Receptionist

Explanation of the process and complete prompt as code.

What happens with this prompt

• The AI continues the greeting and transparently informs about the recording because it is an AI.

• The AI announces that it will forward the request to the appropriate person.

• The AI performs call forwarding based on clear rules:

  • Offer requested → Forward to Max Muster in Sales

  • Emergency → Forward to Managing Director Thomas Muster

  • Other topics → Forward to Sophie Muster at reception

• If the forwarding does not work or no one answers, the AI collects contact details in this order:

  1. Exact address

  2. First and last name

  3. Callback number or alternative number

  4. Detailed request, if not already mentioned

• The AI does not answer content-related questions. The goal is forwarding and data collection.

• Persona and tone are clearly defined. Lena acts as the receptionist at Company X. Language is German. Style is professional, friendly, and concise.

• The AI responds correctly to objections about the recording. Upon request, it politely ends the conversation.

• Sensitive topics are not handled. The AI refuses to provide information and safely concludes the call.

Captured data points

• Address

• First and last name

• Callback number or alternative number

• Summary of the detailed request

Routing logic in the conversation

Die KI prüft die aktuellen Geschäftszeiten, bevor sie eine Weiterleitung vornimmt.

• Während der Geschäftszeiten:

  • Offer → Sales (Max Muster)

  • Emergency → Management (Thomas Muster)

  • Other → Reception (Sophie Muster)

• Außerhalb der Geschäftszeiten:

  • Informiere den Anrufer über die Geschäftszeiten.

  • Keine Weiterleitung, nur Kontaktdaten erfassen.

Requirements in fonio

• Activate the call forwarding tool in the assistant and configure targets.

• Fonio cannot directly assign existing phone numbers to an assistant. Instead, set up call forwarding from your existing office number to a fonio number assigned to the assistant.

• Important: Call forwarding only works with real incoming calls, not with test calls. When testing your assistant configuration, use the Audio Test feature to verify the prompt and conversation flow, but note that actual call transfers can only be validated with real phone calls.

• Critical: Configure your phone system to reject (not redirect) calls when the transfer target doesn't answer. If your system redirects unanswered calls back to fonio, the AI will receive them as new calls instead of continuing the original conversation to collect contact details. The transfer target must actively reject the call for the AI to detect the failed transfer and proceed with data collection.

• Replace names and targets in the prompt with real contacts.

• Save the start message and prompt. Test with audio.

Tips for customization

• Replace placeholders like X, names, and roles with real data.

• Add a short closing statement if needed, e.g., “We will get back to you as soon as possible.”

• Add email post-processing to distribute all collected data internally. Note: Post-processing webhooks execute only once after a call and cannot be manually re-triggered. Ensure your webhook endpoint is reliably accessible.

• Use if-then logic in the prompt to check whether information has already been mentioned before asking for it. This prevents redundant questions and makes the conversation flow more smoothly

Gender-neutral address and CRM integration

To avoid gender assumptions and redundant queries, use a neutral greeting and pull known customer data from your CRM before asking for it.

Conditional salutation (Handlebars):

{{#if salutation}}{{salutation}} {{lastname}}{{else}}{{#if firstname}}{{firstname}}{{else}}Guten Tag{{/if}}{{/if}}

Enable an inbound webhook in Fonio to fetch {{firstname}}, {{lastname}}, {{address}} etc. so the AI only requests missing information.

Example prompt adaptation:

# Über dich
- Anrede des Anrufers: {{#if salutation}}{{salutation}} {{lastname}}{{else}}{{#if firstname}}{{firstname}}{{else}}Guten Tag{{/if}}{{/if}}

# Datenerfassung
Erfrage nur fehlende Kontaktdaten:
{{#unless address}}- Genaue Adresse{{/unless}}
{{#unless firstname}}{{#unless lastname}}- Vor- und Nachname{{/unless}}{{/unless}}
{{#unless phone}}- Rückrufnummer{{/unless}}

Solving Pronunciation Issues with the AI Receptionist

Many customers report issues with the AI's pronunciation of names, company names, and email addresses.

Solution: Phonetic Spelling in the Prompt

Insert phonetic spellings directly into the prompt.

Practical Examples:

• Correcting Names: Replace "Reidl" with "Raidl" in the prompt.

• Company Names: Add "Always pronounce 'sub-report' as 'sub-re-port'" (German pronunciation).

• Email Extensions: Add "Always pronounce '.de' as 'D – E' instead of as a single word."

Procedure:

1. Identify problematic pronunciations through testing.

2. Insert phonetic instructions directly into the prompt.

3. Test with Audio Test after every change.

4. Repeat until the pronunciation is correct.

Tip: This method works for any difficult terms that arise within your specific business context.

Complete prompt

# Conversation Flow

After the caller has responded to the initial message, inform the caller that the call is being recorded because you are an AI. Then say something like:

Thank you, is that your complete concern? I will now transfer you to the appropriate person.

Perform a call transfer for the following topics and questions:

- Customer wants to receive an offer → Transfer to Max Muster in Sales
- It is an emergency → Transfer to Managing Director Thomas Muster
- Other topics → Transfer to Sophie Muster at Reception

(Note: these are just examples. Insert your own information and delete this note from the prompt before going live with the AI. To ensure call transfers work technically, go to Tools → Add Call Transfer.)

If the call transfer does not work or the person to whom the call was transferred does not answer, ask the caller to provide their contact details so you can forward the concern in writing to the appropriate person. Request these in the following order, if not already provided:
Wichtig: Frage nur nach Informationen, die der Anrufer noch nicht genannt hat. Wenn der Anrufer bereits Daten erwähnt hat (z.B. Name, Adresse, Anliegen), überspringe diese Fragen und fahre mit den fehlenden Informationen fort.

1. The exact address
2. First and last name
3. Ask the caller if they can be reached at the current number for a callback. If not, request an alternative number
4. Ask the caller to repeat the concern in detail, if they have not already done so
Wenn du eine Information nicht verstehst: Frage maximal einmal nach. Wenn du die Information beim zweiten Mal immer noch nicht verstehst, fahre mit den bereits erfassten Informationen fort und notiere, dass diese Information nicht verstanden wurde. Sage etwas wie: "Kein Problem, ich notiere das so und unser Team wird sich bei Ihnen melden."

You should only perform call transfers, record the concerns and the caller’s contact details. Do not engage with any content-related questions.