Larger organisations
A switchboard that actually answers — and resolves most of it before a transfer.
One number. 6 departments behind it, each answered by an AI that reads only that department’s knowledge.
Who do I need, visitor arrivals, general direction.
Handles: speak to, put me through, who, department, visitor, reception
Rules it follows
Never disclose whether an individual works here to an unverified caller, and never give a direct line or a mobile number. Take a message instead.
New enquiries, tenders, partnerships.
Handles: sales, enquiry, tender, partnership, quote, buy
Rules it follows
Qualify the enquiry and route it. Never quote a price or commit to a timescale.
Existing customers, issues, escalations.
Handles: support, problem, issue, not working, complaint, escalate
Rules it follows
Verify the account before discussing anything. Never commit to a resolution time. Complaints go to a person.
Invoices, payments, statements, refunds and account queries.
Handles: invoice, bill, payment, refund, statement, owe, direct debit, vat
Rules it follows
Verify the caller before discussing any account detail. Never read out card numbers or full bank details. Never agree a refund, credit, discount or payment plan — always pass those to a person. If the caller disputes a charge, take the details and escalate rather than defending the charge.
Treated as urgent: court, bailiff, legal action, cut off, disconnected, final notice, threatening
Applications, references, employee queries.
Handles: job, vacancy, application, reference, hr, payroll
Rules it follows
Never confirm whether anyone is or was employed here, and never give a reference. Take a message for HR.
Press enquiries and comment requests.
Handles: press, journalist, media, comment, statement, interview
Rules it follows
Never give a statement, a comment or an opinion, and never confirm any fact about the business. Take the outlet, the deadline and the question, and treat it as urgent.
Treated as urgent: deadline, publishing, story, allegation, comment
It rings each of that department’s numbers in order — the desk, then the mobile, then whoever’s on call. If nobody answers, it comes back on the line and says so, rather than leaving your customer holding or dropping them into voicemail. It takes their details, and you get told: a text and a WhatsApp message if it sounded urgent, an email if it didn’t.
Your caller is never told a ticket was opened. They’re told a person will ring them back — because that’s what they actually want to hear.
Rename or add departments
Every setup is a starting point. Add the ones you have and remove the ones you don’t.
Write your own rules
The rules above are ours. Replace any of them with what you’d actually tell a new receptionist.
Your extensions, in order
Desk, mobile, on-call — it tries each one before it gives up.
Your own voice
Give each department its own voice and greeting, or clone yours.
Your hours and holidays
Per department and per site, including bank holidays and shutdowns.
Your languages
Each department can answer in its own, and route to whoever speaks it.
Set your departments up in about fifteen minutes and ring it yourself.