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Overview

Your AI receptionist answers inbound calls on a Voxworks phone number. There are two ways to put her on your front line:
  • Use a Voxworks number directly — assign a number to the receptionist and publish that number on your website, signage, and ads. Callers dial it, she answers.
  • Keep your existing number — assign a Voxworks number to the receptionist, then set up call forwarding with your carrier so your existing business number diverts to it. Your customers keep dialling the number they already know.
Both are configured from the same place: open AI Receptionist in the sidebar, choose your receptionist, and go to the Settings tab. The first card is Your phone number — “How callers reach (your receptionist). Keep your existing number and forward it to Voxworks, or use a new number directly.” Forwarding achieves this without moving your number into Voxworks — your receptionist answers calls made to your existing number, and the number itself keeps working exactly as it does today.

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Assigning a number

The Your phone number card has one field, Assigned number. Inbound calls to the number you pick here are answered by this receptionist. A few behaviours worth knowing:
  • One number per receptionist — the picker keeps a single number on the receptionist. Choosing a different number moves the assignment; you never end up with two.
  • Reassignment is explicit — if a number in the list is already answering as another script, its option warns: Currently answering as “(script name)” — selecting it will reassign it here. Selecting it takes the number away from that script.
  • Service address — every assigned number needs a service address. If the assigned number is missing one, the card shows This number needs a service address with an Add address link. This opens the Set service address dialog, where you pick an existing team address or add a new one. See Service Addresses.
On the receptionist’s Overview tab, the setup checklist item Assign a phone number ticks off once a number is connected, and shows which number routes inbound calls to your receptionist. For claiming numbers from the inventory, renaming them, and plan quotas, see Phone Numbers.

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Keeping your existing number

If your business number is already printed on vans, cards, and Google listings, you don’t need to change it. Forward it to the Voxworks number assigned to your receptionist, in one of two modes:
  • Forward all calls — every call goes straight to your receptionist. Best when you want her to handle everything.
  • Only when unanswered — you get first crack at the call; the receptionist picks up what you miss (replaces voicemail). On mobiles, calls divert after roughly 15 seconds of ringing, and you can optionally divert busy and out-of-coverage calls too.
Forwarding is configured with your carrier (usually by dialling a short code), not inside Voxworks — but the editor generates the exact steps for you.

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The forwarding-instructions generator

Under the Assigned number field, the card reads: Inbound calls to this number are answered by (your receptionist). Click here for instructions on forwarding an existing number. Clicking the link opens the Forward your number to (your receptionist) dialog: “Point your existing number at your receptionist — it only takes a minute. Pick your carrier and setup for tailored steps.” Three dropdowns tailor the instructions: The generated instructions include:
  • Numbered steps with copyable dial codes — each code appears in a code block with a Copy button, and your receptionist’s assigned Voxworks number is already substituted in, so you can dial it as-is. For PBX / VoIP systems, the steps walk through your phone system’s admin portal instead of dial codes, ending with a test call.
  • Turning it off — the deactivation codes to remove the diversion when you no longer want it.
  • Notes — carrier-specific caveats, such as possible charges for the forwarded leg of each call, prepaid plans that don’t support conditional forwarding, and per-carrier ring-time behaviour.
If no number is assigned yet, the dialog tells you: No number is assigned to this receptionist yet — pick one in the “Your phone number” section and these instructions will include it automatically. Assign a number first so the dial codes come out ready to use. The instructions are verified for Australian carriers. For the full carrier-by-carrier dial-code reference — including choosing ring times, deactivation, and what to do when a code is rejected — see the canonical Forward Your Existing Number guide.

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Testing your setup

After assigning a number (and setting up forwarding, if you use it):
  1. Call the Voxworks number directly and confirm your receptionist answers with her greeting.
  2. If you forward an existing number, call that number too. In Forward all calls mode she should answer immediately; in Only when unanswered mode, let it ring out first.
  3. Check the call appears on the receptionist’s Calls tab.

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Next Steps