Getting started with Voice Assist
Overview
Voice Assist is your AI-powered voice assistant. It answers calls and texts on behalf of your business, collects caller information, handles scheduling, and routes urgent calls to a live person when needed — all without requiring someone to be available at the phone.
When you first log in to your Voice Assist account, you’ll need to configure your AI voice assistance via setup cards. Each card guides you through one key action that helps Voice Assist work the way you need it to. You can adjust how Voice Assist is set up at any time. You will also see a row of recommended integrations that appear below the cards to help you connect Voice Assist to the tools your business already uses.
Before you begin
Before completing the setup cards, make sure the following are in place:
- Active Voice Assist subscription: You must have an active Voice Assist plan.
- Complete Business Profile: Voice Assist uses your Business Profile to answer calls and send texts accurately. Complete your Business Profile before activating Voice Assist on any number.
- Enable Recordings: Recording must be turned on for your Voice Assist number.
Complete your dashboard setup
Your Voice Assist dashboard opens with three setup cards. Complete them in any order.
Card 1: Set Up Call Forwarding or Swap Your Number
Voice Assist answers calls that come in to your CallRail tracking number. If your customers currently dial a different business number, you need to either forward those calls to your tracking number, or replace your published number with the tracking number itself.
Click Set up forwarding on the card to open a panel with two options:
Option A: Carrier Forwarding
Carrier forwarding tells your phone carrier to redirect incoming calls from your existing business number to your CallRail tracking number, where Voice Assist is active.
Important: Do not use carrier forwarding if your only business number is your CallRail tracking number. Using forwarding in this situation will create a call loop, causing callers to hear a continuous redirect with no answer.
To enable forwarding, call the forwarding code for your carrier, followed by your CallRail tracking number:
Carrier
Enable forwarding
Disable forwarding
Conditional forwarding
Verizon / US Cellular
*72 + your CallRail number
*73
*71 + your CallRail number
AT&T
**21*[CallRail number]#
##21#
**67 / **61 / **62
T-Mobile / Sprint
**21*[CallRail number]#
##21#
**004 (disables all at once)
Google Voice
See Google Voice forwarding instructions
Note for T-Mobile customers: T-Mobile’s call-forwarding instructions vary by the mobile device being used. A list of instructions is available here.
Note for Google Voice customers: Visit Google Voice's support site and search for "call forwarding" for instructions specific to your account type.
The card disappears automatically once Voice Assist detects an incoming call on your tracking number.
Option B: Swap Your Number
Replace your current business phone number with your CallRail tracking number everywhere it appears: your website, Google Business Profile, social media, print materials, and any other public listing. Voice Assist is already active on the tracking number, so all incoming calls go directly to it.
Card 2: Set Up After-Hours Call Handling
This step creates a call flow that immediately routes urgent callers to a live person. Without it, Voice Assist handles all incoming calls the same way, regardless of how urgent the caller's situation is.
1.
Click Set up call flow on the card.
2.
The call flow builder opens.
3.
Determine the hours you want Voice Assist to be used.
4.
From here, add a branch for a new step.
5.
In the new step, select the Voice Assist option. The greeting you set up in step two will be copied here, but you can edit it for a specific call flow if desired.
6.
To enable Voice Assist for overflow handling during business hours or at any other time, add a Dial step, with Voice Assist answering if no one answers the call first. Before the call is routed to Voice Assist, you will want to configure the ring duration. We recommend setting the ring duration to 15 seconds (approximately 4–5 rings) or fewer. After setting the desired ring time, assign Voice Assist as the next step in your call flow.
7.
If you are using an external voicemail system or interactive voice response (IVR), select the checkbox for Prevent voicemail and automated systems from answering a call in the previous dial step. We also recommend either disabling voicemail/IVRs or adjusting their ring duration to prevent conflicts. Voice Assist may not be compatible with all external systems.
8.
Save your call flow.
Card 3: Get Started with Texting
Voice Assist can respond to inbound text messages on your behalf, just like it handles calls. This card has two options: register your business for texting, or send a test text right away.
Option A: Try out texting
You can send a test text right away to preview how Voice Assist handles a text conversation, even before your registration is approved.
1.
Click Try out texting on the card.
2.
A panel opens with the texting interface.
3.
Send a test message to see how Voice Assist responds.
Option B: Register your company for texting
Before Voice Assist can send text messages commercially, your business must be registered with US carrier networks. This is a federal requirement for all businesses that send SMS in the United States, not a CallRail-specific requirement.
1.
Click Register your company for texting on the card.
2.
Complete the registration form with your business information.
3.
Submit the form. Registration is processed by Twilio and The Campaign Registry. Approval timelines vary and are outside CallRail's control.
Recommended integrations
Below the three setup cards, your dashboard shows a row of recommended integrations. This row is always visible and does not auto-hide. Connecting an integration gives Voice Assist access to your existing customer and scheduling data, which enables smarter conversations and automatic appointment booking.
Recommended integrations include HubSpot, Clio, Jobber, JobNimbus, JobTread, Yardi, Calendly, and Google Calendar.
Click Connect next to any integration to go to its setup page.
Troubleshooting
Voice Assist is not answering calls
If callers are reaching voicemail or going unanswered, Voice Assist may not be receiving the calls. The most common cause is that calls are not being routed to your CallRail tracking number.
1.
Check that the Call Forwarding card has been completed. Calls must be forwarded to or dialed directly at your CallRail tracking number.
2.
Confirm that Voice Assist is active in the call flow assigned to your tracking number.
3.
Confirm that recording is enabled on your tracking number.
Carrier forwarding is creating a loop
If callers hear a continuous redirect with no answer, you may have set up carrier forwarding on the same number that Voice Assist is active on. This sends the call back to itself in a loop.
To disable forwarding, dial the code for your carrier:
- Verizon / US Cellular: *73
- AT&T: ##21#
- T-Mobile / Sprint: ##21#
Once forwarding is disabled, use the number swap option in Card 1 instead.
The texting card says registration is still pending
Texting registration is processed by Twilio and The Campaign Registry, not by CallRail. Approval timelines are outside CallRail's control and can take several business days. While registration is pending, you can still use Voice Assist for calls and use the Try out texting option to preview the experience.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use an international phone number with Voice Assist?
No. At this time, international numbers are not supported with Voice Assist.
Can I dismiss a setup card without completing the action?
Yes. Each card can be dismissed manually at any time. Dismissed cards do not reappear. If you dismiss a card and want to return to the setup later, you can access the relevant settings directly: call forwarding settings are in your carrier's account, call flows are under Settings > Call Flows, and texting setup is under Settings > Numbers.
What happens if I add a call tracking plan later?
If you add a Call Tracking plan after signing up for Voice Assist, your account will transition to the CallRail platform’s interface. The Voice Assist-only dashboard described in this article applies to Voice Assist-only accounts, and the platform-wide interface will bring a unified experience for Voice Assist, Call Tracking, or other plan types you may add in the future.
Is Voice Assist HIPAA-compliant?
No, if your business needs to be HIPAA-compliant, we advise you purchase a Call Tracking Intelligence plan alongside Voice Assist.
Why does my call have a transcript even though I did not purchase Call Intelligence?
Voice Assist automatically generates a transcript and summary for every call it handles. This is how Voice Assist captures what happened on the call, since no one from your team was on the line. These transcripts appear in your Call Log. They are generated for Voice Assist calls only, not for all calls on your account.
Can Voice Assist answer calls in languages other than English?
Voice Assist voices are currently built for English-language conversations. While some voice settings may support multi-language conversations, conversations in other languages may not produce accurate results.
Where do I go after completing the setup cards?
Once the three setup cards are complete, Voice Assist is ready to answer calls. You can review your call activity directly on the Voice Assist dashboard and refine how Voice Assist behaves by visiting your Business Profile and call flow settings at any time. After your first call comes in, you will also be able to view your Voice Assist metrics.
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