AI Receptionist

How to Set Up an AI Receptionist for Missed Calls

2:33 · October 16, 2026

An AI receptionist picks up whenever you miss or decline a call on your own phone. It takes a message, answers the caller's questions, and once your calendar is connected it books meetings with qualified leads. It handles texts too, including group texts. After each call you get a summary with the transcript and follow-ups, or a digest at set times; in the video they arrive at 6 AM and 6 PM. Setup takes about 10 minutes: create the agent in Carly (or ask Claude, ChatGPT or Grok to create it), get it a phone number, choose a voice, then forward your missed calls to that number from your cell. Your callers keep dialing the number they already know.

Step by step

1. 01

   Create the receptionist

   On usecarly.com, open the Agents hub and press New agent. Or ask Claude, ChatGPT or Grok to create it for you.

2. 02

   Get it a phone number

   In the Calls section, press Get a number, pick an area code and choose a number.

3. 03

   Choose a voice and forward missed calls

   Pick a voice, then press Forward missed calls. Carly shows the forwarding code for your carrier. On Verizon you dial *71 followed by your new number from your cell.

4. 04

   Turn off Live Voicemail on an iPhone

   iPhone's Live Voicemail answers missed calls before they can forward, so switch it off in your phone settings.

5. 05

   Test it with a declined call

   Have a friend call you and decline the call. You'll hear your AI receptionist pick up.

6. 06

   Change what it says, and add summaries

   Edit the greeting and instructions until it sounds right, then ask for a summary of the calls you missed by email or text, with transcripts and follow-ups.

7. 07

   Let it book meetings and text people

   Connect your calendar so it can book qualified leads, and try instructions like "When a call to our number ends with nobody answering, text the caller within a minute, ask what they need, and book them if they're ready."