# AI Receptionist Setup Checklist for Small Offices > An AI receptionist setup checklist: what to write down, what it must never say, how to hand off urgent calls, and how to test before real calls. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/ai-receptionist-setup-checklist · Updated 2026-10-12 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) Quick answer To set up an [AI receptionist](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-receptionist), write down the questions callers ask, the few details you need from them, what it must never say, which calls are urgent and who takes them, and then test it with made-up calls before a real one comes in. The free [After-Hours Intake Voice Agent](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/law-firm-after-hours-intake-voice-agent) lesson builds one for a small law firm in about nine minutes, in a practice copy of ElevenLabs. Last updated October 12, 2026 By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) · Published October 12, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026 · 4 min read Voice agents · Automation This checklist is for office managers and owners at firms, agencies and clinics who miss calls after hours. An [AI receptionist](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-receptionist) answers calls like a front desk: it greets the caller, collects details, answers routine questions and hands the rest to a person. The checklist follows the order the lesson uses. ## What should you write down before you build? Write down three lists: what callers ask, what you need from them, and what you can say about your business. Keep each list short. - **What callers ask.** The three to five most common reasons for calling. - **What you need.** Name, phone number and reason for the call. The law-firm lesson adds the other party's name, for the firm's [conflict check](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/conflict-check). - **What the agent may say.** Hours, services and the next step. Nothing it has to guess. Anything outside those lists should go to a person. The [AI receptionist script prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/ai-receptionist-script-prompt) turns the lists into a first draft of the agent's instructions. ## What should the greeting say? The greeting should name the business and say it is an AI assistant. In the lesson, the first message names the firm, says the agent, Morgan, is an AI assistant and not a lawyer, and says the call may be recorded. Saying it is an AI up front sets expectations and avoids a caller feeling tricked. Whether and how you must disclose recording depends on where you operate, so ask your attorney. ## What must an AI receptionist never say? It must never give advice or promises beyond a script you wrote and checked. For a law firm that means no legal advice and no opinion on whether someone has a case. For an insurance agency, the [Coverage FAQ Voice Agent](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/insurance-agency-coverage-faq-voice-agent-elevenlabs) lesson has the agent explain coverage only in general terms, read claims numbers exactly as written, never say a caller's loss is covered, and never change a policy. Put the rules in the [system prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/system-prompt) as plain sentences. Have the right professional read them: an attorney for legal matters, a licensed agent for coverage. ## How do you handle urgent calls? Define "urgent" with examples, and decide exactly who is told and how. In the lesson, anyone in danger is sent to 911 first, and a call where an insurer is already involved is flagged urgent. Vague words like "serious" are what fail on a real call. This is [escalation](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/escalation): the rule that sends a request beyond the AI. If an urgent flag lands only on a dashboard nobody checks, it isn't an escalation, so connect it to a text or an alert a person will see. ## How do you test an AI receptionist? Call it yourself with made-up scenarios, including awkward ones. In the lesson, you click **Preview**, start the call from your browser, and play a caller who was rear-ended on the way home. The agent asks for your details, marks the call urgent, and declines to say whether you have a case. Test at least these calls: 1. A routine question it can answer. 2. A question it must refuse, such as "Do I have a case?" 3. An urgent call. 4. A caller who won't give their number. 5. A caller who asks for something the agent can't do. ## What should you check after each call? Read the [call summary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/call-summary) and the transcript. In the lesson, **Conversations** under **Monitor** lists each call; the **Overview** shows a summary and the **Transcription** tab shows the whole call. Check every answer against your rules, and tighten the prompt wherever it drifted. Do this daily at first, then weekly. Don't put the agent on a real phone line until a number is connected and an alert actually reaches a person. ## Key takeaways - Write down questions, needed details and allowed answers first. - The greeting says it is an AI. - Put "never say" rules in plain sentences, and have a professional review them. - Define urgent with examples and connect a real alert. - Test with made-up calls and read the transcripts. ## Frequently asked questions **How do I set up an AI receptionist?** Write down the callers' questions, the details you need and the rules. Build the agent with a system prompt and greeting, test it with made-up calls, and connect an alert for urgent calls. The [First Voice Agent](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/elevenlabs-voice-agent-tutorial-after-hours-receptionist) lesson shows a basic build. **Can an AI receptionist replace my front desk?** It can cover calls you'd otherwise miss, such as after hours. It shouldn't replace people for judgment calls, upset callers or anything with legal or safety consequences. **Is it legal to use an AI receptionist?** Rules on disclosure and recording calls vary by place and industry. Ask your attorney before you go live. **How much does an AI receptionist cost?** It varies by provider, call volume and features, so check current pricing. [ElevenLabs vs Vapi](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/elevenlabs-vs-vapi-cost-per-call-launch-checklist) compares cost per call and has a launch checklist. ## Build it yourself, free **Build an After-Hours Intake Voice Agent for a Law Firm (ElevenLabs)**. Build an after-hours intake agent for a small personal injury firm in ElevenLabs: it says it's AI and not a lawyer, takes the details for a callback and the conflict check, and never gives legal… You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ElevenLabs Agents, it checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/law-after-hours-intake) [Or read the full step-by-step guide](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/law-firm-after-hours-intake-voice-agent) ## Free lessons in this post - [Build an After-Hours Intake Voice Agent for a Law Firm (ElevenLabs)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/law-firm-after-hours-intake-voice-agent): Build an after-hours intake agent for a small personal injury firm in ElevenLabs: it says it's AI and not a lawyer, takes the details for a callback and the conflict… - [Your First Voice Agent in ElevenLabs: An After-Hours Receptionist](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/elevenlabs-voice-agent-tutorial-after-hours-receptionist): Build an after-hours phone receptionist for a small plumbing company: system prompt, a greeting that says it is AI, a calm voice and a fast model, then test-call it in… - [Build a Coverage FAQ Voice Agent for an Insurance Agency (ElevenLabs Knowledge Base)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/insurance-agency-coverage-faq-voice-agent-elevenlabs): Give an insurance agency's after-hours ElevenLabs agent a coverage guide and FAQ, tell it to explain coverage only in general terms, and test it on flood, a claims… ## Related terms Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson. [AI receptionist](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-receptionist) · [Conflict check](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/conflict-check) · [System prompt (system message)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/system-prompt) · [Call summary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/call-summary) · [Deductible](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/deductible) [The full AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) ## Related prompts - [AI receptionist script prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/ai-receptionist-script-prompt): A copy-ready prompt that drafts an AI receptionist's instructions: greeting, questions, what it must never say and when to hand… [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) ## Keep reading - [What Can You Automate With n8n? 8 Office Examples](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/what-can-you-automate-with-n8n): What can you automate with n8n? Eight office examples, from Gmail reply drafts to invoice approvals, each with a free practice lesson. - [When to Automate a Task with AI: A Simple Checklist](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/when-to-automate-with-ai): When to automate a task with AI: do it by hand in ChatGPT first, automate fixed daily steps without AI, and use an agent with drafts when judgment repeats. - [How to Test an n8n Workflow Before You Publish](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/how-to-test-an-n8n-workflow): How to test an n8n workflow: test one step, run the whole thing, read the item counts, use test events, check the real output, then publish. [All blog posts](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog) · [All free tutorials](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content)