AI Call Assistant answers calls, captures caller details, and answers common business questions when your team is unavailable. Choose whether the assistant answers every call, unanswered calls, or calls outside your business hours.

This guide covers setup, answering rules, business information, activation, testing, call results, and pausing AI Call Assistant in Thryv®. The assistant captures leads and callback requests. Appointment booking and live call transfers are not supported.

Table of contents

• Benefits of AI Call Assistant
• Who can use AI Call Assistant
• What to prepare before setup
• How to start AI Call Assistant setup
• How to choose phone numbers and answering hours
• How to personalize your AI Call Assistant
• How to add business information
• How to review , activate, and test your assistant
• Where to find call summaries, transcripts, and recordings
• How editing or pausing your assistant
• AI Call Assistant limitations and FAQs

Benefits of AI Call Assistant

AI Call Assistant helps your business capture inquiries when your team is busy or your business is closed. The assistant collects the caller’s name, phone number, reason for calling, and callback requests so your team has information for follow-up.

Provide accurate business details to help the assistant answer questions about services, hours, service areas, and promotions. Post-call emails include a conversation summary and transcript so your team can prepare before returning a call.

Who can use AI Call Assistant

AI Call Assistant is available to eligible US accounts on Signature and Signature + plans. Free Trial accounts, Starter accounts, older plans, and international accounts are not eligible for self-service setup.

All staff can set up, edit, and pause AI Call Assistant. Eligibility also depends on the specific business category. Some categories are excluded, while other categories require an additional recording agreement. An excluded category remains ineligible even if the category also appears on the additional-consent list.

AI Call Assistant is included in eligible packages. Calls, test calls, and minutes are tracked, with no separate add-on or usage charges.

Ineligible business categories

Select the industry that accurately describes your business. An ineligible industry displays a warning and prevents setup from continuing. Change the industry only if the original selection was incorrect.

Image description: The Industry field shows Medical. An error reads “This industry isn’t eligible for AI Call Assistant.” A warning explains that medical businesses cannot continue setup. Customers who selected the wrong industry can correct the selection.

Additional recording agreement

Some eligible industries require an additional recording agreement during setup. For example, selecting Financial Services displays the required “It’s OK to record my calls” checkbox.

Select It’s OK to record my calls to agree to call recording and transcription. Customers in categories that require the agreement cannot activate AI Call Assistant while the checkbox remains unchecked.

Image description: The Industry field shows Financial Services. An unchecked checkbox labeled “It’s OK to record my calls” includes a required-field asterisk. Supporting text explains that legal and financial businesses must agree before AI Call Assistant can record and transcribe calls answered for the business.

What to prepare before setup

Have the following information ready:

• The active tracking numbers the assistant should answer.
• Your business industry, hours, and time zone for after-hours coverage.
• The assistant’s name and greeting.
• Instructions describing how the assistant should respond and what information to capture.
• Your services, service areas, and approved answers to common questions.
• The email address that should receive post-call information.
• An optional emergency contact number.

Describe services and pricing accurately. Include services your business does not offer, pricing that requires an assessment, and availability that staff must confirm.

How to start AI Call Assistant setup

1. Click Settings in the left-hand navigation.
   
    
2. Select AI Call Assistant.
   
    
3. Click Start setup now.
   
   Image description: The Settings page includes an AI Call Assistant option. The AI Call Assistant introduction displays Start setup now and Learn more buttons.

How to choose phone numbers and answering hours

Choose the phone numbers the assistant should answer and when the assistant should take calls.

1. Review the numbers under Connect phone numbers to your AI Call Assistant.
2. Select the numbers the assistant should answer. Clear the checkbox beside any number you do not want connected.
3. Review the forwarding destination displayed for each number.
4. Select your business industry in the Industry field.
5. Review any industry eligibility message and complete the recording agreement if required.

Only active tracking numbers appear during setup. Active numbers are selected by default.

Image description: The Getting started screen lists available tracking numbers with selection checkboxes, source descriptions, and forwarding destinations. The screen also includes the required Industry field and the answering options.

Choose when the assistant answers

Select the answering option that matches your business needs.

If you select Every call or Only when I don’t answer, click Next to continue.

Set business hours for after-hours coverage

If you select Only when I’m closed, enter the hours when your team handles calls.

1. Select your business time zone in the Time zone field.
2. Turn on each day your business is open.
3. Select the opening and closing times for each open day. Leave closed days turned off.
4. Review the schedule, then click Next.

Image description: The Only when I’m closed option is selected. The Your business hours section includes a Time zone dropdown, shown as Pacific Time (PT), and daily schedule controls. Sunday is turned off and labeled Closed. The visible weekday rows have opening and closing times. AI Call Assistant answers outside the entered business hours.

How to personalize your AI Call Assistant

Give the assistant a name, choose a voice, and explain how the assistant should handle calls.

1. Enter a name in the AI Call Assistant name field.
2. Select a Voice type. Click Play Voice to preview the selected voice.
3. Review the Greeting mode and Greeting fields. Fixed greeting reads your message word for word.
4. Enter a short Company description.
5. Review and customize the Call Assistant instructions.

Industry, AI Call Assistant name, and Call Assistant instructions are required fields.

Review the default greeting

Keep the approved default greeting provided during setup. Add business-specific wording to the default greeting rather than replacing the greeting entirely.

The greeting must identify that AI is answering the call. Review any greeting changes before activating the assistant.

Describe how the assistant should handle inquiries

Use Call Assistant instructions to explain the assistant’s purpose and the details your team needs for follow-up. For example:

Capture the caller’s name, callback number, and reason for calling. Use the business information provided to answer questions. If an answer is unavailable, collect the caller’s details for a callback. Do not promise appointment availability or quote unconfirmed prices.

Add an emergency contact number

The optional Emergency contact number field lets you provide a number the assistant can give callers with urgent business inquiries. The assistant shares the number; the assistant does not transfer the call.

Leave the field blank if your team prefers to handle inquiries through the normal callback process.

Image description: The Emergency contact number section includes an optional Phone Number For Urgent Calls field. The assistant gives callers the entered number for urgent inquiries. Leave the field blank to use the normal follow-up process.

How to add business information

Accurate business information helps AI Call Assistant answer questions and capture useful inquiries. The assistant uses information entered in the setup form first. Your business website serves as a secondary source when the setup form does not provide an answer.

Enter your business website

Enter your business website in the What’s your business website? field.

Include essential service details, pricing conditions, and business policies directly in the setup fields so the assistant has the information available.

Describe products and services

Enter your offerings in Products and services.

Include service areas, priority services, and services your business no longer offers. Explain whether pricing requires an assessment or estimate.

Add specials and promotions

Enter active offers in Specials and promotions.

Include eligibility requirements, exclusions, and expiration dates when applicable. Leave the optional field blank if your business has no promotions to share.

Add common customer questions and answers

Enter frequently asked questions and approved answers in Common customer questions and answers.

Useful topics include business hours, service areas, estimate requests, pricing policies, and the callback process. Common Questions and Answers content supports up to 5,000 characters total. Business text fields have a 750-character limit.

Enter or paste business information into the provided fields.

Image description: The Additional settings section contains a website field and text fields for Products and services, Specials and promotions, and Common customer questions and answers. These fields supply business information the assistant can use when answering callers.

Click Next after reviewing the business information.

How to review, activate, and test your assistant

During setup, review and confirm the assistant’s configuration. Customers listen to and interact with the assistant after activation.

1. Review the Getting started and Setup sections on the review screen.
2. Check the connected phone numbers, industry, answering schedule, greeting, instructions, and business information.
3. Click Edit beside any section that needs changes.
4. Click Activate call assistant when the configuration is ready.

Image description: The Review screen summarizes connected phone numbers, industry, answering mode, and assistant settings. Edit controls let customers return to the relevant setup section. The Activate call assistant button appears at the bottom.

Test the activated assistant

After activation, the confirmation window provides options to interact with the live assistant. Use a test call to check the greeting, business answers, and captured caller details.

To receive a call from the assistant:

1. Find Have the AI call assistant call you in the confirmation window.
2. Review or enter the phone number where you want to receive the call.
3. Dial the number provided to hear the AI Call Assistant. 

Image description: The activation confirmation displays the assistant’s name, industry, and connected-number count. Under Try it out now, the Call your AI Call Assistant section provides a phone number labeled For testing only. Instructions tell customers to call from a personal number not linked to the business and not to share the test number with customers. The window includes Go back to Setup and Close buttons.

Test calls and minutes are tracked and included in your eligible package.

Access the test options again

To access the confirmation and test options after closing the window:

1. Click Settings in the left-hand navigation.
2. Select AI Call Assistant.
3. Edit and update the assistant’s configuration to access the confirmation and test options again.

Where to find call summaries, transcripts, and recordings

After AI Call Assistant answers a call, the designated email recipient receives an email titled “Your AI Call Assistant answered a call.”

The post-call email includes:

• Caller and Phone: Caller identification and phone information.
• When: The call date, time, and time zone.
• Duration: The length of the call.
• Call summary: A summary of the conversation, captured information, and follow-up requests.
• Transcript: The conversation, with entries labeled AI Call Assistant and Caller.

Review the summary and transcript to prepare for follow-up. A preferred callback time captured during a conversation is a request, not a booked appointment.

Image description: The post-call email displays caller information, the call date and time, and call duration. A Call summary describes the inquiry and callback request. A Transcript section separates the assistant’s responses from the caller’s responses.

Open Leads in Thryv Growth Platform to find the lead and available call recording. Post-call emails do not include recording links.

Transcripts are available in the post-call email and are not available in Marketing Center. Call reporting is available in Analytics.

For manually configured Thryv Leads tracking numbers, the AI answered-by label does not appear in the initial release. The recording becomes available when the lead arrives in Thryv Growth Platform.

How to edit or pause your assistant

Open Settings, then select AI Call Assistant to review the configuration. Use the relevant Edit control to change connected numbers or assistant settings.

For numbers configured through Thryv Growth Platform, pausing AI Call Assistant returns calls to the business’s original routing and preserves the assistant’s configuration. Resuming restores the saved settings.

You can control individual connected numbers separately. Newly created tracking numbers do not connect to AI Call Assistant automatically.

Thryv Leads numbers configured outside Thryv Growth Platform do not support the same pause behavior. Contact your Customer Success Manager before changing coverage. Resuming service requires the external configuration to be restored.

AI Call Assistant limitations and FAQs

Can AI Call Assistant book appointments or transfer calls?

No. AI Call Assistant captures caller details, reasons for calling, and callback requests. Appointment booking, calendar integrations, and live transfers are not supported in this release.

If a caller asks for a person, the assistant collects contact information for follow-up. An emergency contact number allows the assistant to share a number with the caller; the assistant does not transfer the call.

What happens when the assistant cannot answer a question?

AI Call Assistant is designed to collect the caller’s details for a callback when the supplied business information does not answer the question. Provide clear service descriptions and approved answers to help the assistant respond accurately.

Which languages are supported?

AI Call Assistant supports English, Spanish, and French.

Can I change how many rings occur before the assistant answers?

No. Only when I don’t answer uses four rings. Customers cannot select a different ring count.

Do I need to disable my voicemail?

No voicemail changes are required as a standard setup step. Contact Support if voicemail conflicts with AI Call Assistant answering calls.

Are calls and test calls charged separately?

No. AI Call Assistant is included with eligible Signature and Signature + packages. Calls, test calls, and minutes are tracked, with no separate add-on or usage charges.

Can I test the assistant after closing the confirmation window?

Yes. Open Settings, select AI Call Assistant, and edit and update the configuration to access the confirmation and test options again.

Where can I listen to call recordings?

Available recordings appear with leads in the Thryv Growth Platform leads table. Post-call emails include transcripts but do not include recording links.

What happens if I leave the recording agreement unchecked?

For eligible categories that require the recording agreement, AI Call Assistant cannot be activated until you select It’s OK to record my calls.

Can an excluded business category use AI Call Assistant by agreeing to recording?

No. An excluded category remains ineligible. Additional recording agreements apply only to otherwise eligible categories that require consent.

How does the assistant handle payment card information?

PCI card-data redaction applies to call recordings, transcripts, and email summaries.

Do newly created tracking numbers connect automatically?

No. Select additional tracking numbers in the AI Call Assistant configuration when you want the assistant to answer calls to those numbers.

How do Thryv Leads customers request setup outside Thryv Growth Platform?

Thryv Leads customers outside Thryv Growth Platform need manual setup through their Customer Success Manager and Optimization team. Contact your Customer Success Manager for assistance.

Eligible Signature and Signature + customers use self-service setup in Thryv Growth Platform.

Is AI Receptionist a different feature?

No. AI Receptionist is the former name. AI Call Assistant is the customer-facing name for the same feature.