AI Receptionist Setup Checklist: 15 Things to Decide Before You Go Live

What should you decide before setting up an AI receptionist?

Most failed launches are not technology failures. The business never decided how the receptionist should behave, so the AI filled the gaps with guesses.

The 15 decisions below fall into five groups: coverage, knowledge, handoff, legal, and testing. Work through them in order and write each answer down. That document becomes the AI's instructions and your audit trail.

If you want to see what a finished build looks like, ClawOps only pitches what it can demo live, so ask to hear one before you commit. Our home page covers the full service lineup.

Which hours and call types should the AI cover?

Start with coverage, because it shapes everything else.

• 1. Hours of coverage. After-hours only, overflow when staff are busy, or every call. Each choice changes how often a human is involved.
• 2. Call types in scope. New leads, existing clients, vendors, spam. Decide which the AI handles and which it routes.
• 3. Holiday and closure rules. Write the greeting and behavior for days you are closed.

A useful exercise: pull a week of your voicemails and sort them by call type. That list tells you what the AI really needs to handle.

What should the AI know and say?

The AI is only as good as the source material you give it. Keep it short and accurate.

• 4. Approved FAQs. Services, location, parking, insurance or payment accepted, and basic process questions.
• 5. Things it must never answer. Pricing quotes, medical or legal advice, guarantees. Give it a clear fallback line such as offering a callback.
• 6. Greeting and tone. Write the first sentence callers hear. Match your brand, and keep it brief.

If you run a regulated or appointment-heavy business, industry context matters. See how this plays out in our guide to an AI receptionist for med spas.

When should the AI transfer or escalate to a human?

This is where trust is won or lost. Callers forgive an AI that hands off gracefully. They do not forgive one that traps them.

• 7. Transfer triggers. Caller asks for a person, expresses frustration, mentions an emergency, or hits a topic on your never-answer list.
• 8. Transfer destination and backup. Name the person, the number, and who is next if nobody picks up.
• 9. Escalation after hours. Decide what counts as urgent enough to text or call someone off the clock, and what can wait until morning.

Speed matters most when the caller is a high-value lead. Our piece on speed to lead for personal injury firms shows why a fast, correct handoff beats a slow perfect one.

How should booking and follow-up work?

A receptionist that cannot book is just a message taker.

• 10. Booking rules. Which calendar, which appointment types, buffer times, and how far ahead people can book. Confirm the booking link or calendar integration works before launch.
• 11. Data capture. Name, number, reason for calling, and where it lands, usually your CRM. Decide who gets notified and how.

Plan ownership too. Prompts, FAQs, and integrations drift over time, which is why many businesses pair setup with a managed arrangement. Here is what an AI ops retainer actually covers.

What compliance and consent rules apply?

This section is not legal advice. Have a qualified attorney confirm your setup.

• 12. AI disclosure. Decide how the AI identifies itself. A short line at the start of the call, such as stating it is an automated assistant, is the safest default.
• 13. Call recording consent. Rules differ by state, and some require every party to consent. Check your state rules, and if callers may be in other states, plan for the strictest one. If you record, say so in the greeting.

Also confirm how transcripts and recordings are stored, who can access them, and how long you keep them, especially if callers share health or financial details.

How do you test an AI receptionist before going live?

Testing is the last two decisions.

• 14. Testing script. Call it at least a dozen times covering: a normal booking, a rescheduling request, a pricing question, an angry caller, a request for a human, a noisy line, a heavy accent, a caller who interrupts, an emergency phrase, and an out-of-scope question. Check that each transfer actually rings the right phone and each booking appears on the calendar.
• 15. Launch and review plan. Start with a limited window, such as after-hours only. Review every transcript for the first week, fix gaps, then expand.

Have someone who did not build it make the test calls. They will ask things you would never think to.