How to Set Up an AI Phone Assistant: Live in a Few Steps

You set up an AI phone assistant in five steps: create an account, build the assistant, test it in the browser, connect a phone number, and finally hook up your calendar, CRM and handover to your team. You don't need a phone number for the first test, because chat and web call run right in the browser.

This guide walks you through each step and shows where setups usually get stuck. If you want to know what an AI receptionist is and what it can do, start with our overview page. This article is only about setting one up.

What you need before you start

You can start right away. It goes faster, though, if you collect a few things first:

• Information about your business: opening hours, services, address, directions and the questions callers ask again and again.
• Common requests: What should the assistant solve on its own, what should it take down, and when should it hand over to a person?
• Calendar: If the assistant should book appointments, decide which calendar or booking tool to use.
• Phone number: Do you want a new number, or keep your existing one and forward it?
• Handover contacts: Which numbers should the assistant transfer to when a call is urgent?

The five steps at a glance

1. Create a free account
2. Build the assistant: greeting, instructions, knowledge
3. Test in the browser: chat first, then web call
4. Connect a phone number: buy one, forward yours or connect via SIP
5. Connect calendar, CRM and handover to your team

Step 1: Create a free account

Sign up for a free account. You don't need a credit card. After signing up, you land in the dashboard and can create your first assistant right away.

Step 2: Build the assistant

Open Assistants and select New Assistant. You have several ways to start:

• Describe the job: Write a few sentences about what the assistant should do. The AI copilot Milian asks for anything that's missing and builds the assistant with you.
• Start with a role: for example Receptionist, Appointment booker or Customer support. Each role shows what you'll set up together.
• Blank assistant: You configure everything yourself.

For most first assistants, a single prompt is enough: free-form conversations based on one set of instructions. If you need fixed paths with branches, data collection and transfers, use the visual Flow Builder instead.

Greeting and instructions

The greeting is the first sentence callers hear. Keep it short: business name, assistant name, an open question. You'll find ideas in our greeting script templates.

In the instructions you describe the role, tone and limits. A good start covers who the assistant is, which questions it answers, how short its answers should be, what happens when someone wants an appointment, and that it must never make things up. The docs include ready-made example prompts, for instance for a receptionist, first-level support and an intelligent voicemail.

Knowledge base

To answer questions about your business correctly, the assistant needs knowledge: documents, FAQs or content from your website. It looks things up during the call instead of guessing. The clearer your content, the better the answers.

Voice and language

The default settings work well to begin with. You can preview and switch voices in the library later. If your callers speak different languages, set those languages in the assistant settings.

Step 3: Test in the browser

Before a real number comes into play, you test right inside the assistant via Test:

• Chat: a text-only test without audio. It's the fastest way to get wording and logic right.
• Web call: a real voice conversation in the browser, no phone number involved. Here you hear timing, pauses and how the assistant handles interruptions.

Chat and web call use the same logic as real phone calls. Run through your customers' typical requests and a few hard ones too: vague questions, topic changes, someone who wants a human right away. Adjust the instructions until the answers land.

Try it yourself: Start for free and call your first assistant in the browser. Prefer a guided tour? Book a demo.

Step 4: Connect a phone number

Once chat and web call sound right, you connect a real number. There are three ways to do it.

Buy a number and assign the assistant

Under Settings → Numbers → Add a number → Buy a number, pick a country and a number. Then assign it to your assistant. From that moment on, it answers inbound calls. Some countries and number types require identity verification first; the buy page tells you when. The details are in the docs on phone numbers.

Keep your own number: call forwarding or SIP trunk

Want to keep the number your customers know? Then forward calls to your Famulor number. There are two options:

• Unconditional: Every call goes straight to the assistant.
• Conditional: Only calls you don't answer (busy, unreachable, no answer) go to the assistant. Your phone rings first.

On an iPhone, you'll find forwarding under Settings → Phone → Call Forwarding. On Android, it's usually in the Phone app under Settings → Calls → Call Forwarding, with slight differences between manufacturers. For the conditional options you use your carrier's codes. All the steps are in the call forwarding guide in the docs, and explained in detail in our call forwarding guide on the blog.

If your numbers live with a SIP provider or in a phone system, you can connect your own SIP trunk instead.

Numbers with a carrier: carrier import

If you already have numbers with a supported carrier, bring them in via carrier import. The number stays with your provider and is connected to your assistant.

Step 5: Connect calendar, CRM and handover

Now you make the assistant truly useful.

• Booking appointments: Connect a booking tool such as Cal.com, Calendly, Acuity Scheduling, eTermin, HighLevel or meetergo, or use the built-in booking calendar. During the call, the assistant checks open slots, offers suitable times and books the one the caller picks. Google Calendar, Outlook, CalDAV and ICS feeds connect to the built-in calendar: their busy times are taken out of the slots it offers. More in the docs on calendar booking.
• CRM: With automations, you write call outcomes into your CRM after the call, for example as a note or a contact update.
• Handover to people: With call transfer, the assistant connects the caller to a number you choose. With a warm transfer, it briefs your colleague first. If nobody picks up, it can retry automatically; see automatic warm transfer retries. All options are listed under built-in tools.

Describe in the prompt exactly when the assistant should hand over. The more precise the condition, the more reliably it works.

Common setup mistakes

• Confusing a verified caller ID with a phone number: A caller ID you verify for outbound calls is only displayed. Calls to it don't reach the assistant. For inbound calls you need a number in your account or call forwarding.
• Not testing the forwarding: After setting it up, call from another phone. Only then do you know the forwarding works.
• Answers that are too long: Long paragraphs are tiring on the phone. Tell the assistant to keep answers short.
• No clear handover rule: Without a condition, the assistant doesn't know when to transfer.
• Missing knowledge: Without information about your business, the assistant can't answer much. Add opening hours, services and FAQs.
• No test before going live: After chat and web call, make a real test call to the number before you publish it.

Frequently asked questions

How long does setup take?

You can build and test a first assistant in the browser quickly, and you don't need a phone number for that. How long it takes to go live depends on how much knowledge, how many integrations and which handovers you set up. Plan time for testing with real requests.

Can I keep my phone number?

Yes. You forward your existing number to your Famulor number, either always or only when you don't pick up. Alternatively, you connect your numbers via SIP trunk or import them from a supported carrier. Your customers keep dialing the number they know.

Do I need a credit card?

No. You start for free and without a credit card. That way you can test the assistant via chat and web call before you choose a plan. You'll find the current plans on the pricing page.

Can the AI hand calls over to my team?

Yes. The assistant transfers to a number you set, either directly or as a warm transfer with a short briefing. If nobody answers, it can retry automatically. You define in the prompt when it should hand over.

Which languages does the assistant speak?

Famulor supports 120 languages. You set the assistant's language and can add more so it can switch during a call. Beyond the phone, you can reach customers on 22 channels, including WhatsApp, SMS and email.

Conclusion

Setting up an AI phone assistant is not a big IT project. You build the assistant, test it in the browser, connect a number or forward your existing one, and then connect your calendar, CRM and handovers. Start small with your most common requests and expand step by step.

Start for free now or book a demo.