The Training section is a core part of setting up and customizing your receptionist with Upfirst. Training is where you input information about your business, such as what your company does, pricing, and services, so that your receptionist can accurately answer anything the caller asks.

It's also where you provide specific directions on how to handle certain calls. For example, how the receptionist should handle an existing customer versus a new lead.

Unlike other platforms, we don't limit the amount of training you can give your agent.

In addition to the info in your training, your receptionist also has memory about previous callers.

Begin by watching the introductory video, which provides a comprehensive overview of how to use Training.

Go to Agents in the left-hand menu. Select the agent you want to train, then click Training.

Training belongs to an agent, and you have two kinds:

If you run more than one agent, see How to add multiple agents to your account.

Please note: Settings for call transfers and automated texts are located under the 'Transfer Calls' and 'Send Texts' tabs, respectively, in the same column as 'Training.'

To begin adding your custom content and business information, click on 'Add training' to open the pop-up window.

From here, you'll see two options: 'Write your own' and 'Import from a webpage.'

The 'Write your own' option lets you input information manually. 'Import from a webpage' scans your website and imports business information automatically. Let us first explore 'Write your own.'

Select 'Write your own' and provide a clear title for the information you're inputting, such as "Pricing and Plans."
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Use clear, labeled sections in your system prompt so the agent can find and follow them.

Keep each section focused on one thing, for example:

In the content section, you might enter details like, "Our basic plans start at $24.95 per month for 30 calls." Or instructions like, "When collecting emails, always ask customers to spell them slowly, letter by letter."

If you prefer to extract information directly from your website and save time, go to 'Add training' again, select 'Import from a webpage,' paste the specific page link you want scanned, and click 'Import.' Upfirst will scrape the page, capture the text, assign a title, and automatically add it to your training.

Remember, this process only scans the specified URL, not the entire website. Click 'Add training' when ready.

Repeat this process for any information you think your receptionist should know, such as service details and company policies.

Your training can be further customized for various call-handling scenarios and caller intake. We'll examine a few example scenarios.

To start, click 'Add training' and then select 'Write your own.' For this example, we will title it "Returning Customers" and input directions like, "If the caller is a returning customer, request their name, phone number, and reason for calling. Then politely inform them that someone from our team will contact them soon."

Click 'Add training' to upload it.

Repeat the process for new customers with instructions such as, "If the caller is a new customer, ask for their name, phone number, email address, and what type of service they are interested in."

You can create multiple call flows to suit your business needs.

For instance, to handle reservation changes, click 'Write your own,' title it "Edit a Reservation," and include instructions such as, "If a customer wants to reschedule or cancel a reservation, ask for their name, the service that was booked, and the requested change."

Click 'Add training' when finished.

Another example is relaying info about collecting a deposit. Create a training entry titled "Appointment Deposit," with instructions that might look like, "After gathering customer info, tell them that we require $50 deposit for inspections. Then, let them know that someone will reach out shortly to confirm the appointment and collect the payment details."

Once you have added all the business information that you think your receptionist should know, as well as specific call-handling instructions for certain call scenarios, your AI receptionist will be fully equipped to manage calls smoothly and precisely as desired.