Virtual receptionist

Your AIFE footprint extends far beyond just web-based media. By setting up AIFE as your virtual receptionist, you can accept incoming phone calls and direct callers to relevant information.

Callers will be able to quickly find important information, relevant to your footprint. They can even browse your complete content through voice and phone menus.

Your virtual receptionist can further accept messages, which are relayed to you by email, or (optionally) patch the caller through to staff.

To start using your virtual receptionist, you will require a Twilio account. Twilio has a free trial period that comes with free credit and one free phone number.

Set up your Twilio account as follows;

1. If you don't have one yet, click on create twilio account under get started.
2. When creating your new Twilio project, give it a name (for example "Virtual Receptionist").
3. Once in your Twilio Dashboard for your project, click on "All products and services" icon under the Home icon in the left hand menu.
4. Select "Programmable Voice".
5. Click the "Get a Number" button. If you already have a number you would like to re-use go to step 7.
   
6. Proceed to choose a number with voice capabilities.
7. In the right left hand menu, choose "TwiML" and then "TwiML apps" under that.
8. Click the "Create new TwiML App" button if you don't have any TwiML apps yet, or click the round "+" button if you already have other TwiML apps set up.
9. Give your new TwiML App a name (for example "Virtual Receptionist").
10. In the AÍFE FMS under footprint, click on get twiml url under the get started drop down in the virtual receptionist item box.
11. Click copy url to clipboard (or manually copy the url if your browser does not support copying to clipboard)
12. Back in the Twilio page, paste (right click + choose paste, or CTRL+V on WIndows and Linux, CMD+V on Mac) the url into the "REQUEST URL" field under the "Voice" heading.
13. Click the Save button.
14. In the right left hand menu, choose "Numbers".
15. Click "Manage Numbers".
16. Click the Number you wish to associate your virtual receptionist with.
17. Under "Voice & Fax" choose TwiML App in the drop down for "CONFIGURE WITH".
18. Under "Voice & Fax" choose your virtual receptionist TwiML App in the drop down for "TWIML APP".
19. Click the Save button.

You should now be able to call your chosen Twilio number and have your Virtual Receptionist answer.

Any recorded messages with be delivered to the email address specified in the AIFE FMS under settings > about > public email > machine-friendly.

You can optionally specify a phone number to where callers get patched through under settings > presence > virtual receptionist > machine readable patch-through number. Once this has been specified, the virtual receptionist will list the "speak to staff" menu option as one of the choices.

Once you have set up your virtual receptionist, you may want to consider setting its number as your public phone number under settings > about > public phone > machine readable and settings > about > public phone > machine readable.

As with all footprint features that use text-to-speech, you can fine-tune pronunciations under settings > language > phonetics.