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Your First AI Receptionist - 5-Minute Setup

Welcome to Welco! In just 5 minutes, you’ll have a fully functional AI receptionist answering calls for your business. This tutorial covers the essential steps to get you operational quickly.
What You’ll Accomplish: By the end of this tutorial, your AI will be able to answer calls, provide basic business information, and handle common inquiries professionally.

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Step 1: Complete Your Account Setup (1 minute)

If you haven’t signed up yet, start at https://app.welco.ai/signup.

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Quick Account Creation

  1. Enter your name, email, and password
  2. Verify your email address
  3. Add your payment method for the free trial
  4. Complete the business profile form
Time-Saving Tip: Have your business information ready - company name, industry, and a brief description of what you do.

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Step 2: Get Your Phone Number (1 minute)

Your AI receptionist needs a phone number to answer calls. getting a number for voice agent

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Choose Your Option

Option A: Get a New Number
  1. Go to Phone Numbers in your dashboard
  2. Click Purchase New Number
  3. Select your preferred area code and number
  4. Click Purchase - your number is active immediately
Option B: Use Your Existing Number
  1. Click Import Existing Number
  2. Enter your current business phone number
  3. Follow the porting instructions (this may take longer than 5 minutes)
Recommendation: For this quick setup, choose Option A to get started immediately. You can always port your existing number later.

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Step 3: Configure Your AI Personality (2 minutes)

Now let’s teach your AI how to represent your business. ai receptionist settings

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Set Your Business Context

  1. Navigate to My Receptionist
Choose Your AI’s Voice and Personality
  1. Go to Voice & Personality
  2. Select Voice: Choose from available voice options
  3. Language: Select your primary language
Quick Start: Choose “Professional” tone and any clear voice for now. You can always refine these settings later based on caller feedback.

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Add Essential Business Information

In the Prompt section, add this basic template: 
You are the AI receptionist for [YOUR BUSINESS NAME]. We are a [YOUR INDUSTRY] business located in [YOUR CITY].

Our business hours are [YOUR HOURS].

Key information to share:
- We specialize in [MAIN SERVICE/PRODUCT]
- Our location: [ADDRESS]
- To schedule appointments, transfer to [PHONE NUMBER]
- For urgent matters, transfer to [EMERGENCY NUMBER]

Be professional, helpful, and always ask how you can assist callers.
Important: Replace the bracketed items with your actual business information. This gives your AI the essential context needed to help callers.

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Step 4: Add Quick Knowledge (1 minute)

Give your AI some basic information to answer common questions. RAG for Ai receptionist

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Essential Knowledge to Add

  1. Go to Knowledge Training
  2. Click Add Knowledge
  3. Add these quick entries:
Business Hours 
We are open Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.
We are closed on weekends and major holidays.
Location & Contact 
We are located at [YOUR ADDRESS].
You can reach us at [YOUR EMAIL] or call during business hours.
Main Services 
We provide [LIST YOUR TOP 3 SERVICES].
For more information about our services, please speak with our team.
Start Simple: Don’t worry about adding everything now. These basics will handle most initial inquiries, and you can expand your knowledge base over time.

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Step 5: Test Your AI Receptionist (30 seconds)

Time to make sure everything works!

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Quick Test Call

  1. Go to your Dashboard
  2. Find your new phone number
  3. Call it from your personal phone
  4. Have a brief conversation with your AI

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What to Test

  • Does the AI answer promptly?
  • Does it sound natural and professional?
  • Can it provide your business hours and location?
  • Does it offer to transfer calls appropriately?
Expected Behavior: Your AI should greet callers, identify your business, ask how it can help, and provide basic information you’ve configured.

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You’re Live! 🎉

Congratulations! Your AI receptionist is now operational and ready to handle real calls.

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What Your AI Can Do Right Now

✅ Answer calls professionally with your chosen voice and tone ✅ Provide business information like hours, location, and services ✅ Handle basic inquiries using the knowledge you’ve added ✅ Offer call transfers for complex requests ✅ Take messages when needed

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What Happens Next

  • Your AI will answer all calls to your Welco number
  • You’ll receive notifications when calls come in (if enabled)
  • Call logs and analytics will start appearing in your dashboard
  • The AI will learn and improve from interactions

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Common First-Call Issues & Quick Fixes

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AI Sounds Too Robotic

Quick Fix: Go to Voice & Personality and try a different voice model or adjust the speaking speed.

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AI Doesn’t Know Basic Business Info

Quick Fix: Check your Prompt section and ensure you’ve filled in all the bracketed business information.

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Calls Aren’t Coming Through

Quick Fix: Verify your phone number is active in Phone Numbers section and test by calling from a different phone.
Pro Tip: Most issues in the first few days are due to incomplete business information. Spend 10 minutes adding more details to see immediate improvements.

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Next Steps to Improve Your AI

Now that you’re operational, here’s how to make your AI even better:
  1. Add More Knowledge - Expand your knowledge base with FAQ content
  2. Set Up Notifications - Get alerts when calls come in
  3. Configure Business Hours - Set up after-hours handling