PIPELINEGuide
Checklist: preparing your AI phone assistant
What you should clarify before requesting quotes for an AI phone assistant. The more you settle up front, the more reliable the quotes will be.
Before deciding on an AI phone assistant, a brief assessment is worthwhile: which process takes the most time, who will manage the system later, and whether the necessary content is even available. The complete checklist is further below.
01 — Checklist
Clarify before the first quote
- What should improve? In one sentence, no jargon.
- How will you know? One number that should change.
- Who decides? One person, not a committee.
- What budget is available? A range is enough — it makes quotes comparable instead of arbitrary.
- By when? And what the deadline depends on.
- Which systems are involved? And who has access to them.
- What do you already have? Content, data, preliminary work — this reduces the cost.
02 — Participation
What we need from you
- A contact person who can make decisions — not just forward them.
- Access to the affected systems, in time and not on launch day.
- Real examples from daily business — the messier, the more useful for testing.
- Two to four hours for coordination, distributed over the project duration.
- An answer to the question of what success means. Without it, nothing can be assessed afterward.
03 — Questions
Questions you should ask
- What happens if the project becomes more expensive than estimated — who bears that?
- Who owns data, access, and, if developed, the source code?
- What does operation cost in the second and third year?
- What does the documentation we receive at the end look like?
- How would you measure whether the project was successful?
- Is there a case in which you would advise us against this?
04 — Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can it enter appointments in our calendar?
Yes, in Google Calendar, Microsoft 365 and common industry calendars. You set available slots, buffer times and blocked times, the assistant only books within these rules.
What does a missed call actually cost us?
You can calculate it: average order value times closing rate times missed calls. For trades businesses with an average order value of 800 euros, one additional job won per month is enough to cover the costs.
What happens in an emergency?
You define keywords — for an installation business, for example, “water damage” or “no hot water”. When these come up, the call is immediately transferred or a number is called, instead of writing a log.
How long until it's good?
After the trial phase, standard cases are handled. The fine points — rare requests, unusual phrasings — are added in the first four to six weeks.
Can it run only in the evenings and on weekends?
Yes. Many businesses activate the assistant only outside office hours and when the line is busy. That's the most affordable option and still covers the majority of lost calls.
Do callers notice they're speaking with an AI?
Yes, and that's how it should be. The assistant says at the beginning that it's a digital assistant — the EU AI Act has required this since August 2026 and it prevents trouble. In practice, hardly anyone minds as long as their request is handled.
Do we need a new phone system?
No. In most cases, call forwarding on no answer is sufficient. If you have a cloud phone system, it's even more direct.
05 — Next
Related pages
- AI phone assistant — overview
- AI phone assistant — small businesses
- AI phone assistant — AI disclosure
- AI phone assistant — where to start
- AI phone assistant — how it works
- AI phone assistant — costs
- AI phone assistant — implementation
- AI phone assistant — integration
- AI chatbot
- Online appointment booking
- Customer support automation
- All guides
AI phone assistant by region
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