How to Set Up an AI Receptionist in 48 Hours (Without Changing Your Number)

What “setting up” actually means

The phrase “AI receptionist setup” sounds technical. It isn't — at least not on your end. The entire process involves one conversation, one 2-minute call forwarding configuration, and one test session. Everything else is done by the AnswerMate team.

Most Sydney businesses are live within 48 hours of signing up. Some go live the same day.

The 5-step process

Initial call — tell us about your business

30 minutes

We ask about your business: services you offer, types of calls you receive, how you prefer urgent calls handled, and any specific scenarios to prepare for. No forms, no surveys — just a conversation.

We build your AI's script and call flow

Day 1

Our team writes your AI's greeting, call handling logic, lead capture questions, and any business-specific responses. We also configure the escalation rules — what triggers an urgent SMS to you vs what gets logged and summarised.

You set up call forwarding (2 minutes)

Day 1

We send you simple instructions for your specific phone type or telco. Most businesses use conditional forwarding: calls forward to AnswerMate only if busy or unanswered. Your number doesn't change, callers don't know.

Test calls and refinement

Day 2

We run test calls to confirm the AI is answering correctly, capturing the right information, and sounding professional. You listen, provide feedback, and we adjust before going live.

Go live

48 hours

AnswerMate is live. Every call that comes in gets answered, logged, and summarised to you by SMS. You receive a daily briefing of all calls with full details.

How call forwarding works (and why your number doesn't change)

Call forwarding is a feature built into every Australian phone number and mobile plan. It has nothing to do with your phone hardware or any app — it's a network-level feature that redirects calls before they even ring your device.

AnswerMate uses conditional call forwarding — meaning calls only forward to us when your line is engaged or unanswered. The rest of the time, calls go directly to you as normal.

Common forwarding setup (Telstra mobile example)

Forward when busy: ##67#

Forward when no answer: **61*[number]**25#

Always forward: **21*[number]#

We'll send you the exact codes for your specific telco (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, etc.).

What you need to prepare

Before the onboarding call, it helps to think through:

The 3–5 most common reasons people call your business
Any calls you never want the AI to handle (e.g., supplier disputes, HR matters)
Your appointment availability or how you want bookings managed
Whether you want urgent calls to trigger an immediate SMS to your mobile
Your preferred business greeting (e.g., “Thanks for calling [Business Name], how can I help?”)

That's genuinely all you need. Everything else we figure out from your website, past call patterns, and the onboarding conversation.

What happens after you go live

Once live, AnswerMate runs automatically. For every call it handles:

You receive an SMS summary: caller name, number, reason for calling, any booking details
Urgent calls trigger an immediate SMS alert (rather than next-morning summary)
Appointments booked by the AI appear in your calendar immediately
You can review call transcripts at any time via your dashboard

We monitor performance and can adjust the script at any time if you want different handling for specific scenarios.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to change my phone number to use an AI receptionist?+

No. Your existing number stays exactly as it is. AnswerMate uses call forwarding — your phone number is unchanged, and callers still dial the number they know. You simply configure conditional forwarding (busy, no answer, or always-on) so calls route to AnswerMate when you choose.

How long does it take to set up an AI receptionist?+

AnswerMate is typically live within 48 hours of signup. We handle the entire setup — writing your AI's greeting and call script, configuring call flows for your specific business, and integrating with your calendar or CRM. You don't need to configure anything yourself.

What information do I need to provide to set up an AI receptionist?+

Basic business information: your business name, services you offer, the kinds of calls you typically receive, how you want urgent calls handled, your appointment availability or calendar access, and any specific questions you want asked or avoided. Everything else is handled by AnswerMate during the onboarding process.

Can I customise what the AI says?+

Yes. AnswerMate is trained specifically on your business — your services, your terminology, your tone of voice. You can specify preferred greetings, how to handle specific enquiry types, what information to always capture, and how to handle urgent or emergency calls.