Every call you miss is a customer who may call the next business on the list. A free AI receptionist fixes that without a new hire. It answers your phone, greets callers by your business name, answers common questions and books appointments. This guide shows you how to set one up step by step. You do not need to write code, and you can start with a free account.
You will see what a free AI receptionist can and cannot do, what to prepare first, and the four setup steps. Then we cover when free stops being enough, so there are no surprises later.
What a free AI receptionist can (and can’t) do
An AI receptionist is a voice agent that picks up your business line. It talks with callers in natural language, not through a “press 1” menu. It also follows the instructions you give it.
What it handles well
A well set up free AI receptionist can:
- Answer every call, including nights, weekends and the lunch rush.
- Answer common questions about hours, prices, service areas and policies.
- Capture caller details such as name, phone number and the reason for the call.
- Book appointments straight into your calendar.
- Send urgent calls to a person when a caller needs one.
- Leave you a record, so you can read a summary of each call instead of playing back voicemails.
Because it never puts anyone on hold, it is especially useful after hours. Our guide to an AI receptionist for after-hours calls covers that use case in depth.
What it cannot do
However, an AI receptionist is not magic. It only knows what you tell it. If your FAQs are thin, its answers will be thin too. It also should not make judgment calls you would not trust a new hire with, such as custom quotes or refunds. Instead, set clear rules for when it hands the call to you.
“Free” also has limits. With most tools, you can build and test for free, but steady call volume uses paid minutes or credits. We cover that in the free vs paid section below.
What you need before you start
Setup goes much faster when you have your basics written down. So gather this list first.
- Business hours. Include holidays and any after-hours rules.
- Your top 10 questions. Write the questions callers ask most, plus a short answer for each.
- Services and prices. List what you offer. If prices vary, write how you want the agent to explain that.
- Booking rules. Note how long appointments last, how much buffer you need and which days are off limits.
- Where calls should go. Decide which calls need a human and the number to send them to.
- What to capture. For example, name, phone, address, job type and how urgent it is.
Not sure how to word the answers? Borrow from our AI receptionist scripts. They include greetings, FAQ replies and handoff lines you can paste in.
Step 1: Create a free Dapta account
First, go to the Dapta sign-up page and create your free account. It is free to sign up, and you do not need a sales call to get started.
Once you are in, you land in your workspace. This is where your receptionist, its calls and its data live.
New to the platform? Read what Dapta is and how it works for a quick tour before you build.
Step 2: Describe your business to Dapti and let it build the receptionist
This is where most setup guides get technical. With Dapta, you skip that part.
Dapti is Dapta’s autonomous agent. Tell it what your business needs in plain words, and it builds and runs it for you. You talk to Dapti like ChatGPT or Claude, but Dapti actually builds it. If you can describe it, Dapti can build it.
What to tell Dapti
Write a short description in your own words. For example:
“I run a plumbing company in Phoenix. I need a receptionist that answers calls, asks what the problem is and how urgent it is, gets the caller’s name, phone and address, and books a visit on my calendar. Send emergencies like burst pipes to my cell.”
You can also point Dapti to your website. It reads the site for context, so it picks up your services, service area and tone.
What Dapti builds for you
From that description, Dapti has a voice agent ready in about a minute. Specifically, it:
- Writes the agent’s instructions, including the greeting and how to handle each type of call.
- Picks a voice that fits your business.
- Sets what to capture on every call, such as name, phone and reason for calling.
As a result, you get a working free AI receptionist without writing a single prompt. If you would rather write the instructions yourself, our AI voice agent prompt guide walks you through it. And for a deeper look at building without code, see how a no-code AI voice agent builder works.
Step 3: Add your FAQs, booking rules and transfer number
Now take the list you prepared and feed it in. Again, you can simply tell Dapti what to add.
Add your FAQs
Paste your top questions and answers. Keep each answer to one or two spoken sentences. Long answers sound like a lecture on the phone. For example: “We serve all of Maricopa County. We do not charge a trip fee inside that area.”
Connect your calendar for booking
If you want the receptionist to book appointments, connect Google Calendar. It takes one button. Then Dapti builds the booking flow for you, so the agent checks open times and puts the visit on your calendar during the call.
Next, add your booking rules. Tell it how long each job takes, how much notice you need and which days you do not book.
Set your transfer rules
Finally, decide when the agent should hand off to a person. Common triggers include emergencies, an upset caller or someone who asks for a human. Give it the number to send those calls to. Also give it a fallback, such as taking a message, for times when nobody answers.
Step 4: Test a call, then connect your business line
Never go live without testing. Fortunately, testing is simple. You call the agent yourself, just like a customer would.
Run a few test calls
Try at least five calls, and play a different caller each time:
- A simple question, such as your hours.
- A booking request for next week.
- An urgent problem that should transfer.
- A caller who mumbles or changes their mind.
- A question you did not cover.
After each call, Dapta saves a call summary and the data the agent captured. So you can check whether it got the name, phone and reason right. If something is off, tell Dapti what to change and call again.
Point your business line to the agent
When the test calls sound right, connect your agent to a phone number. Most small businesses keep their existing number and forward calls to the agent through their phone carrier. You can forward every call, only after-hours calls or only the calls you do not pick up. That way, your free AI receptionist works as a backup first, and you can expand it once you trust it.
Review your first week of calls
Your first week of real calls is the best training data you will get. Read the call summaries every day. Look for three things: questions the agent could not answer, details it missed and calls it should have transferred. Then fix one thing at a time. Tell Dapti to add the missing answer or tighten a rule, and test again. As the gaps close, you can forward more of your calls with confidence.
Free vs paid: when you will need more credits
So, is a free AI receptionist really free? You can create your Dapta account, build your agent and test it for free. That covers the full setup in this guide.
However, live calls use credits. Once real customers start calling, you will need a paid plan. Dapta’s pricing page lists the current plans. At the time of writing, the Pro plan is $99 a month with 100k credits, and higher tiers add more credits, users and support.
Here is a simple way to decide when to upgrade:
| Stage | What you are doing | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Building, editing and testing the agent | Free account |
| Backup | Forwarding missed or after-hours calls | Paid plan, low volume |
| Front desk | Answering most or all incoming calls | Paid plan sized to your call minutes |
For a full breakdown of what AI receptionists cost across tools, read our guide to AI receptionist cost. And if you are still comparing options, our list of the best AI receptionists for small business puts the top tools side by side.
Running a trade business? Our AI for home services page shows how plumbers, HVAC techs and contractors use voice agents to catch every job.
For the full picture, explore our related guides:
- How much an AI receptionist costs
- The best AI receptionists for small business
- AI receptionist scripts you can copy
- The best AI answering services for contractors
Frequently asked questions
Is an AI receptionist really free?
You can set up a free AI receptionist on Dapta at no cost. Creating the account, building the agent with Dapti and testing it with real calls is free. Answering live customer calls at volume uses credits, so you will move to a paid plan as calls grow.
Will callers know it’s AI?
Many callers will not notice right away, because modern voices sound natural. Still, being upfront builds trust. Many businesses have the agent introduce itself as an AI receptionist in the greeting.
Can it book appointments?
Yes. Connect Google Calendar with one button, and Dapti builds the booking flow. The agent then offers open times and books the appointment during the call.
Can it answer Spanish-speaking callers?
Yes. Dapta agents can talk with callers in English and Spanish. Just tell Dapti you want the receptionist to handle both languages when you describe your business.
Does an AI receptionist replace my staff?
No. It covers the calls your team cannot get to, like nights, weekends and busy hours. Your staff then spends less time on routine questions and more time on customers.
How long does setup take?
Dapti has the voice agent ready in about a minute. Adding your FAQs, connecting your calendar and testing a few calls takes a bit longer. How long depends on how many questions and rules you add.
A free AI receptionist is the easiest way to stop losing calls without hiring. Describe your business to Dapti, test a few calls and go live when it sounds right.
