Use AI voice agents in your call flow

Sage is CallSprout's name for all of its AI voice features. One of them is the AI voice agent. It picks up a call, talks with the caller from instructions you write, and can pass the call to a person, hand it to another agent or hang up.

Sage is available on every plan. The first 30 seconds of each call an agent handles are included at no cost. After that, usage is billed at the Sage AI voice agent rate on plans and pricing.

Some labels in your portal or apps may look slightly different from this guide.

Before you start

• Agents live in the AI settings in the admin portal. CallSprout sets up the AI service for your account. If the page says no service is set up, contact CallSprout support.
• Some AI options may carry a beta label. Those can change.
• Decide what the agent should handle, what it must never do, and which numbers it can transfer callers to, such as your front desk or a ring group.

Create an agent

1. 1
   Step 1:

   Start a new agent

   In the AI settings, open Voice Agents and select Add Voice Agent.

2. 2
   Step 2:

   Name it

   Fill in Agent name and Agent slug. The slug is a short, unique ID that other agents use when they pass a call to this one.

3. 3
   Step 3:

   Pick the model and voice

   Choose a model and a voice. The rest of the form changes to match.

4. 4
   Step 4:

   Give it a number

   Enter a Dial Number. That internal number is how menus and transfers reach the agent.

5. 5
   Step 5:

   Write the opening line and the prompt

   Treat Introduction as the caller's opening words. The agent replies to them, so a short greeting like "Hi there" is enough. Instructions go in Prompt: who the agent is and what it's for, its tone, how long its replies run, what it knows, what's off limits, and when to transfer or hang up. If you use the sample prompt, replace its placeholder phone numbers.

6. 6
   Step 6:

   Add tools

   Under tools, add what the agent may do: Call transfer (where to send the call, and in what situation), End call, or Agent transfer (another agent, with the option to send the conversation transcript and details it collected). Make sure the prompt doesn't contradict the tools.

7. 7
   Step 7:

   Set limits

   Set a maximum call length, a silence timeout that ends a call after a stretch of quiet, and a fallback that transfers the call to a number you choose or ends it.

8. 8
   Step 8:

   Turn it on

   Switch on Agent enabled and save.

The prompt can use placeholders for the caller's number and the current date and time. Those times are in UTC, not your local time, so tell the agent your time zone.

Don't see this option? Contact support and we'll set it up for you.

Send calls to the agent

• A phone number. Ask CallSprout support to point the number at the agent. See change where a phone number rings.
• A phone menu option or a transfer. Use the agent's dial number in your phone menu or menu tree.

Call the agent yourself a few times before real callers reach it.

Connect outside tools (optional)

Add MCP servers in the AI settings under MCP Servers, then choose them on the agent. One server can serve several agents, and a change to it affects all of them. With a server connected, an agent may be able to do things like look up an order status in your own system during a call, depending on the tools that server offers.

Connected-system features work through your existing CRM or business system and depend on that system offering a compatible API. Availability varies by provider.

Review what the agent said

In the admin portal, go to Reports and select CDR, the portal's label for call history. Find the call and select the number on the agent's side. A panel opens with a Transcript tab you can download, an Events tab, and an Info tab that shows whether the call was transferred. If one agent handed off to another, switch between them at the top.

Recording and monitoring laws vary by state. Your company is responsible for any notice or consent they require.

Expect mistakes

An agent follows your prompt, but it can still misunderstand a caller or give a wrong answer, and its transcripts can contain errors too. Read transcripts often, tighten the prompt when something goes wrong, and give callers an easy way to reach a person.