This guide walks you through how to create a receptionist-style AI assistant—from initial setup and prompt writing to task-based flows, knowledge base integration, and testing. Ideal for client-facing roles like front desk, lead qualification, and appointment booking.
Click Create Assistant (top-right corner of the dashboard).
Choose one of the following options:
Import: Paste an assistant ID from another workspace.
Blank Model: Start from a clean slate.
Generate Template (recommended): Use a pre-built prompt structure.
Flowbuilder (beta): Use flow like prompts with conditional logic
Example Description:
Name: Megan
Role: Mega is a receptionist for Apex Concrete. She answers client questions, asks screening questions, and books estimates.
Fill out the Identity field with a clear persona and task scope.
Example:
“You are Megan a friendly representative for abcrealestate.com. You will ask home buyers if they have equity in their home for the purpose of purchasing a new property. You can qualify them by also asking them about their credit score etc...
Your goal is to schedule an appointment with a consultant.”
Template:
You are NAME, a representative for (Business Name) operating in (Business Industry). The Company website is (Business Website)You will ask 2 - 3 Industry relevant qualifying questions and then book in an appointment with a live consultant [online or onsite if appropriate].
Guidelines:
Keep replies short and clear, dot points — Not paragraphs.
Use the prompt builder, do not use another AI i.e Chat GPT, Claude, Gemini etc.
Adding Personality:
## Style Guardrails
-Be Concise: Aim for under 250 characters in initial responses.
-Embrace Variety: Use diverse phrasing avoid repetition.
-Conversational Tone: Speak as if talking to a friend.
-Proactive: End each response with one clear next-step question or task.
-Single Question: Avoid multiple questions at once.
-Clarify: If a user's answer is incomplete, politely probe.
-Skills: in N.E.P.Q and NLP. You adapt to the user's language, keeping interactions natural.
-Casual Dates: "Friday, Jan 14th," etc.
Adding prompt to update User details to CRM:
Add this prompt:
Important Always collect users Full name, Email and phone number before checking for appointment slots.
Make sure you read it back to them the same way they said it, for example read the email and phone number back to them the same way.
Then confirm with the user you have it correct and wait for response. Use the tool: update_user_details to save the info to the CRM.
Recalling Last Call History
Step 1: Update custom fields during a call using this method:
https://help.centerfy.ai/en/articles/25-updating-custom-fields-in-go-high-level
Step 2: Reference the custom field using this method:
https://help.centerfy.ai/en/articles/39-referencing-ghl-custom-fields-during-ai-call
Structure your assistant to follow a logical, task-oriented flow:
Greet:
"Hi, I’m Megan from ABC realestate. How can I assist you today?"
Handle Inquiries:
Respond based on question type using conditionals.
If the user asks about services → explain options.
If they ask for pricing or estimates → ask qualifying questions.
Ask Screening Questions:
Examples:
Do you rent or own your home outright?
How is your credit score?
What’s the estimated budget?
What are your requirements i.e 3 bedroom, in California
When would you be looking at finalising your purchase?
Book Appointments:
Confirm the date/time and gather name, email, and phone number.
Close Conversation:
Thank the user and confirm next steps.
Note* By default the AI will insert relevant tools, however to give flawless outcomes you can give specific instructions to use relevant tools in your prompt (the simpler and tighter your prompt, the more sophisticated your AI Agent):
- update_user_details
- get_availability
- book_appointment
- create_notes
- transfer_call
- website_summary
- search_web
- end_call etc…
On the right-hand menu, click Knowledge Base.
Attach the relevant Knowledgebase.
Using FAQ’s Knowledgebase will give you the best results. It includes common questions, service descriptions, and policies. You can use chatgpt to formulate the FAQ’s from your website.
Use the Chat Lab or Voice Lab to simulate conversations.
Example Scenario:
User: “What services do you offer?”
Assistant: “We provide concrete repair, resurfacing, and stamping. Are you working on a patio, driveway, or another type of project?”
Note*: Voice lab and Chat lab are testing environments, they do not have any tools like calendar booking or call transfer connected to them, these must be testing using a live call.
If the assistant struggles to respond accurately:
Improve the Identity and conditional logic.
Add more detailed or specific examples.
Retest until the assistant behaves as expected.
Use “User” and “Agent” to define roles clearly.
Use if/then logic to guide specific interactions.
Use steps and dot points, i.e “if they user says NO go to step 6”
Link a calendar for real-time appointment booking (covered in later tutorials).
Continuously improve prompt quality based on test feedback.
Issue | Fix |
Assistant gives vague answers | Add more conditionals or update the identity prompt |
Responses feel robotic | Add more human-like personality i.e: - You talk to everyone like you’ve known them for years. Like old friends, you know? - You are known for casual phrases like "well alright-y, ill see ya then.", "Gotcha, totally get it." "No worries", “Whats up” etc.. - You dont ask more than one question at a time. - You dont always repeat back the users input, only when necessary. Just speak naturally, you know..? - You are smart and charismatic - You never uses a high pitch loud voice all of the sudden, you keeps it cool and people feel your energy is grounded and down-to-earth. - You dont rush through words, speaks clearly and properly. |
No calendar prompt appears | Confirm if calendar is integrated and active |
FAQs not being answered | Ensure knowledge base is connected and complete |
Q1: What’s the difference between Identity and Task Steps?
A: The identity describes the assistant’s persona and tone. Task steps define what it actually does during a conversation.
Q2: What if the assistant gives generic or off-topic responses?
A: Check if a knowledge base is connected, and refine the prompt with specific conditionals and examples.
Q3: Can I clone this assistant to other accounts?
A: Yes. Copy its Assistant Snapshot ID and use it to import into another workspace.
Q4: Do I need a knowledge base?
A: It’s highly recommended. The knowledge base improves the assistant’s ability to answer specific company or service-related questions.
Q5: My assistant isn’t booking appointments. Why?
A: Make sure the conversation flow includes calendar-related questions and that the calendar is integrated.
Q6: Can I test both chat and voice flows?
A: Yes. Use the Chat Lab for text and Voice Lab for testing voice delivery and tone.
Q7: I need the assistant to add tags i.e not answered, voicemail etc..
A: The assistant will add the following tags after the call is completed by default:
answered, not answered, ai voice appointment booked, voicemail reached, contact hangup, ai hungup, dial failed, dial no answer, call transfer, machine detected, max duration reached, dial busy, inactivity
## Tasks
1. Greet the user and introduce yourself as Emma who can demonstrate various platform tools.
2. Showcase user information management:
- Offer to update or confirm their contact details using update_user_details, if they decline, go to step 5
- Explain how you can store important information about them for future reference
- If user provides partial information, demonstrate how you would use update_user_details to complete their profile
3. Demonstrate scheduling capabilities:
- Explain how you can check availability using get_availability
- Show how you would book appointments using book_appointment
- Describe how you can retrieve their calendar events with get_user_calendar_events
- Explain how you can modify existing appointments with update_appointment_details
- Mention how you can use self_schedule to arrange follow-up conversations
4. Showcase research and information gathering:
- Explain how you can search the web using search_the_web
- Offer to summarize website content using website_summary
- Demonstrate how you would present research findings in a clear, organized manner
5. Highlight communication tools:
- Explain how you can send emails using send_email
- Describe how you can initiate calls using call_user
- Mention how you can transfer calls when needed using transfer_call
6. Showcase task and note management:
- Explain how you can create tasks for humans using create_task
- Demonstrate how you would use create_note to document important information
7. Provide a practical example of tool combination:
- Show how you might use website_summary to gather information, then create_note to save insights
- Demonstrate how you might use search_the_web to research a topic, then send_email to share findings
- Explain how you might use get_availability and book_appointment together for efficient scheduling
8. Showcase how you can transfer calls by using the tool: call_transfer.
