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Quick Start: Your First Call

You have an account. This page gets you to a phone number that an AI voice agent answers, then to a call you take yourself in the browser. Six steps, about 15 minutes, and each step links to the full page if you want the detail.

If you would rather understand each piece as you go, take the longer route instead: Quick start: an AI agent answering your number, or Quick start: an IVR menu if you want callers to choose a department first.

What you'll need​

  • A WhautoVoice account (see How to sign up).
  • A Telnyx, Twilio, Plivo or Vonage account with a little credit. Keep its console open in another tab.
  • An OpenAI, xAI Grok, ElevenLabs or Sarvam AI API key. OpenAI is the easiest place to start.
  • A browser with a working microphone. Chrome or Edge on a laptop is ideal.
  • Your mobile phone, to be the caller.

The six steps​

  1. Connect a telephony provider

    • Go to Settings > Integrations and click Connect on the Twilio card (or Vonage or Plivo). Paste the credentials from your provider console and save. WhautoVoice points the provider at itself, so there is nothing to copy back. Full steps: Connect Twilio.

  2. Add a phone number

    • Open AI & Call Handling > Phone Numbers and click Add a number. Buy a new local number or import one already in your provider account. Give it a friendly name such as "Front desk". Full steps: Phone numbers.

  3. Connect an AI engine

    • Back in Settings > Integrations, connect OpenAI, xAI Grok, ElevenLabs or Sarvam AI with your API key. With xAI Grok or ElevenLabs, also register the number under Phone Numbers > AI engines; OpenAI covers every number with one connection. Full steps: Connect an AI engine.

  4. Create an AI voice agent from a template

    • Open AI & Call Handling > AI Voice Agents and click Create an AI voice agent. Choose the Receptionist template, give the AI agent a name, put your business into the Instructions, pick a Voice and press Play a sample to hear it. Save. Full steps: Create an AI voice agent.

  5. Route the number to the AI agent

    • Return to Phone Numbers, open your number and set Route calls to the AI voice agent you just made. Until a number is routed, calls to it are dropped. Full steps: Call routing.

  6. Place a test call, then take one yourself

    • Dial the number from your mobile. The AI agent should answer with its greeting within a couple of seconds. Ask it something, then say "I'd like to speak to someone". The AI agent hands off to the Human handoff queue.
    • In the app, set your presence to Available using the selector in the header. The incoming call toast appears with Answer, Decline and Silence ringer. Click Answer and you are talking to yourself through the softphone. Try Mute, Hold and Hang up. Full steps: The softphone.
Nothing rang?

Check three things in order: the number shows the AI agent under Route calls to, the AI engine card in Integrations says connected, and your presence is Available rather than Offline. See AI agent not answering.

What just happened​

  • Your provider carried the call and billed you its usual per-minute rate.
  • The AI engine ran the conversation on your own key at its published price.
  • WhautoVoice counted the connected time, the AI agent's and yours after the handoff, as processed minutes against your plan.
  • The call now sits under Calls with a transcript, a recording if you switched recording on, and a timeline showing the handoff.

Next steps​

  • Invite your team. Go to Settings > Team and click Invite member. Each person gets an email to set a password and is on the phones in the browser straight away. See Adding team members.
  • Build a call flow. Give callers a menu ("press 1 for appointments, 2 for billing") and branch on business hours before the AI agent answers. See Quick start: an IVR menu.
  • Run a campaign. Let the AI agent call a list of contacts for reminders, reactivation or lead follow-up. See Outbound campaigns.
  • Set your hours. Under Settings > Business hours, tell WhautoVoice when you are open so after-hours calls go to voicemail or the AI agent. See Business hours.
Need help?

Email us at hello@whautovoice.com and we will get you sorted.