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DocumentationVoice AgentGetting Started with Voice Agent

Getting Started with Voice Agent

Set up your AI-powered receptionist in just a few minutes. This guide walks you through creating your first voice agent that can answer calls, book appointments, and handle customer inquiries.

What You’ll Build

By the end of this guide, you’ll have:

  • ✅ A working AI voice agent
  • ✅ A phone number (or call forwarding set up)
  • ✅ Basic service catalog and pricing configured
  • ✅ Calendar integration for appointment booking
  • ✅ Your first test call completed

Time required: 2-5 minutes for basic setup

Prerequisites

Before you begin, gather:

  1. Your business information - Company name, services you offer
  2. Pricing information - Service costs or pricing guidelines
  3. Calendar API keys - For Cal.com, FieldPulse, or GoHighLevel (optional)
  4. Your business phone - To test call forwarding (if using existing number)

Don’t have calendar integration yet? No problem! You can start without it—the AI will take detailed messages with customer contact info and service requests.

Step-by-Step Setup

  1. Log into your NZ Leads account
  2. Click “Voice Agent” in the left sidebar
  3. Click “Create New Agent”

Choose Agent Type

Select the type of agent you want to create:

Answering Agent (Inbound Calls)

  • Best for: Handling overflow calls, after-hours coverage
  • Use case: Customer calls your business → AI answers
  • Cost: $1/minute for calls

Calling Agent (Outbound Calls)

  • Best for: Calling new leads instantly
  • Use case: New lead comes in → AI calls them within 5 seconds
  • Cost: $1/minute for calls

Not sure? Start with an Answering Agent to handle your inbound calls.

Configure Basic Information

Fill in the essential details:

Company Name
Your business name as the AI should say it (e.g., “ABC Plumbing” or “Smith HVAC”)

Agent Name
What the AI should introduce itself as (e.g., “Sarah” or “your scheduling assistant”)

Custom Greeting
How the AI answers the phone:

  • Answering Agent: “Thanks for calling ABC Plumbing, this is Sarah. How can I help you today?”
  • Calling Agent: “Hi, this is Sarah from ABC Plumbing calling about your service request. How can I help?”

Select Voice Choose from 50+ realistic AI voices:

  • Male/Female options
  • Different accents and tones
  • Preview each voice before selecting

Pro tip: Choose a voice that matches your brand. Friendly and warm voices work best for service businesses.

Set Up Services & Pricing

Configure what services your AI can discuss:

Enable Service Identification

  • ✅ Turn this ON so the AI understands what service customers need
  • The AI will match customer requests to your service catalog

Add Service Question
Customize how the AI asks about services:

  • Default: “What service do you need help with?”
  • Better: “What can I help you with today?”

Configure Pricing

  • ✅ Enable pricing if you want the AI to quote costs
  • ✅ “Free on-site estimates” - Check if you offer free quotes
  • Upload pricing documents or add to Knowledge Base later

Example Service Configuration:

Services we offer:
- Garage Door Repair - $150-$300
- Garage Door Spring Replacement - $200
- Garage Door Installation - Starting at $800
- Emergency Service - $199 service call

Configure Appointment Scheduling (Optional)

If you want the AI to book appointments automatically:

Enable Appointment Scheduling

  • ✅ Turn this ON

Choose Your Calendar System:

  • Cal.com - Requires: API key, Event Type ID, Timezone
  • FieldPulse - Requires: API key, Company ID, Timezone
  • GoHighLevel - Requires: API key, Calendar ID, Location ID

Collection Fields Choose what information the AI should collect:

  • ✅ Name (required for booking)
  • ✅ Phone Number (required)
  • ✅ Service Address (required for field service)
  • ✅ Email (optional)

Appointment Confirmation Customize how the AI confirms bookings:

  • Default: “Perfect! I’ve got you scheduled for [TIME] on [DATE] for [SERVICE]. You’ll receive a confirmation shortly.”
  • Enable “Appointment Summary” to read back full details

Skipping calendar integration? The AI will collect all customer details (name, phone, address, service) and create a detailed note for you to schedule manually.

Configure Call Handling

Ask Anything Else Before Closing

  • ✅ Enable this so the AI asks “Anything else I can help with?” before hanging up

Call Transfer Settings

  • ✅ Enable if you want the AI to transfer complex calls to you
  • Add your transfer phone number
  • Choose transfer type:
    • Warm Transfer - AI explains situation before connecting you
    • Cold Transfer - Direct connection

Private Handoff Prompt What the AI says to YOU during a warm transfer:

  • Default: “I have [NAME] on the line regarding [SERVICE]. They’re ready to speak with you.”

Get Your Phone Number

Choose how callers will reach your AI:

Option A: Buy a New Number Through NZ Leads

  1. Click “Buy Phone Number”
  2. Search by area code (e.g., 909, 818, 415)
  3. Select a number from available options
  4. Cost: $10/month per number

Option B: Use Call Forwarding

  1. Keep your existing business number
  2. Set up call forwarding to route unanswered calls to the AI
  3. Follow our Call Forwarding Setup Guide →

Recommended: Buy a dedicated number for testing first, then add call forwarding to your main line once you’re comfortable.

Save and Activate

  1. Review your configuration
  2. Click “Create Agent”
  3. Wait 30-60 seconds for the AI to activate
  4. Your agent is now live!

Test Your Agent

Making a Test Call

  1. Call the phone number you configured
  2. Have a natural conversation:
    • State what service you need
    • Ask about pricing
    • Try booking an appointment
  3. Review the call log after the call ends

What to test:

  • ✅ Greeting sounds natural
  • ✅ AI understands service requests
  • ✅ Pricing is quoted correctly
  • ✅ Appointment booking works (if enabled)
  • ✅ Call transfers work (if enabled)

Reviewing Call Logs

  1. Go to “Call Logs” in the left sidebar
  2. Find your test call
  3. Click to view details:
    • Full transcript
    • Call recording
    • Extracted data (name, phone, service)
    • Appointment booked (if applicable)
    • Call analytics (sentiment, success status)

First call didn’t go perfectly? That’s normal! Adjust your agent configuration based on what you heard, then test again.

Common First-Time Adjustments

After your first test call, you might want to:

Refine the Greeting

Make it more natural or add context:

  • ❌ “Hello, ABC Plumbing.”
  • ✅ “Thanks for calling ABC Plumbing! This is Sarah, how can I help you today?”

Add to Knowledge Base

Upload documents so the AI can answer specific questions:

  • Service FAQs
  • Pricing sheets
  • Company policies
  • Service area information

Learn more about Knowledge Base →

Adjust Service Matching

Add “Custom Rules” to handle edge cases:

  • “If customer mentions ‘emergency’, add ‘URGENT’ to the notes”
  • “For spring replacements, ask if it’s a single or double door”
  • “We don’t service garage opener brands X, Y, Z”

Fine-Tune Appointment Scheduling

  • Adjust collection fields (add/remove email, zip code, etc.)
  • Customize confirmation message
  • Set appointment buffer times

Next Steps

Now that your agent is running:

  1. Set up call forwarding - Call Forwarding Setup Guide →
  2. Configure outbound calling - Outbound Calling →
  3. Upload knowledge base - Knowledge Base Guide →
  4. Customize behavior - Agent Configuration →
  5. Monitor performance - Call Logs & Analytics →

Troubleshooting

AI isn’t answering calls

  • ✅ Check that your agent status is “Active”
  • ✅ Verify phone number is correctly configured
  • ✅ If using call forwarding, confirm forwarding rules are active
  • ✅ Wait 60 seconds after creating/updating agent

AI doesn’t understand service requests

  • ✅ Add service examples to “Custom Rules”
  • ✅ Upload service descriptions to Knowledge Base
  • ✅ Enable “Service Identification” if it’s off

Appointments aren’t booking

  • ✅ Verify calendar API keys are correct
  • ✅ Check that your calendar has available slots
  • ✅ Confirm timezone is set correctly
  • ✅ Test your calendar integration independently

AI quotes wrong prices

  • ✅ Check your Knowledge Base for conflicting pricing
  • ✅ Add specific service identifiers to Custom Rules
  • ✅ Review call transcript to see what the AI is reading from

Call quality issues

  • ✅ Calls use Twilio infrastructure (99.99% uptime)
  • ✅ If voice sounds robotic, try a different voice option
  • ✅ Adjust speaking rate in advanced settings

Getting Help

Need assistance?

Want to see it in action first?
Request a demo call to your phone: support@nzleads.com

You’re all set! Your AI is now ready to handle calls and book appointments. 🎉

Last updated on
Call Logs & AnalyticsInbound Call Handling