Here's a secret that AI providers don't always advertise: The quality of your AI phone agent depends almost entirely on what you give it to work with.
Feed it messy, incomplete information? You'll get a mediocre agent that frustrates customers. But invest an hour or two in proper preparation? You'll have an agent that sounds like your best employee—from day one.
This guide walks you through exactly what to prepare, with templates and examples you can use immediately.
Time Investment: 2-4 hours total
Most businesses complete this in a single afternoon. The payoff? Faster setup, better performance, and fewer revisions.
What You'll Need to Prepare
Business Information Basics
The foundational facts every AI agent needs
Start with the essentials. These are the questions every caller asks, and your AI needs rock-solid answers.
🏢 Core Business Details
Location: 123 Harbor Drive, Key West. We're at the end of the harbor, past the seafood restaurants. Look for the blue boat with the rainbow fish on it.
Hours: Open 7am-6pm daily. Tours depart at 9am and 2pm. Last-minute bookings accepted up to 2 hours before departure. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Products, Services & Pricing
What you sell and how much it costs
Your AI needs to be an expert on everything you offer. The more detail you provide, the better it can help customers find exactly what they need.
📦 Products & Services
Frequently Asked Questions
The 20-30 questions customers ask most often
This is the heart of your AI's knowledge base. Think about every question your front desk has answered a hundred times—those are gold.
📅 Booking & Scheduling
- How do I make a reservation?
- Can I book same-day?
- How far in advance should I book?
- What times are available?
- Can I change my reservation?
- How do I cancel?
💳 Payment & Pricing
- How much does it cost?
- Do you have group discounts?
- What payment methods do you accept?
- Is a deposit required?
- What's your refund policy?
- Are there any hidden fees?
🎒 Preparation & What to Expect
- What should I bring/wear?
- What's included?
- Where do I go when I arrive?
- Is parking available?
- How long does it take?
- Is this suitable for beginners?
⚠️ Safety & Requirements
- Age restrictions or requirements?
- Health/physical requirements?
- Is this safe for children?
- What about bad weather?
- Do I need experience?
- Is there a weight limit?
Policies & Procedures
The rules your AI needs to know and enforce
Clear policies prevent misunderstandings and protect both you and your customers. Your AI should know these cold.
📋 Essential Policies
50% refund: Cancel 24-48 hours before departure
No refund: Cancel less than 24 hours before
Weather cancellations: Full refund or free reschedule if WE cancel due to weather
How to cancel: Call us, email, or reply to your confirmation text. You'll receive confirmation within 1 hour.
Brand Voice & Personality
How your AI should sound and feel
Your AI should sound like your brand, not like a generic robot. This is where personality comes in.
🏄 Casual & Adventurous
👔 Professional & Warm
🎉 Enthusiastic & Fun
🌿 Calm & Reassuring
🎭 Voice & Tone Guidelines
Integration & Technical Setup
Systems your AI needs to connect with
For your AI to actually book appointments, take payments, or check availability, it needs to connect to your existing systems.
🔧 Technical Checklist
Escalation & Human Handoff
When and how AI should transfer to a human
The best AI knows its limits. Define clear escalation rules so complex or sensitive situations get human attention.
Angry or upset callers
If a customer is clearly frustrated, the AI should empathize briefly then offer to connect them with a team member who can help resolve the issue.
Complex booking modifications
Large groups, special requests, or multi-part changes that go beyond simple rescheduling should route to a human.
Refund or dispute requests
Financial matters beyond standard policy (like chargebacks or special circumstances) need human judgment.
Emergencies or safety concerns
Any mention of injury, emergency, or safety issue should immediately route to a human or emergency services.
Caller requests a human
If someone asks to speak to a person, the AI should accommodate immediately without pushback.
AI then transfers with full context of the conversation.
Staff Preparation
Getting your team ready for AI
Research shows 70% of AI rollouts stall due to staff resistance. A little communication goes a long way.
👥 Team Communication
"When Telstra positioned their chatbot as augmentation rather than replacement, agent productivity increased 20%. The key is making staff allies, not adversaries."
Recommended Launch Timeline
Here's a practical timeline for going from preparation to launch:
Document Your Business
Complete Phases 1-4: business info, products/services, FAQs, and policies. This is the bulk of the work.
Define Voice & Rules
Complete Phases 5-7: brand voice, integrations, and escalation rules. Share with your provider.
Setup & Testing
Provider configures your AI. You test by calling it yourself, trying edge cases, and refining.
Staff Briefing
Brief your team, show them demos, explain the handoff process. Address concerns.
Soft Launch
AI handles after-hours calls only. Monitor transcripts, fix any issues.
Full Launch
After a week of after-hours success, expand to full coverage with human backup.
📊 Track Your Progress
The Bottom Line
Preparation isn't busywork—it's the difference between an AI that frustrates customers and one that delights them. The businesses that see the best results from AI phone agents are the ones that invest a few hours upfront to give their AI everything it needs to succeed.
Think of it this way: You wouldn't hire a new employee and give them zero training. Your AI deserves the same investment—and unlike human training, you only have to do it once.
The checklist in this guide covers everything most businesses need. Complete it, hand it to your AI provider, and you'll be answering calls—not fielding them—in no time.
Ready to Get Started?
Book a demo and we'll walk you through exactly what we need to build your perfect AI agent.
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