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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.voxworks.ai/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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What is Silence Tolerance?

During a conversation, users may pause for various reasons:
  • Thinking about their response
  • Distracted by something
  • Unsure how to proceed
  • Technical issues with the call
Silence Tolerance settings control how long the agent waits before taking action.

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Key Timers

TimerPurposeTypical Range
Silence Response DelayTime before prompting a silent user4-16 seconds
Silence Shutdown DelayTime before ending an abandoned call30-120 seconds

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How It Works

User stops speaking
   Response and Shutdown Delay timers start
      User speaks → Timer resets, conversation continues
      Timer expires → Agent prompts user
          User responds → Conversation continues
          No response → Shutdown timer continues
              User speaks → Timer resets
              Shutdown timer expires → Assistant says it is ending the call because it hasn't heard any response
The Silence Tolerance property on each step controls silence tolerance behavior:
SettingResponse DelayShutdown DelayUse Case
hurriedapprox. 4sapprox. 15sQuick interactions
patientapprox. 16sapprox. 60sThoughtful responses
extremely patientapprox. 48sapprox. 180sComplex decisions
infiniteNo promptingNo auto-shutdownUser-controlled timing

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When to Use Each Setting

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Hurried (Default)

Best for:
  • Simple questions with quick answers
  • Confirmations and acknowledgments
  • Fast-paced conversations
Example: “Is Tuesday at 2pm okay?”

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Patient

Best for:
  • Questions requiring some thought
  • When users might need to check something
  • Multi-part answers
Example: “What challenges are you facing with your current process?”

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Extremely Patient

Best for:
  • When users need to look something up
  • Fault finding or troubleshooting scenarios
  • When users might need to consult others
Example: “Can you check the serial number on the back of the device?”

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Infinite

Best for:
  • Situations where users may need extended time
  • When you don’t want to interrupt at all
  • Calls where users explicitly need to step away
Note: Infinite silence tolerance is still limited by the maximum call duration. See Settings for call duration configuration.

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Silence Prompts

When the response delay expires, the agent prompts the user to re-engage: 
Silence Response: The assistant attempts to continue the current step naturally
Silence Shutdown: The assistant says that it hasn't been able to hear the user, then goodbye and ends the call.

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Interaction with Other Settings

Silence tolerance works alongside other dynamics:
Combined WithEffect
Patient response eagernessWaits longer before responding + longer before following-up
Deep thinking effortMore reasoning time + patient silence handling

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Best Practices

  1. Configure per step — Set silence tolerance on each step based on the expected response
  2. Match complexity to tolerance — Complex questions need higher tolerance
  3. Consider your audience — Elderly users may need more time
  4. Test realistic scenarios — Try with actual users, not just ideal cases

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Next Steps