How to Write a Call Script for an AI Receptionist
How to write a call script for an AI receptionist: greeting, questions, approved answers, booking rules, emergency transfers and a clear close, plus how to test it.
Short answer: a good AI receptionist script has six parts: a greeting with your business name and a short AI disclosure, how to find out what the caller needs, answers to your most common questions, booking rules, emergency and transfer rules, and a clear close with next steps. Write it the way your best office person talks.
The 6 parts of a call script
1. Greeting
“Thanks for calling Summit Heating. This is the virtual assistant. How can I help today?”
2. Find out what they need
- New job, existing appointment, quote, billing or something else?
- For a job: what is happening, where, and how urgent?
3. Common questions and answers
List your top 10 questions with short, approved answers: service areas, hours, what you charge for a call-out, warranties, payment options.
4. Booking rules
- Which jobs can be booked straight away, and which need a quote first
- How long each job type takes
- Which details to collect: name, phone, address, best time
5. Emergency and transfer rules
- What counts as an emergency for your trade
- Who to transfer to, and what to do if nobody answers
- When to transfer anyone who asks for a person
6. Close
“You’re booked for Thursday at 10 AM. You’ll get a text confirmation now and a reminder the day before. Anything else?”
Things the receptionist must never do
- Promise prices you have not approved
- Diagnose safety issues, such as gas smells. It should give your safety instruction and escalate.
- Argue with an upset caller
- Pretend to be a person
Test before going live
Call it yourself with easy and hard scenarios: an angry customer, a vague request, an emergency at 2 AM, someone asking for the owner. Fix every weak answer before launch, then review call summaries weekly at first.
Frequently asked questions
How long should the script be?
Short. Most of the work is in the question-and-answer list and the rules, not the greeting.
Can I change the script later?
Yes. Update it as you see new questions in call summaries.
Should the receptionist use my voice?
It can. See can an AI receptionist sound like you.
Want a script written for your trade?
Script writing and testing are included in our AI Receptionist service. Ask for a free audit.
Written by Qasim Qureshi, founder of Synova Digital, who has six years of hands-on experience in local SEO and Google Business Profiles for service businesses.