AI Receptionist: Service Expectations
Conversations AI must be active on your account (any edition — Standard, Pro, or Premium).
The AI Receptionist Setup is a done-for-you service where our experts configure, train, and launch the AI Receptionist for your business. Our team handles the technical setup, installs the chat widget on your website, builds out your CRM pipeline and lead management, configures booking and service-area connections, and sets up automations so you never miss a lead.
What's included?
CRM pipeline and lead management
To properly manage your leads, we will create a smart list and a sales pipeline for you in the CRM. The smart list automatically pulls all web chat and form leads into a single contact list, while the pipeline tracks new opportunities and can show the dollar value of each lead. You will also receive tasks and notifications for new leads.
Booking, inventory, and service area connections
- Appointment Booking: We can connect your calendar to the AI Receptionist to book appointments on your behalf. If a direct connection via API is not possible, the receptionist will provide a booking link to your customers instead.
- Service Area Lookup: For service-based businesses, we can configure a custom capability that handles zip code lookups to ensure leads are within your service area.
- Inventory Connection: For retail stores with an e-commerce website, we can set up a custom capability (through an open API) to look up inventory information and provide real-time updates.
Automation creation
Our team will set up 3-5 automations depending on your business needs. These automations will send you notifications for new leads and also send follow-ups to your leads to ensure they have a way to reach you.
AI Workforce Optimization Plan
The AI Workforce Optimization Plan is a monthly subscription that keeps your AI employee performing after launch. Setting up an AI employee is only the beginning — real value comes from the steady tuning that follows. This plan gives your team a direct line to Vendasta's experts so prompts, automations, and settings can evolve as your business does, without you having to do the technical work yourself.
What's included
- 1 AI employee setup: Choose your AI employee at purchase. Setup is delivered in Month 1 and follows our standard setup scope: tasking, prompts, automations, and settings.
- Monthly AI employee check-in: A proactive touchpoint each month where our team reaches out to ask for business updates and confirm the accuracy and overall performance of the AI employee.
- Coverage for AI employees set up by our team: Ongoing optimization coverage applies to AI employees configured by Vendasta's services team within the standard setup scope: tasking, prompts, automations, and settings.
- Unlimited changes: Request as many changes as you need to prompts, automations, and AI employee settings.
- Email access to our expert team: Submit requests by email and receive a same-day acknowledgment. Our target is to fully resolve standard requests within 2 business days.
- Live training session for your team: A live, guided training session so your team understands how the AI employee works, how to spot issues, and how to make the most of the optimization plan.
What's not included
The AI Workforce Optimization Plan is focused on tuning and operating AI employees within the Vendasta platform. It is not a custom development engagement. The following are out of scope:
- Sophisticated automations and integrations beyond the platform: Work that goes beyond what can be configured within the Vendasta platform in a reasonable amount of time.
- Custom software development: Writing, hosting, or maintaining custom code, scripts, or APIs on your behalf.
- Third-party tool buildouts and administration: Configuring, administering, or paying for third-party tools and accounts that sit outside the Vendasta platform.
- Strategic consulting and business process design: Designing your overall go-to-market strategy, sales process, or operational workflows.
- Content creation and creative production: Producing long-form marketing content, brand assets, or creative deliverables.
- Net-new AI employees beyond the one included: Additional AI employees can be added through a separate setup engagement.
- Coverage for AI employees you configured yourself: Self-configured AI employees can be brought into scope through a setup engagement.
- Guaranteed business outcomes: We commit to expert configuration and ongoing optimization, not to specific revenue, lead, or conversion outcomes.
If a request falls outside the optimization plan, we'll let you know. We can scope your request to see if it's something we can set up and support, and let you know if additional charges apply.
What to expect: response times, check-ins, and change requests
Response and resolution
- Same-day acknowledgment. Every request you email in is acknowledged the same business day so you know it has been received and is queued.
- 2-business-day resolution target. Most standard requests — prompt edits, small automation tweaks, settings updates — are resolved within two business days. Larger or more complex requests may take longer, or not be included; if so, we'll set expectations up front.
- Business hours. Requests are handled during standard business hours, Monday to Friday. Requests received outside of business hours are picked up on the next business day.
Monthly check-ins
- Each month, we proactively reach out to ensure your AI employee is performing as expected or to identify any necessary updates.
- If you know of upcoming changes to your business, please notify us during these meetings so we can make proactive adjustments.
Change requests
- Submit change requests by emailing marketingservices@yourdigitalagents.com. Please include the AI employee, what you'd like changed, and the desired outcome.
- There is no cap on the number of requests per month — but the more clearly you describe the desired outcome, the faster we can deliver it.
- We will confirm changes once they are live so you can validate them in your environment.
Roles and responsibilities
Vendasta will
- Set up your included AI employee within the standard setup scope in Month 1.
- Reach out proactively each month to ensure AI employee accuracy and performance.
- Action your change requests against the AI employee's prompts, automations, and settings.
- Acknowledge requests the same business day and target 2-business-day resolution.
- Deliver one live training session for your team.
You will
- Provide accurate business information, processes, and content the AI employee should reflect.
- Submit change requests with enough context for us to act: the AI employee, the change, and the desired outcome.
- Validate changes in your environment after we confirm they are live.
- Keep us informed of meaningful changes to your business — new services, hours, pricing, or processes — so the AI employee stays accurate.
Once your subscription is active, your services contact will reach out to schedule the Month 1 setup and onboarding, the live training session, and your first monthly check-in. From there, you can email change requests at any time.
The setup process
The process involves a series of calls and configuration steps to get your AI Receptionist running effectively.
1. Initial training call
Our experts will lead an onboarding call to understand your business needs and adjust pre-built lead capture workflows to suit you. We will come to the call with your chat receptionist already set up with your branding and a customized communication style to demonstrate. During this call, we will refine any additional knowledge sources and communication instructions together.
- Timeline: An onboarding call can be booked in as little as one business day, depending on availability.
- For U.S. Businesses: A2P registration is required to validate the use of SMS. Please be ready with your legal business information for this process, which can take up to two weeks to complete.
2. AI Receptionist configuration
Using the refinements from the onboarding call, we will finish setting up your AI Receptionist and enable its voice settings. We will also create a lead capture form for your website, set up SMS registration, configure missed-call-text-back or SMS follow-up messaging, and enable AI Voice capabilities to ensure you never miss a lead.
- Timeline: Your AI Receptionist will be complete in 1 business day, or 3 business days for workflows with custom integrations.
- Requirement: We require access to the backend of your website to install the chatbot and lead form.
3. Onboarding and walkthrough call
This call will be used to walk you through the newly configured lead capture process. Our experts will show you where to find your leads, how to engage in conversations, and how to create additional tasks for your sales team.
- Timeline: This call can be booked in as little as one business day after the AI Receptionist setup is complete.
4. 30-day check-in call
This call is scheduled to review your conversations, determine what knowledge or custom instructions need to be updated or refined, and ensure your AI Receptionist is communicating effectively. Before this call, our team will review 5-10 conversations to provide recommendations for improvement.
- Timeline: This call will be booked 3-4 weeks after the completion of your AI Receptionist setup.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
How does the AI-assisted web chat capture leads?
When a customer interacts with the chat on your website, the AI will reply with simple conversational behavior designed to get a name and mobile phone number. This ensures you capture the lead and can follow up later. The AI can answer basic questions about your business, such as location and hours, based on your business profile and website.
How much does the chatbot know about the business?
The chatbot can be given "knowledge" from the business profile to answer basic questions about services, location, and hours. You can also upload additional text to add FAQs, service details, and instructions on how to book appointments so the web chat can converse accurately with website visitors.
How do I know when a new lead comes in?
You will receive an email or SMS notification (or both) when a customer uses the web chat or lead form on your website. The customer will also receive a message letting them know a team member will be in touch soon. All of these messages can be customized.
Can you create custom automations for me?
We do not currently offer custom automation creation. The setup includes a standardized list of workflows designed to get your business running quickly. During the onboarding call, we will discuss your needs and make adjustments to our pre-built lead-capture automation templates.
Is there a simpler option for web chat installation?
If you are looking for a simple code installation and have our Website Support service active, our Website Support team can install the web chat code. This does not offer a full end-to-end configuration of the web chat, and is only for basic code installation.
Can the AI Receptionist create a quote or book an appointment?
Using the knowledge base, we can give the chatbot the information it needs to create a basic quote or estimate. If you use the platform's calendar, the AI Receptionist can book appointments on your behalf.
Is the AI Receptionist HIPAA compliant?
The AI Receptionist is not HIPAA compliant, which means it should not handle PHI. PHI (Protected Health Information) is any personal information about someone's health that can identify them, such as medical conditions, treatments, test results, insurance details, or a name combined with a medical question.
The AI Receptionist is HIPAA-pursuant, which means it can be used in a way that supports HIPAA rules as long as no PHI is shared. It's safe to use for simple tasks like answering general questions, sharing office hours, or helping book appointments without medical details. Healthcare organizations are responsible for making sure the AI is used this way.
How many AI employees does the optimization plan cover?
The plan includes setup and ongoing optimization for one AI employee. Additional AI employees can be added by activating another instance of the same solution.
Is there a limit on change requests?
No. Changes to prompts, automations, and AI employee settings are unlimited. Larger or more complex requests may take additional time or charges to deliver — we'll always set expectations up front.
What counts as a "standard" request?
Standard requests include anything that we originally set up for the AI employee — prompt edits, small automation adjustments, and settings changes. Work that requires custom development or integrations beyond the platform is out of scope.
What if my AI employee was set up by someone other than Vendasta?
Optimization coverage applies to AI employees set up by our team within the standard setup scope. If yours was self-configured, talk to your services contact about a setup engagement to bring it into scope.
How do I submit an optimization plan request?
Email marketingservices@yourdigitalagents.com with the AI employee in question, the change you'd like made, and the desired outcome. You'll receive a same-day acknowledgment and an expected resolution timeline.