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How To Configure The AI Receptionist in WorkZen

All plansIntermediateVideo, 1:34Updated August 7, 2026

Get an AI Receptionist plan from Settings, create a receptionist in Phone > AI Receptionists (name, voice, prompt, greetings), then attach it to a phone number or add a Transfer to AI step in a call flow. It answers, qualifies callers, and drops leads straight into your Leads list.

Missed calls are missed jobs. The AI Receptionist answers your phone around the clock, qualifies callers, takes booking requests, and logs everything in WorkZen, no coffee breaks required. Setup has three parts: the subscription, the receptionist itself, and the connection to your number.

Get the AI Receptionist plan

The AI Receptionist is a separate subscription, and it needs an active ZenPhone plan to answer on.

  1. Go to Company Settings > AI Receptionist Plan (or click Get a Plan on the AI Receptionists page in the Zen Phone menu).
  2. Pick a plan. Plans differ only by AI minutes/month; every plan includes the same features and unlimited receptionists.
  3. Choose Monthly or Yearly billing (yearly gives you 2 months free) and check out.
Plan availability

The AI Receptionist is a dedicated subscription, not part of any platform plan. Any WorkZen plan can add it. See the pricing page for current rates.

Create your receptionist

Go to Phone > AI Receptionists and click New Receptionist. The form covers:

SectionWhat you set
Basic InformationPersonality Name (internal label), Receptionist First Name (how it introduces itself), Set as company default
AI ConfigurationAI Provider, Model Name, and Voice Model (English and French Canadian voices)
System PromptThe AI's personality, tone, and behavior. Put your business info here: services, pricing, service area, the questions to ask
Greeting Messages / Wrap-up MessagesAdd several variants; the system randomly picks one per call
Booking & Escalation SettingsAllow appointment booking (with Use Business Hours or Accept Anytime (24/7)), Escalation Phone Number for callers who want a human, and an optional After Hours Greeting
Tip

Click Try voice chat on a receptionist to talk to it from your browser. Tune the prompt until it sounds like your best front desk day, before a real client ever hears it.

Connect it to a number

Two ways, pick per number:

  • Direct: in My Numbers, configure a number and choose Attach to AI Receptionist. The AI answers every incoming call on that number.
  • Via call flow: add a Transfer to AI step in a call flow. Typical setup: your team rings during business hours, and after hours or when nobody answers, the call hands off to the AI.

If a number has neither, incoming calls simply ring the assigned user.

How captured leads arrive

Every answered call lands in your Leads list with the source AI Assistant. The lead carries the caller's name, phone, and address, an AI-written call summary, action items, and an urgency level, and the full transcript is attached to the call record. Repeat callers merge into their existing lead instead of creating duplicates, and if the caller scheduled a visit, the lead includes a pending booking request ready to confirm.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Get the plan

    In Company Settings, open AI Receptionist Plan and pick a plan by monthly AI minutes. All plans share the same features.

  2. 2

    Create a receptionist

    In Phone > AI Receptionists, click New Receptionist and set the name, voice, system prompt, greetings, and booking settings.

  3. 3

    Connect it to a number

    Attach the receptionist to a number in My Numbers, or add a Transfer to AI step in a call flow for after-hours and overflow.

  4. 4

    Work the leads

    Every answered call becomes a lead with source AI Assistant, complete with a summary, urgency, and the full transcript.

See it in action

Frequently Asked Questions

No. The AI Receptionist is its own subscription, and any WorkZen plan can add it. It does require an active ZenPhone plan, since the AI needs a phone number to answer.
Only the number of AI minutes per month. Every plan includes the same features, and all plans include unlimited receptionists and custom personalities.
Yes. Enable Allow appointment booking on the receptionist and choose Use Business Hours or Accept Anytime (24/7). When a caller schedules, WorkZen creates a pending booking request on the lead.
Yes. Set an Escalation Phone Number on the receptionist; when a caller asks for a person, the AI tries to transfer the call to that number.
Open the receptionist and use Try voice chat to talk to it from your browser, no phone needed.

This article answers:

  • How do I set up the AI receptionist?
  • Can WorkZen answer my calls automatically?
  • How does the AI phone agent capture leads?
  • How much does the AI receptionist cost?
  • Can the AI receptionist book appointments?

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