answer incoming calls at the office. Help customers with questions and guide toward scheduling.”
• Lead Calling Agent - makes a single outbound call per new lead. Typical goal: “You’re calling a customer who just submitted a lead - confirm their need and book an appointment.”
• Batch Calling Agent - runs campaigns against a list of recipients. Uses a per-recipient {{main_goal}} variable so each call is personalized. See Batch & Campaign Calling.

Tab 1 - Basic Info

Display Name

• Required.
• Internal label shown in the agent list. Not spoken on calls.

Agent Type

• Required. Answering / Lead Calling / Batch Calling. Chosen at creation.

Business

• Required.
• Links the agent to one of your businesses. Calls and bookings are associated with that business.

Phone Number

• Pick a number from your Manage Business Phones list.
• For outbound agents, you can also pick a Caller ID Phone Number - the verified number the lead will see when the agent dials out.
• Per-agent toggles shown once a number is assigned:
  • Inbound - default on. When on, the agent answers calls to this number. When off, inbound calls are ignored.
  • Outbound - default on. When on, the agent places outgoing calls from this number. When off, the agent will not dial out even if a lead comes in.
• See Phone Numbers.

Connected Sources (Lead Calling only)

• A multi-select of lead sources for the selected business.
• The agent automatically calls new leads from each connected source.
• Hidden for Answering and Batch Calling agents.

Company Name

• Required.
• The business name the agent speaks (e.g., “ABC Plumbing”). Used for the {{company_name}} placeholder everywhere.

Agent Name (AI assistant name)

The name customizes an AI persona only. It cannot be used to claim the agent is human, deny that it is AI, or present it as the business owner or a human employee.

• Required.
• What the agent calls itself on the phone (e.g., “Sarah”). Used for the {{agent_name}} placeholder.

Voice

• Required.
• Preview and select a voice. See Voice Selection.

Custom Greeting

The agent always identifies itself as AI. On every outbound call, a non-overridable platform instruction requires the first spoken sentence to be Hi, this is {agent_name}, AI Assistant from {business_name}. The platform inserts that sentence before your greeting and does not rewrite the stored greeting text. There is no setting to turn this off, and no greeting, instruction, example, or knowledge-base content can remove or delay it.

The platform identity rule applies to every call: the agent never claims to be human, the business owner, or an employee, and answers honestly if asked whether it is AI, a bot, robot, virtual, automated, or recorded. The default inbound greeting introduces the agent as an AI Assistant too; keep that identification when you customize it.

• Required. Max 500 characters.
• First line the agent says when the call connects.
• Supports {{agent_name}} and {{company_name}}.
• Defaults depend on agent type (e.g., Hi, this is {{agent_name}} from {{company_name}}.).

Tab 2 - Knowledge Base

Despite the tab name, this is where the agent’s core behavior lives - the main goal, reference documents, pricing rules, promotion, Q&A, and (for batch campaigns) closing-sentence prompts.

Main Goal (Answering agents)

• Required. Max 2000 characters.
• The primary objective the agent works toward on every call.
• For Lead Calling and Batch Calling agents, the default goal is supplied elsewhere (per-recipient for Batch Calling); the field does not appear on those tabs.

Reference Library

• Upload documents the agent references during calls - service lists, FAQs, pricing sheets, policies.
• Supported file types: csv, doc, docx, html, md, pdf, txt, xls, xlsx.
• See Knowledge Base for what to upload and how to structure it.

Service Identification (Answering agents)

• Toggle. Default: on.
• When on: the agent actively asks what service the customer needs.
• Service Question (sub-field, required when enabled, default What service is needed?) - the exact phrasing the agent uses.

Pricing

• Toggle. Default: on.
• When on: the agent can quote prices and handle pricing-related questions from the Reference Library.
• When off: the agent avoids quoting prices.
• Sub-toggles (only shown when Pricing is on):
  • Free On-Site Estimates - default on. When price isn’t available, the agent offers a free on-site estimate instead.
  • Summarize Service Components - default on. After quoting, the agent briefly explains what’s included (2–3 key components).
  • Ask About Part Supply - default on. For replacement jobs, the agent asks whether the customer has the part or needs you to supply it.

Closing Sentences (Batch Calling only)

• A list of sentences the agent uses to guide the customer toward booking. Each row has an enable toggle.
• Default entries (all enabled):
  • “When is the best time for the technician to arrive?”
  • “What day works best for you?”
  • “Can I save you a spot?”
• Use these to nudge commitment near the end of the call.

Promotion (Batch Calling only)

• Optional single-line field.
• A promotional hook the agent mentions to encourage booking (e.g., “Tune-up usually costs $220, but for this promo it’s only $49.”).

Aggressive Sale (Batch Calling only)

• Toggle. Default: on.
• When on: the agent uses proactive sales tactics - objection handling, urgency, soft closes - to push toward a booking.
• When off: the agent stays informational.

Q&A

• Toggle. Default: off.
• When on: free-form textarea for FAQ pairs the agent can use verbatim. Great for policies, warranties, and service-area edge cases.
• Format example: Q: What are your hours? A: We are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Tab 3 - Scheduling

Controls how the agent books appointments.

Appointment Scheduling

• Toggle. Default: off.
• When on: the agent can check availability and create bookings during the call using a connected scheduling platform.
• When on, pick one of: Cal.com, FieldPulse, GoHighLevel, HousecallPro, Open Schedule. Each platform has its own required fields. See Scheduling Integrations.

Information to Collect

• Only shown for platforms other than Cal.com (Cal.com collects its own fields on the Cal.com side).
• Each field has an enable toggle and a label.
• Defaults (all enabled): Customer Name, Service Address, Phone Number.
• Add rows for Email, Zip, Preferred Day, Gate Code, etc. Agent collects enabled fields one at a time and skips any it already knows.

Appointment Summary

• Toggle. Default: on.
• Summary Template (required when enabled). Max 1000 characters. Default: You're all set! {{day}} at {{time}}.
• How the agent verbally confirms a booking. Supports {{day}}, {{time}}, {{address}}, {{service}}, {{phone}}.

Tab 4 - Timing

Timezone

• Required. IANA timezone, default America/Los_Angeles.
• Used for call hours and when the agent talks about dates and times.

Call Schedule (Lead Calling only)

• A weekly day/time picker, one row per day. Each day can be off, always on, or a set of time periods.
• Calls that fall outside the configured windows are scheduled for the next available window instead of being placed immediately.
• Not shown for Answering or Batch Calling agents - Answering agents always answer when a call comes in; Batch Calling agents use their configured batch schedule.

Tab 5 - Advanced

Example of Good Conversation

• Toggle. Default: off. Max 5000 characters.
• When on: paste an example transcript that shows the agent the ideal call flow. Use it to steer tone and objection handling.

Voicemail Message (Lead Calling & Batch Calling only)

• Required for outbound agents. Max 1000 characters.
• Default: Hey {{lead_name}}, sorry we could not reach you directly. Please give us a callback if you can.
• What the agent says when it reaches a customer’s voicemail.
• Supports {{lead_name}} and {{lead_phone_number}}.

Post-Call Data Extraction

• Call Summary Instructions - required. Max 2000 characters.
• Instructions for how the agent should summarize each call and extract key information from the transcript. A sensible default is pre-filled.

Email Notification (sub-section of Post-Call)

• Toggle. Default: off.
• When on: a call summary email is sent to the configured address after each call is analyzed.
• Notification Email (required when enabled).

Messaging Notifications (sub-section of Post-Call)

• Toggle. Default: off.
• When on: after a call finishes, the call summary is sent to your business through your configured messenger integrations (SMS, Slack, Telegram). Connect those on the Integrations tab first.

Closing Options

• Ask “Anything Else?” Before Closing toggle. Default on.
• When on: the agent gives the customer one last chance to add requests before hanging up.

Call Transfer

• Toggle. Default: off.
• When on:
  • Transfer Criteria - a free-form list of conditions that trigger a transfer. Leave empty to use a sensible default.
  • Transfer to Phone Number - required. E.164 format. Must use the same country code as the agent’s phone number.
  • Transfer Type - Cold Transfer (direct) or Warm Transfer (agent briefs the human first).
  • Private Handoff Instructions - required when Warm Transfer is selected. What the agent says to the human before connecting the customer.
• See Call Transfer for the full walkthrough.

Custom Rules

• A list of special instructions, policies, or behavioral guidelines specific to your business. Each rule has an enable toggle and a label.
• Examples:
  • “If customer mentions emergency, mark the appointment URGENT and offer same-day.”
  • “Never quote pricing for commercial jobs - offer a free estimate instead.”
  • “For spring replacements, ask single-door vs double-door before quoting.”

Tab 6 - Integrations

Connects the agent to your CRM and messenger tools so call events (summaries, bookings, transcripts) flow out automatically. This tab has two sub-tabs: Messengers and CRM. See Voice Agent Integrations for the full list and per-integration setup.

Drafts, cloning, and lifecycle

• Unsaved drafts - in-progress edits are kept in your browser’s local storage. If you refresh or navigate away, you can pick up where you left off.
• Clone Agent - from the agent list, clone copies everything: prompts, Reference Library files, scheduling configuration, and phone number assignment toggles. Useful for spinning up a second agent for a different business or A/B testing a new prompt.
• Delete Agent - from the agent list. The agent stops taking calls immediately; prior call logs are retained.

Placeholders available in prompts

• {{agent_name}} - from Basic Info.
• {{company_name}} - from Basic Info.
• {{lead_name}}, {{lead_phone_number}} - known when the agent is dialing out.
• {{day}}, {{time}}, {{address}}, {{service}}, {{phone}} - available in the Appointment Summary Template.
• {{main_goal}} - per-recipient in Batch Calling.

Agent type at a glance

Deep dives

Questions? Email support@auto-respond.com.