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How VVOXA answers your phone, step by step

VVOXA (say “Voxa”; the first V is silent) is an AI receptionist for small businesses. This page walks through all of it: the setup call, forwarding your number, what it does on each call, and where you see your calls afterwards.

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$1,000 setup, then $500 a month. First month free. No per-minute charges. See pricing

By VVOXA in Cape Coral, Florida. Updated . Questions? Email Matt, our founder, at info@vvoxa.com.

The short version

  1. We set it up with you.

    On a call, Matt goes through how you answer the phone: your hours, your prices, what to ask every caller, and when a call should come straight to you.

  2. You forward your number.

    Turn on call forwarding and point it at the line we give you. Your number, your listing and your van stay the same.

  3. It answers, and you catch up.

    Each call lands in your account with a summary and a transcript, and the ones that need you are marked.

Step 1: the setup call

Setup is done remotely, on a phone call with Matt, our founder, so nobody needs to come to your business. There's no software for you to learn first. We build your receptionist from your website, your public business listings and what you tell us on the call.

If you'd rather someone came to you, ask. A visit happens only when a business asks for one, and the business covers the travel cost.

The call goes faster if you have these answers ready. Print this page or copy the list into a note.

  1. How you answer the phone now.The name callers know you by, and anything you always say when you pick up.
  2. Your hours and closed days.Holidays too, and what callers should hear when you're closed.
  3. What you do, and what you don't.Your services, the areas or brands you cover, and the things people ask for that you don't offer.
  4. The prices you're happy to give on the phone.Fixed prices only, like a trip fee or an oil change. Anything that needs a look first, it won't quote.
  5. What to ask every caller.Name and number, always. Then whatever your work needs: an address, the vehicle, a unit number, the service they want.
  6. When a call should come straight to you.Which calls, and the number to put them through to. A leak in progress, say, or a customer stranded at the roadside.
  7. Bookings, if you want them.Whether it should book, how long each kind of appointment takes, and your Google Calendar if you use one.
  8. Whether it says up front that it's automated.It never claims to be a person. It can say it's an automated assistant at the start of every call, or only when a caller asks.
  9. Who else needs to see the calls.Up to 10 people can share your account, each with their own sign-in.

From your answers we write its greeting and what it knows. You check and approve the greeting before it answers a single customer. After that, you can change any of it from your account, or ask us to.

Step 2: forwarding your number

You keep your number. Nothing changes on your website, your Google listing, your business cards or your van. You turn on call forwarding, and calls to your number go to the line we give you.

How you switch it on depends on your phone company. On many mobile phones it's a short code you dial; office phone systems often set it on a web page instead. Some carriers restrict forwarding or charge for it. We walk you through yours, and your account shows when calls are reaching it.

Turning it off

Turn forwarding off and your phone rings like it used to. There's nothing to uninstall and nothing to change back.

Step 3: what happens on a call

Here's what VVOXA does from the first ring to the write-up in your account.

  1. It picks up on the first ring.

    With your greeting, day or night, weekends and holidays.

  2. It listens.

    Speech recognition turns what the caller says into text as they talk. Callers can talk over it, and it asks again when it didn't catch something.

  3. It answers from your facts.

    Your hours, services, prices and instructions. When it doesn't know something, it says so. It won't make up a price or a time.

  4. It replies out loud.

    In the voice you chose, about two seconds after the caller finishes a sentence in our own testing.

  5. It does what the call needs.

    It books an open time, takes a message (name, number, what they need and how soon), or puts the call through to you. If you don't pick up, the caller can leave a voicemail.

  6. It writes the call up.

    Moments after the call ends, a summary, the transcript and the recording are in your account. Calls that need you are marked.

It also keeps caller history by phone number, so it can recognize someone who has called before.

Hear a real one

A real test call to our demo line. That's Matt, our founder, playing the caller. Riley is VVOXA, answering as the front desk of a sample wellness studio.

A real call, recorded

VVOXA demo line (sample wellness studio)

Caller: Matt, our founder

Fri 2 Oct, 3:48 PM · 1:43

Booked
  1. RileyThanks for calling the VVOXA demo line! I'm Riley, and I'll play the front desk of a sample wellness studio so you can try me out. How can I help?
  2. MattHi. I would like to place an appointment.
  3. RileySure. What kind of session would you like to book?
  4. MattI'd like to book a standard session for tomorrow around eleven in the morning.
  5. RileyTomorrow, Saturday, I have ten, ten thirty, or eleven available for a standard session. Which works best?
  6. MattEleven.
  7. RileyGreat. What's your name?
  8. MattMatt.
  9. RileyIs the number you're calling from the best one to reach you?
  10. MattYes. This number is fine.
  11. RileyWant VVOXA to text you about this booking at this number? That's usually 2 or 3 texts: a confirmation, a reminder an hour before, and a note if anything changes. Message and data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help or STOP to opt out. Terms are at vvoxa.com/demo-texts and privacy at vvoxa.com/privacy. Would you like these texts, yes or no?
  12. MattYes.
  13. RileyOne sec.
  14. RileyYou're booked for Saturday at eleven for a standard session at $85. You're down for VVOXA's texts, though they won't arrive for this booking. Anything else I can help with?
  15. MattNo. That is all. Thank you.
  16. RileyThanks, Matt. Take care.

Nothing is cut from the middle; only the silence before the first word and after the last is trimmed. The demo line's texts weren't switched on yet that day, which is why Riley says none will arrive. The texting question is shorter now; today's wording is on the demo line's text terms.

What it won't do

Knowing the limits up front saves you a surprise later.

  • Make things up. If a caller asks something you haven't told it, it says it doesn't know, takes a number and marks the call. A wrong price costs you more than a callback.
  • Pretend to be a person. It never claims to be human when a caller asks.
  • Stand in for 911. It can't contact emergency services or send help. When a caller says someone is in danger, it's instructed to tell them to contact emergency services. Keep your own way for urgent callers to reach a person (Terms, section 6.3).
  • Text or email you about every call. Calls wait in your account, marked when they need you. Turn on the app alerts if you want a nudge for bookings, messages and voicemails.
  • Text your callers before you're registered. Texts to callers start only once your business has its own texting number registered with the phone carriers, and only for callers who say yes.

Like any AI, it can get things wrong. Speech recognition mishears people, and a summary can miss a detail. For anything important, like a callback number or a booking, check the call's transcript.

Where you see your calls

Everything lands in your VVOXA account, on your phone or your computer. On a phone you can add it to your home screen like an app.

  • Calls

    Every call, with who called and what they wanted. A chip shows when it took a message, and urgent messages are marked.

  • One call, opened

    The caller's details, a short summary and the whole transcript, and you can play the recording. Each recording is kept for 90 days after the call.

  • Live

    While a call is happening, Live shows what's being said, a few seconds behind. Press Listen in to hear it. The caller can't hear you.

  • Receptionist

    Your greeting, hours, prices and what it asks callers. Press Edit to change any of it.

  • Calendar

    The bookings it made. Connect Google Calendar and every booking shows up there too, and it won't offer a time you're already busy.

  • Alerts and the Monday email

    Turn on notifications in the VVOXA app for new bookings, cancellations, messages and voicemails. An alert never shows the caller's number or what they said. A summary email arrives each Monday unless you turn it off.

Changing it, or turning it off

Changing what it says

Your business changes, so your receptionist can too. From your account you can change its name, your business name, its greeting, whether it says up front that it's automated, its instructions, the facts it knows, its voice, and your opening hours and closed days. A change is used from the next call. Rather not do it yourself? Send us a message and we'll change it for you.

If other people help run the business, add them: up to 10 people in all. An Admin can do almost everything, including billing. An Editor can change the receptionist but can't see billing. A Viewer can see calls and listen in, and can't change anything.

Pausing or cancelling

To stop it answering, turn off call forwarding and your phone rings like it used to. That doesn't cancel your plan.

To cancel, sign in to your account, choose Manage billing and cancel your plan. Cancel during the free month and the first $500 is never charged. Cancel after that and it keeps working to the end of the month you've paid for. Turn off forwarding before your plan ends, because calls still forwarded after that may go unanswered. The details are in section 5.3 of our Terms.

Questions about how it works

Do I need a new phone number?

No. You keep the number you already give out and turn on call forwarding. Turn forwarding off and your phone rings like it used to.

What does it sound like, and will callers know it's AI?

It talks like someone who works there, with your greeting, your hours and your prices, in a computer-generated voice you choose. Some callers will know and some won't. It never claims to be a person, and you choose whether it says it's automated at the start of every call or only when a caller asks. The best way to judge is to have it call you.

What happens when it doesn't know something?

It says so, takes the caller's name and number, and marks the call for you. It won't make up a price or a time.

Can it put calls through to my cell phone?

Yes. You tell us which calls should come to you and the number to ring. If you don't pick up, the caller can leave a voicemail, and it's kept with the call in your account.

How will I know a call needs me?

Calls that need you are marked in your account. Turn on notifications in the VVOXA app and you get an alert for new bookings, cancellations, messages and voicemails. VVOXA doesn't text or email you about each call.

Can I listen to my calls?

Yes. Press Listen in on the Live page to hear a call as it happens; the caller can't hear you. Afterwards, you can play the recording from the call for 90 days.

How long does setup take?

There's no fixed number of days. It mostly depends on when you're free for the setup call and how soon call forwarding is switched on. Worth knowing: your free month counts from checkout, not from the day it goes live.

Can I change what it says myself?

Yes. From your account you can change its greeting, its instructions, the facts it knows, its voice and your hours. A change is used from the next call. Or send us a message and we'll change it for you.

Read next

Your phone is ringing.

Hear VVOXA answer it. Put your number in on our home page and it calls you in about twenty seconds, or ring our demo line on (650) 754-4948 and book a practice appointment.

Have it call you or see pricing first
Book a 20-min demo call Or join the upcoming webinar

Questions first? Email Matt at info@vvoxa.com.