---
title: "Answering your phone with the receptionist"
description: "What the AI receptionist does, where everything is, and the articles that take you through each part."
url: https://geiavwiyz.gleap.help/en/articles/163-answering-your-phone-with-the-receptionist
collection: "Receptionist"
updated: 2026-11-02
language: en
---

# Answering your phone with the receptionist

What the AI receptionist does, where everything is, and the articles that take you through each part.

The receptionist answers your phone when nobody else can: you're up a ladder, on another call, or it's nine at night. It picks up in a natural voice, finds out what the caller wants, and books a quote visit, arranges a callback or takes a message. It follows a call flow you control, and it only tells callers what you've told it.

It's new, so it's marked **Beta** in the sidebar.

## Find the receptionist

Click **Receptionist** in the sidebar.

The first time, you see **Your AI receptionist answers your phone** and a **Get started** button. Once it's set up, it has five tabs: **Overview**, **Call flow**, **Test**, **Calls** and **Settings**. The pill at the top says whether it's answering your number: **Live**, **Paused**, **Not live yet** or **Not set up**.

## What you can do with it

-   **Set it up.** A few short screens: your business, what calls should end with, what it asks, how calls reach you, your calendar and its number. See _How to set up your receptionist_.
    
-   **Get its phone number.** It answers on a new number of its own, yours the moment you pick it. See _How to get your receptionist's phone number_.
    
-   **Change what happens on a call.** Draw the call flow yourself, or tell the AI what to change. See _How to change your call flow_.
    
-   **Try it.** Ring it from your browser, or type. See _How to make a test call_.
    
-   **Put it live, pause it and publish your changes.** See _How to put your receptionist live, pause it and publish changes_.
    
-   **Choose when it answers.** It can ring your mobile first and only pick up when you don't. See _How to choose when your receptionist answers_.
    
-   **Tell it about your business**, from your Business Profile, your website, documents and notes. See _How to choose what your receptionist knows_ and _How to fill in your business profile_.
    
-   **Choose the questions it asks about a job.** See _How to choose what your receptionist asks callers_.
    
-   **Choose who it books visits with**, and whether a visit waits for your OK. See _How to choose who your receptionist books visits with_.
    
-   **Change its name and voice.** See _How to change your receptionist's name and voice_.
    
-   **Read your calls and ring people back.** See _How to read and follow up your calls_.
    
-   **Choose who hears about calls**, and whether they're recorded. See _How to choose who hears about calls_.
    
-   **Keep an eye on its minutes.** See _How your receptionist minutes work_.
    

## The Overview

The **Overview** tab is the receptionist at a glance:

-   Its name, the business it answers for, its number, and what it's doing right now. **Go live** or **Pause** is here, with **Test it**.
    
-   **Recent calls**, with **All calls**. If calls are waiting on someone, it says how many there are to follow up.
    
-   **Still to do**: anything it needs before it goes live, or would answer better with, each with **Fix**. When nothing's left it says **All set**.
    
-   **Minutes this month**: the minutes it's used against your plan's.
    

## Who can change it

Everyone on your team can open the receptionist, read the calls, mark follow-ups done, link a call to a letter and approve or decline a visit waiting for your OK.

Only your team's admins can set it up, change its settings and call flow, make test calls, get or release its number, publish, and put it live or pause it. A member still sees those buttons, but gets an error on pressing them. Ask an admin, who can make you one on the **Team** page (see _How to invite your team_).

## Why can't I set it up on my free trial?

The receptionist answers real calls on a real number, so it starts with your plan rather than your free trial. See _Why the receptionist isn't on the free trial_.