1. The greeting
Lead with your business name, say who’s answering, and ask how to help. Keep it to one breath. Be upfront that it’s an assistant: Mia introduces herself by name and doesn’t pretend to be you.
| Business | Greeting |
|---|---|
| Plumbing | “Thanks for calling Rivera Plumbing, this is Mia. Is this about a leak or something you’d like scheduled?” |
| Electrical | “Hi, you’ve reached Bright Line Electric. I’m Mia, Sam’s assistant. What can I help you with today?” |
| Salon | “Thanks for calling Studio Nine, this is Mia. Are you looking to book an appointment?” |
| Cleaning | “Hi, this is Mia at Fresh Start Cleaning. Are you calling for a quote or about a booking?” |
| Real estate | “Hi, you’ve reached Dana Lee’s office, this is Mia. Are you calling about a listing?” |
These business names are made-up examples. Use your own.
2. The questions to ask every caller
Write down what you need to quote or book a job, in the order you’d ask it. Three to five questions is plenty. Name and callback number come first, because that’s what you need if the call drops.
| Trade | Questions |
|---|---|
| Plumbing | Name and number. Is water leaking now? What’s the problem? The job address. Best time to come. |
| HVAC | Name and number. Heating or cooling? Is the system running at all? Address. Best time. |
| Cleaning | Name and number. Address. Home size. One-time or regular? Preferred day. |
| Salon | Name and number. Which service? Which stylist, if any? Preferred day and time. |
| Real estate | Name and number. Which property? Buying or selling? Pre-approved? Best time for a call back. |
3. Urgent rules
Decide what counts as urgent and what should happen then. Be specific. “Urgent means water is leaking now, there’s no heat below freezing, or someone is locked out.” Then say what to do: hand the call to you, or take details and tell the caller you’ll call within 15 minutes.
Mia can hand urgent calls straight to you, and you can take any call from her with one tap while she’s talking. For real emergencies, tell her to direct callers to 911.
4. Prices
Callers almost always ask “how much?”. Give your receptionist the answers you’re comfortable saying on the phone: a call-out fee, a price range, or “we quote after we see it.”
Example: “Service call is $89, which goes toward the repair. Drain cleaning usually runs $150 to $250. Water heater replacements are quoted on site.” Mia uses the prices you give her, and can text the caller a quote they can accept by replying YES.
5. What it must never say
List the promises you don’t want made. For example: no exact arrival times outside your hours, no diagnosing over the phone, no discounts, no guaranteed prices for jobs you quote on site, no sharing your personal number. Mia follows these and never promises what you told her not to.
Booking rules
If your receptionist books appointments, give it your business hours, how long a typical appointment takes and any days you don’t work. Mia only offers times inside your hours (Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 until you set your own), uses one-hour appointments unless you change it, and asks for the job address for on-site work. You can also mark busy times from your iPhone calendar so Mia avoids them.
Test it before callers do
- Call your own number from another phone and play a normal customer.
- Call again as an urgent caller and check it hands off the way you set.
- Ask for a price, then ask for a discount.
- Ask for a time outside your hours.
- Read the slip and summary afterwards, and fix anything that came out wrong.
With 2Line.AI you can start by typing your business name or website. Mia drafts your greeting, hours, services and answers for you to check, and you can pick her voice: Warm, Bright or Calm.