Setting up an AI receptionist goes faster when you show up with answers. Not technical ones. Mostly it's things you already know and have never had to write down, because you're the one who answers the phone.
This is the short list of what to have ready. You don't need it perfect. A rough version is enough to start, and it gets sharper once real calls come in.
The checklist
- Hours and exceptions. Regular hours, holidays, and any day you close early. Decide what callers hear after hours: book a slot, take a message, or send an emergency to your cell.
- What you do, and what you don't. List your services, and just as important, the jobs you turn down. It saves everyone a wasted call.
- How you talk about price. Some businesses give a range, some quote only after a visit, some have a flat fee. Pick the rule, and the AI will follow it instead of improvising.
- Where you work. The towns or zip codes you cover, so callers outside your area get a polite answer early.
- How booking works. How long each type of job takes, how much buffer you need between them, and who's available when. Be ready to share calendar access.
- Who gets the handoff. Which situations go straight to a person (emergencies, upset customers, existing jobs), who that person is, and the number to reach them.
- The questions you ask every new caller. Name, address, what's wrong, how urgent. Whatever you'd ask if you picked up yourself.
Your "never say" list
This one matters most. Write down what the assistant should never do on your behalf: promise a same-day arrival, diagnose a problem, give a firm quote for work you haven't seen, or discuss anything that belongs to a licensed professional on your team. A short, clear list keeps the line useful and keeps you out of awkward conversations later. We go deeper on the wording in how to write an AI receptionist script.
Where this fits in the process
Our work runs in four steps: discover, design, build, and optimize. Your answers above feed the first two, where we map how your calls work today and decide what gets automated and what stays human. Then we build something you can test against real calls, and keep tuning it as your business changes. Every plan can be live in under two weeks, and the more of this list you bring, the smoother that goes.
What you don't need
You don't need a finished script, a new phone system, or any technical knowledge. If you're missing an answer, say so. "I'm not sure how I'd handle that" is useful information, and we'll help you decide. If you're still weighing whether it's the right time, our guide to whether your business is ready for AI automation is a good place to check.
Want the checklist as a conversation instead?
Tell us how your calls work now and we'll walk through each item with you.
Talk through my setupThe bottom line
Most of what an AI receptionist needs to know is already in your head. Getting it onto one page is the real work, and it's about an hour. For what the service covers and what it costs, see our AI virtual receptionist page and our pricing guide.
Connor Bolin
Founder of UNVRS, building AI automation for small businesses across the Triangle, NC. Writes about what's actually working, not what's trending.