Introduction
You are halfway through a job, speaking to a customer or driving between appointments when the phone rings. You cannot always stop to answer, but the caller still needs help.
A clear process for unanswered calls means your team can stay focused while customers have a way to ask questions, leave their details and take the next step. This guide explains how to set that up using your existing business number and an AI receptionist such as Kallin.
Decide what should happen when you cannot answer
Start by thinking about when calls are most likely to go unanswered. Is it while you are working, during busy periods, or after your team has gone home?
You may want staff to have the first chance to answer, with support only when they are unavailable. Alternatively, you may want calls handled automatically outside your opening hours.
Write down the outcome you want for each situation. A new enquiry might need a callback, an existing customer might need an answer, and a booking request might need an availability check.
Keep your existing business number
You do not necessarily need to change the number on your website, vehicles or business cards to introduce AI call handling.
With call forwarding, your existing number can direct calls to a separate number connected to your AI receptionist. Your phone provider controls which forwarding options are available and how they are configured.
For many businesses, a useful starting point is forwarding unanswered calls. Your phone rings first, giving you or your team a chance to pick up. If nobody answers, the call forwards to Kallin.
Check with your provider whether it supports forwarding on no answer, when busy and outside business hours. Ask about forwarding charges too.
Give callers a useful conversation
Think about what a customer needs when they call your business. Simply collecting a name and number may be enough for some enquiries, but others benefit from a few helpful questions.
For example, a landscaping business might want to collect:
- The caller’s name and contact number.
- The location of the proposed work.
- The type of job they need help with.
- Their preferred time for a callback.
An AI receptionist can use the business information and instructions you provide to answer common questions and gather relevant details. With the right booking connection and configuration, it can also help customers arrange an appointment.
Keep the questions short and relevant. The aim is to help someone move forward without making a simple enquiry feel like a long form.
Set clear instructions for your business
Good call handling starts with accurate information. Before switching it on, prepare your opening hours, service areas, services, common questions and callback arrangements.
Be clear about what the receptionist can confirm and what needs your team’s approval. If quotes depend on seeing the job, for example, it should collect the details and explain the next step rather than promise a price.
Give it a clear route for questions it cannot answer. That might mean taking a message, arranging a callback or transferring the call where this is configured.
Set realistic expectations for the caller. Only promise a callback within a particular time if your team can consistently meet it.
Test the full journey
Before relying on your new setup, call your business number from another phone and let it ring unanswered.
Check that the call forwards correctly, the greeting sounds right and the receptionist understands the information you have provided. Try a straightforward enquiry, an unusual question and a request that needs a person.
Then check what your team receives afterwards. Can they find the caller’s details, understand the request and see what needs to happen next?
If you use transfers or bookings, test those too. Repeat the checks for any separate busy or out of hours routing you have enabled.
Make following up part of the routine
Answering the call is only one part of handling an enquiry. Someone still needs to act on requests that require a human response.
Choose who reviews conversation summaries and follows up with callers. A small business might assign this to the owner between jobs. A larger team might have one person responsible for distributing enquiries.
Record when an enquiry has been dealt with so callers are not forgotten or contacted twice. If the customer has already explained their needs, use that information to make the follow-up more useful.
An example for a busy tradesperson
Imagine you are a builder working on site when someone calls about an extension.
Your phone rings first. You cannot safely stop to answer, so the call forwards to Kallin. It asks about the proposed work, collects the caller’s contact details and explains the callback process you have set.
When you have a suitable break, you review the conversation summary and call them back with some context about the project.
The caller has had a chance to explain what they need, and you can give them your attention when you are available.
Your setup checklist
Before you go live, make sure you have:
- Chosen when calls should forward.
- Checked your provider’s forwarding options and charges.
- Supplied accurate business information.
- Set the details you want collected.
- Defined which requests need your team.
- Tested forwarding and any connected actions.
- Assigned someone to review and follow up on enquiries.
Get help handling unanswered calls
Kallin can handle conversations when your team cannot get to the phone, answer common questions using your business information and capture enquiries for you to follow up.
You can keep your existing number through call forwarding, with the setup depending on your phone provider.
Speak to the Kallin team about how you would like your business calls handled.
