Inbound Calls
Inbound calls are handled by your Voice Agent when someone dials its assigned phone number. The agent answers, engages in conversation, and takes actions based on your configuration.
How inbound calls work
- Caller dials your number -- The Twilio phone number assigned to your voice agent
- Agent answers -- Greets the caller according to your prompt
- Conversation -- The agent listens, processes, and responds naturally
- Actions -- During the call, the agent can check calendars, create contacts, search your Knowledge Base, and more
- Post-call -- The agent can send follow-up emails, create tasks, or update records
Setting up inbound calls
Assign a phone number
From the Voice page:
- Select your voice agent
- Go to the phone number settings
- Purchase a new Twilio number or assign an existing one
- The number is immediately active for inbound calls
Configure the greeting
In your voice agent's prompt, define how the agent answers:
"Hello, thank you for calling Acme Consulting. How can I help you today?"
Set up tools
Enable the tools your agent needs during calls:
- Calendar -- For scheduling and availability checks
- Contacts -- To look up or create contact records
- Knowledge Base -- To answer questions about your business
- Email -- To send follow-ups or confirmations
Call flow example
Caller: "Hi, I'd like to schedule a consultation."
Agent: "I'd be happy to help you schedule a consultation. Let me check our availability. What day works best for you?"
Caller: "How about next Tuesday?"
Agent: (checks calendar) "We have openings at 10am, 2pm, and 4pm next Tuesday. Which works best?"
Caller: "2pm would be great."
Agent: (books meeting, creates contact) "Perfect, I've scheduled your consultation for next Tuesday at 2pm. I'll send a confirmation email shortly. Can I get your email address?"
Monitoring calls
All inbound calls appear in your Events feed with:
- Call duration
- Full transcript
- Actions taken during the call
- Caller information
Tips
- Keep your greeting short -- Callers want to get to the point quickly
- Enable only necessary tools -- Each tool adds a small delay to responses
- Update your Knowledge Base -- The agent can only answer questions about content you have uploaded
- Review transcripts -- Regularly check call transcripts to improve your prompt and identify gaps in your Knowledge Base