---
title: "How to put your receptionist live, pause it and publish changes"
description: "Start your receptionist answering your number, pause it so calls ring your phone, and publish the changes you've made."
url: https://geiavwiyz.gleap.help/en/articles/168-how-to-put-your-receptionist-live-pause-it-and-publish-changes
collection: "Receptionist"
updated: 2026-11-02
language: en
---

# How to put your receptionist live, pause it and publish changes

Start your receptionist answering your number, pause it so calls ring your phone, and publish the changes you've made.

Two things decide what your callers get. **Live** or **Paused** says whether the receptionist answers your number at all. **Publishing** says which version of it they hear. You can change settings and the call flow as much as you like: callers only hear them once you publish.

You need to be an admin of your team to do any of this.

## Put it live

1.  Click **Receptionist** in the sidebar.
    
2.  On the **Overview**, click **Go live**.
    

Or click the **Settings** tab, then **Answering**, and turn on the switch under **Answering calls**.

It starts answering your number straight away. The pill at the top says **Live**.

## Pause it

1.  On the **Overview**, click **Pause**.
    

Or turn the switch off under **Answering calls** in **Settings**. While it's paused, every call rings your fallback number instead, and none of them use your receptionist minutes.

## Publish your changes

When you've changed its settings or call flow, the **Overview** says **You have changes that aren't published yet.**

1.  Check the changes with a test call if you like. See _How to make a test call_.
    
2.  Click **Publish changes**.
    

Calls follow the new version from the next one that rings. You can also publish from the **Call flow** tab, with a note of what changed. See _How to change your call flow_.

Some changes don't need publishing and apply from the next call: **When it answers**, your fallback number, your phone number, who it books visits with, your Business Profile and what's on **What your receptionist knows**.

## Why is Go live greyed out?

Something it needs to answer calls is missing. **Settings** lists it under **Before it can go live**, and the Overview under **Still to do**, each with **Fix**:

-   **Publish your call flow**: calls can't be answered until it's published.
    
-   **Get a phone number**: pick the number callers ring.
    
-   **Fix your call flow's problems**: only stops it if you've never published.
    
-   **Voice service**: this is ours to sort. If it isn't ticked, contact us.
    

These are recommended, but don't stop it going live:

-   **Add your mobile** or **Add a fallback number**: where calls go when it's paused or can't answer.
    
-   **Set your service area**: so it only books visits you can get to.
    
-   **Connect your team's calendars**: it can only avoid clashes for people whose calendars it can see.
    

## What do the statuses mean?

-   **Live**: it's answering your number.
    
-   **Paused**: you've paused it. Calls ring your fallback number.
    
-   **Not live yet**: it's never been put live. Calls ring your fallback number.
    
-   **Not set up**: nobody's set it up yet. See _How to set up your receptionist_.
    

## I've published, so why isn't it answering?

Publishing doesn't put it live. Click **Go live** on the **Overview** as well.