Customer Support and Voice AI
AI receptionist for small business: calls, bookings and handoffs
What an AI receptionist does on a real call, the rules that apply, a sample greeting and a pass/fail checklist to launch one safely.
Inbound
Voice Agent Pilot
Hear an AI receptionist answer your own after-hours or overflow calls before you commit to a full voice build.
It is hard to judge an AI voice from a demo. Voice Agent Pilot puts one on your real calls instead. We set up a forwarding number with one call flow that answers your top questions and takes messages. It runs live on your after-hours or overflow calls for 14 days. You then get recordings, a results summary and the fee credited if you go ahead.
- Live on your real after-hours or overflow calls
- Recordings and a results summary to judge it by
- Fee credited in full against a full voice build
$1,625
5–15 working days
What it is
Voice Agent Pilot is a short, live trial of an AI receptionist on your own phone calls. We set up one forwarding number and one call flow that answers up to 15 FAQs and takes messages. It runs for 14 days on after-hours or overflow calls, then you get recordings and recommendations.
Why businesses buy it
Many owners like the idea of an AI receptionist but worry how callers will react. A sales demo cannot answer that, because it uses someone else's questions and someone else's customers. The pilot answers it with your own callers, on calls you would otherwise miss. You hear every recording and read every message it took. Then you decide with evidence, not a guess. If you go ahead with a full voice build within the credit window, the pilot fee comes off it. If not, you keep the recordings and the results summary.
Problems this solves
You cannot tell from a demo how your callers will react
The pilot runs live on your own after-hours or overflow calls. You get recordings of real conversations, so you hear exactly how callers respond to an AI voice.
After-hours and busy-line callers reach voicemail or hang up
One forwarding number with one call flow answers up to 15 common questions in your wording and takes a message. Each call is summarized by email.
A full voice build feels like a big step without proof
A results summary with recommendations shows what callers asked and what the agent could not answer. The fee is credited in full if you order a voice build within 30 days.
A good fit if
You miss calls after hours or when the line is busy, and want to see if an AI voice could catch them.
You are unsure whether your callers will accept an AI voice and want to hear real calls first.
Your phone system can forward after-hours or overflow calls to another number.
You can write short answers to the questions callers ask most.
Not the right fit if
You already know you want an AI receptionist on your main line. See AI Voice Receptionist.
Callers need to book appointments during the call. See AI Voice Booking Agent.
You need calls routed, qualified or transferred to staff. See AI Inbound Call Agent.
You want a voice line and website chat answering from the same knowledge. See AI Front Desk Starter Bundle.
How it works
- You send your top caller questions with answers, your call-recording disclosure wording and an email address for summaries.
- We set up one forwarding number and one call flow that answers FAQs in your wording and takes messages.
- We place test calls through the flow, then you switch on forwarding for after-hours or overflow calls.
- The pilot runs live on real calls for 14 days, and each call is summarized by email.
- You receive a results summary with recordings and recommendations, and decide whether to order a full voice build.
What you provide within 72 hours
Your portal lists these the moment you order. Delivery starts the working day after everything is in and your access is checked.
- Call forwarding for after-hours or overflow calls, set up on your phone system.
- Your top 15 caller questions, with the answers you want given.
- The call-recording disclosure wording you want callers to hear.
- An email address where call summaries should go.
The 72-hour rule. Send everything on your checklist, including access, within 72 hours of ordering so your build starts on time.
Timeline
Start
Order placed. Questions, answers and disclosure wording due within 72 hours.
Setup
Forwarding number and call flow built with your FAQs and disclosure.
Testing
Test calls placed through the flow and the wording checked with you.
Go live
You switch on forwarding for after-hours or overflow calls.
Live period
Real calls answered for 14 days, up to 200 minutes, with a summary of each.
Results
Results summary, recordings and recommendations shared for your decision.
| Option | Delivery time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 5–15 working days | $1,625 |
What you receive at handover
- One forwarding number and one call flow, live for the pilot period
- Up to 15 FAQs set up in your wording
- An email summary of every call during the pilot
- A results summary with recordings and recommendations
- A follow-up period for questions after the pilot
Expected benefits and how to measure them
- Helps you decide on a full voice build using your own callers' reactions
- Can show how many after-hours or overflow calls you are missing today
- Gives you recordings to share with your team before deciding
- Calls answered during the pilot
- Count calls in the results summary and compare with missed calls or voicemails in the same period before the pilot.
- Calls that ended with a message
- Count the email summaries that include a message and compare with voicemails left in a typical fortnight.
- Questions the agent could not answer
- List them from the results summary to judge how much a full build would need to cover.
Before you start: Before the pilot, note how many after-hours or overflow calls you miss in a typical fortnight. Check your phone system's call log or voicemail count.
These are things to track, not promised results. Outcomes depend on your data, your team and your market.
Running costs
There are no running costs during the pilot. Up to 200 call minutes are included, and the forwarding number is provided for the trial. Your own phone provider may charge for forwarding calls, depending on your plan. Minutes beyond the included amount are outside the pilot.
Ask about running costsCustom requirements
Add a note at checkout if you need something specific. If it fits within the Scope Card it is simply included. If it goes beyond it, you get a written Change Quote within two working days, and that work starts only once you accept it, with its time added to your delivery date.
Request a custom versionKeep it running
The pilot ends after the live period, so there is nothing to keep running. The recordings, call summaries and results summary are yours. Follow-up questions are answered during the support period. Want an AI voice on your line for good? The pilot fee is credited against a full voice build ordered within 30 days.
How this compares
| Do it yourself | Hire a traditional agency | Upmark Labs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calls tested | A free trial you configure yourself, often on test calls only | A scripted demo using sample questions | Ours runs on your real after-hours or overflow calls |
| Setup effort | You write the flow, prompts and settings | A discovery call before anything is built | Ours is built from your answers to your top caller questions |
| Evidence | Call logs you review on your own | A sales summary of what it could do | Ours ends with recordings, a results summary and recommendations |
| Next step | Start paying once the trial ends | A separate proposal for the full build | Ours credits the pilot fee against a full voice build ordered within 30 days |
Questions about this product
Is the Voice Agent Pilot fee credited if I order a full voice build?
Yes. The full pilot fee is credited against AI Voice Receptionist, AI Voice Booking Agent or AI Inbound Call Agent. You need to order within 30 days of the pilot ending. If you decide not to go ahead, you still keep the recordings, call summaries and results summary from the pilot.
Which of my calls does the AI receptionist answer during the pilot?
Only the calls you forward to it. Most businesses forward after-hours calls, overflow calls when the line is busy, or both. Your main line keeps working as it does today. Forwarding stays under your control on your own phone system. You can switch it off at any time.
Can the pilot agent book appointments or transfer callers to my team?
No. The pilot uses one simple call flow: it answers up to 15 FAQs in your wording and takes a message. Bookings, call transfers and connections to your calendar or CRM are part of the full builds. AI Voice Booking Agent handles bookings, and AI Inbound Call Agent handles routing and transfers.
What happens if the pilot goes over 200 call minutes?
The pilot includes up to 200 call minutes across the live period. That is enough for most after-hours and overflow tests. If your volume looks likely to pass that limit, tell us at checkout. We can suggest forwarding only part of your calls, or send a written Change Quote for the extra minutes.
Do callers know they are speaking to an AI during the pilot?
Yes, if you want them to, and we recommend it. You give us the call-recording disclosure wording you want callers to hear. The flow plays it at the start of each call. Rules on recording and AI disclosure differ by country and state. Check the wording with your own adviser if you are unsure.
What do I receive at the end of the Voice Agent Pilot?
A results summary with recordings and recommendations. It shows how many calls came in, what callers asked, which questions the agent could not answer and where messages were taken. You also keep every call summary emailed during the pilot. The recommendations point to the full build that fits what your callers actually needed.
Do I need to change my phone number or provider for the pilot?
No. Your number stays where it is, and number porting is not part of the pilot. We provide a forwarding number, and you set your phone system to forward after-hours or overflow calls to it. Most business phone systems and mobile plans support conditional forwarding, but check that yours does before ordering.
Guides on this topic
All guides Hear it on your own calls first
Order the Voice Agent Pilot and judge an AI receptionist on your real after-hours calls. The fee is credited if you go ahead.
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