Your AI Receptionist answers calls on your behalf, greeting callers, answering common questions, and capturing new job requests — so you never miss a lead while you're out on the tools or after hours.
This feature is currently in beta and only available to selected customers. Reach out to support if you'd like to try out the feature. The AI Receptionist will be a paid add-on when we're ready to launch it.
How it works
When a customer calls your AI Receptionist number, the assistant:
Greets the caller with your custom message
Answers questions using the FAQs you've provided
Captures details for new job requests and saves them to your SortScape account
Optionally transfers the call to your team if the caller wants to speak to a human
Optionally sends an SMS follow-up to the caller after creating a request
All conversations are recorded and you can review transcripts, summaries, and recordings from the AI Receptionist page in SortScape.
Getting started
To start using the AI Receptionist:
Go to Admin > AI Receptionist from the navigation menu
Toggle AI Receptionist enabled to on
Once enabled, you'll see your dedicated phone number displayed on the page. This is the number your AI Receptionist answers on.
To start receiving calls, set up call forwarding from your main business phone number to your AI Receptionist number. How you do this depends on your phone provider — you might forward all calls, or only forward when you're busy or after hours. Contact your phone provider if you need help setting up call forwarding.
You can test your AI Receptionist at any time by pressing Test AI Receptionist to place a call directly.
Customizing your greeting
The greeting is the first thing callers hear when the AI Receptionist picks up. To change it:
Go to Admin > AI Receptionist
Edit the text in the Greeting message field
Your changes save automatically when you click out of the field
If you leave the greeting blank when enabling the AI Receptionist, a default greeting will be filled in for you that includes your business name.
Important: We strongly recommend mentioning in your greeting that the call is being recorded, as you may be required to disclose this depending on local laws in your region.
Adding FAQs
FAQs give your AI Receptionist the knowledge it needs to answer caller questions accurately. The more relevant information you provide, the better it can help your callers.
To manage FAQs:
Go to Admin > AI Receptionist
In the Frequently asked questions section, enter a question and its answer
Click Add topic to add more question-and-answer pairs
To remove a topic, click the X button next to it
Here are some examples of useful FAQs:
Which areas do you serve? — List your service areas
What services do you offer? — Describe your services and any specialties
What are your rates? — Provide general pricing information or explain how you quote
Do you offer regular maintenance? — Explain your recurring service options
Both the question and the answer need to be filled in for the AI Receptionist to use a topic. Incomplete entries (with a blank question or answer) are ignored.
Call transfer
Call transfer lets callers ask to speak with a real person. When enabled, the AI Receptionist can transfer the call to a phone number you specify.
To set up call transfer:
Go to Admin > AI Receptionist
In the Call transfer section, toggle Allow call transfers to on
Enter the phone number you'd like calls transferred to (e.g. your mobile or office number)
When a caller asks to speak to someone, the AI Receptionist will transfer the call to this number.
SMS follow-up
You can have an SMS automatically sent to the caller after the AI Receptionist captures a new job request from the conversation. This is a great way to confirm their enquiry and reassure them you'll be in touch.
To enable SMS follow-up:
Go to Admin > AI Receptionist
In the SMS follow-up section, toggle Send SMS to on
Select an SMS template from the dropdown, or click Add template to create one
The SMS will be sent shortly after the AI Receptionist creates the request. You can manage your SMS templates from Admin > Messages > Templates.
Reviewing calls
To see what your AI Receptionist has been up to:
Click AI Receptionist in the main navigation menu
You'll see a list of recent conversations showing the time, caller, call duration, and a brief summary
Click on any call to see the full details, including:
Summary — A brief overview of what was discussed
Recording — Listen back to the call audio
Conversation transcript — Read through the full conversation between the caller and the assistant
If the caller is a known contact in SortScape, their name will appear as a link so you can quickly view their details. Any requests captured by the AI Receptionist will appear in your requests list as usual.
Tips for getting the best results
Keep your greeting concise — A short, friendly greeting works best. Include your business name and a recording disclosure.
Add plenty of FAQs — The more context the AI Receptionist has, the more helpful it will be. Think about the questions your customers ask most often.
Review calls regularly — Check the conversation history to see how the AI is handling calls and adjust your FAQs based on what callers are asking.
Use SMS follow-ups — A quick follow-up text after a new request makes a great first impression and gives callers confidence that their enquiry was received.
Set up call forwarding strategically — Consider forwarding to your AI Receptionist only when you're busy or outside business hours, so callers always get a response.