Getting started checklist

Your first assistant, end to end. Work through these in order — most businesses finish in under an hour, not counting the test calls.

Choose your number. On Free you test on a shared number. On Standard and AI you get a dedicated number. If you want callers to keep dialling your existing published number, follow the forwarding tutorial — you do not have to give up that number.
Write your greeting. Keep it short: who you are, what callers can do, and which key to press. See the Phone Tree basics tutorial for a script you can adapt.
Set your hours. In Dashboard → Business Hours, enter your working days and one opening and closing time for those days, and check your timezone — the portal labels these Work Days, Opening Time, Closing Time, and Time Zone. Decide what happens when you are closed or out of office. The assistant should never promise an appointment when you are closed.
Set your service area, if you travel to customers. List your standard ZIP codes and, if you charge a travel fee, your extended ZIP codes. Callers outside both get a clear, polite message.
Connect booking, if you take appointments. EasyAppointments and Acuity are supported, and other booking systems can also be integrated — contact our sales department at admin@ivr.solutions to discuss yours.
Add services and pricing. Write services in plain language and pricing exactly as you want it read out. The agent only volunteers pricing when a caller asks, unless your own notes say otherwise.
Test it. Call your number, try each menu option, try a ZIP inside and outside your area, and try booking. Then try the Voice Agent in Simulated Chat before you turn it on for real calls.
Watch the first week. Check call history, messages, and voicemail in the portal, and fix the greeting or scripts where callers hesitated.

Tip: Test from a second phone, not the phone you forwarded. That way you hear exactly what a caller hears.

Portal Dashboard showing Usage Over Time and History tiles — Screenshot: Dashboard, cropped to Usage Over Time and History. The account name and credit amounts in the full Dashboard view are cropped out here.

Checklist

Number chosen or forwarding turned on
Greeting recorded or written
Hours and out-of-office handling set
Service area set (if applicable)
Booking connected (if applicable)
Services and pricing added
Test call completed

Next: Phone Tree basics →