How phone calls work

The receptionist is a voice agent hosted by a voice provider (Retell or Vapi): they handle telephony, transcription, speech and interruptions. WABOT supplies the brain — exactly the same business knowledge as on WhatsApp, with speaking rules instead of writing rules.

An inbound call, step by step

1. The customer calls the receptionist's number. It answers with the greeting (including the recording disclosure).
2. During the call it can check the calendar, book a meeting or take a message.
3. When the call ends, the provider sends us the duration, summary, transcript, recording link and cost. Everything is stored on the Receptionist page.
4. The caller and the WhatsApp writer are the same contact (by phone number): the call summary enters the chat timeline, and the WhatsApp assistant knows what was said on the phone — and vice versa.
5. After an answered inbound call, a WhatsApp follow-up goes out ("thanks for the call… if messaging is easier for you, I'm here", or a summary of the meeting that was booked). Inside the 24-hour window as text; outside it — only if an approved template is set. It can be turned off in the receptionist settings.

What it needs in order to work

• An active phone number (getting a number) and a plan that includes voice (Pro and above).
• A provider key: yours, or the agency's (the default — nothing to enter).
• On the Receptionist page: the ready-made prompt, the webhook URLs to paste at the provider, a "Sync" button that pushes the settings to it, and "Test call to me" — the receptionist calls you.

Call minutes (inbound and outbound) count against the plan's monthly quota and against the daily cap you set. Caps and quiet hours →