AI Receptionist

Test Your AI Receptionist With a Call to Your Phone

2:06 · September 24, 2026

Before an AI receptionist talks to a single customer, call it yourself. This one is set up for a coffee shop with its hours, a connected CRM so it knows who's calling, a calendar so it can book free meeting rooms during the call, and a qualifying question about weekly coffee spend. Carly gives you two ways to test it. In the browser, you press start and watch the conversation on screen. On your phone, you enter your number, press Call me, and the agent rings you as if you were a lead. Listen for how it opens, whether it asks the qualifying question and when, and how it handles a caller who isn't ready to book. Anything you don't like goes into the instructions, and you test again.

Step by step

1. 01

   Set up the receptionist's basics

   Add the business hours and basic information, connect your CRM so it knows who's calling, and connect your calendar so it can see which meeting rooms are free and book them during the call.

2. 02

   Add a qualifying question

   The example asks whether the caller spends over $100 a week on coffee. Use whatever question separates a good lead for your business.

3. 03

   Test it in the browser

   Press start and talk to the agent from your computer while the conversation shows on screen.

4. 04

   Or have it call your phone

   Enter your number and press Call me. The agent phones you exactly as it would a real lead.

5. 05

   Listen for the three things that matter

   How it opens and confirms who it's talking to, whether and when it asks the qualifying question, and how it handles a caller who isn't ready to book.

6. 06

   Fix the instructions and test again

   Anything you don't like goes straight into the instructions. Testing is one click, so run it again until the call sounds right.