Customer Support and Voice AI
AI receptionist for small business: calls, bookings and handoffs
What an AI receptionist does on a real call, the rules that apply, a sample greeting and a pass/fail checklist to launch one safely.
Inbound
AI Inbound Call Agent for Exotel
Your Exotel number answered by AI that handles each defined call type and updates the Exotel call record with what happened.
Exotel already carries your business line, and callers keep asking about order status, deliveries or bookings. This agent answers that Exotel number and handles up to five call types you define, from first question to clear outcome. Each call record in Exotel is updated with what happened, and calls it cannot help with go live to your team.
- Handles order status, delivery and booking calls end to end
- Updates each Exotel call record with the call's outcome
- Marks unresolved calls so your team knows to call back
$6,400
20–30 working days
Optional maintenance $320/mo
What it is
AI Inbound Call Agent for Exotel takes calls on a number in your Exotel account and handles up to five call types you define, from first question to clear outcome. With an Exotel API key and token, it reads and updates calls, numbers and call records on an agreed mapping, plus one more system.
Why businesses buy it
Repeatable calls on an Exotel line tie up staff who should be serving customers, and calls that ring out leave no trace. This edition answers every call, settles the routine ones with answers from documents you approve, and updates the Exotel call record so nothing goes unseen. Unresolved calls are flagged for a callback rather than lost. You keep your provider and your plan. The Scope Card fixes the call types, mapping and extra system in writing before you order, so the build cannot drift.
Problems this solves
Order and delivery enquiries swamp your Exotel numbers at peak times
The agent takes calls on a number in your Exotel account and handles up to five call types you define. Each call runs from first question to a clear outcome.
Exotel call records show who called but not what they wanted
Calls, numbers and call records are read and updated on an agreed mapping. Each record can carry the call type and result, so reports reflect what callers needed.
Staff switch screens mid-call to check details in another system
One more system, such as your order system or CRM, is connected alongside Exotel. The agent checks it during the call, so callers are not kept waiting while someone looks it up.
Handing Exotel API credentials to a vendor raises security concerns
The Exotel API key and token are set up through access you control. No keys travel by email, and the documented mapping shows exactly what the agent can read and update.
A good fit if
Your business line already runs on Exotel, and changing telephony provider is not on the table.
Your team relies on Exotel call records to see who called and why, and AI-handled calls should add to that record, not bypass it.
Calls on the line fall into a few repeatable types, for example order status, delivery questions or service bookings, each with a known answer path.
An Exotel admin can issue an API key and token and spend 30 minutes on a setup call with us.
Not the right fit if
You mostly need calls answered, routed and booked the way a front desk would. See AI Voice Receptionist for Exotel.
Your callers use two languages and the agent must handle both. This build covers one; add the Additional Language Pack.
Your phones are on RingCentral and you want transfers made through its call control. See AI Inbound Call Agent for RingCentral.
Callers expect technical troubleshooting from a support knowledge base. See AI Voice Customer Support.
How it works
- We connect to Exotel with your API key and token. A 30-minute call with your Exotel admin fixes which number the agent answers and which call record fields it may update, and we write that mapping down.
- A caller reaches the number and hears your greeting and disclosure. The agent identifies the call type and follows the approved flow, using up to 50 documents or an FAQ set and the one other system you connected.
- If the flow cannot finish, or the caller asks for a person, the agent transfers live to the number for that call type, or takes a message when nobody answers.
- When the call ends, the Exotel call record is updated with the outcome on the agreed mapping, and a transcript and summary go to your second system.
What you provide within 72 hours
Your portal lists these the moment you order. Delivery starts the working day after everything is in and your access is checked.
- An Exotel API key and token.
- An Exotel admin who can join a 30-minute setup call.
- The Exotel number the agent should answer.
- Call scripts, FAQs and business hours for every call type you want handled.
- Transfer numbers, matched to each call type.
- Calendar or CRM access for the second connected system.
- Your recording disclosure, preferred voice and language, and one decision-maker.
- An API key for your own AI model account (for example OpenAI or Google Gemini), created for this build with a spending limit.
The 72-hour rule. Send everything on your checklist, including access, within 72 hours of ordering so your build starts on time.
Timeline
Start
Intake verified; Exotel credentials and number confirmed.
Weeks 1–2
Five flows, greeting and knowledge set up.
Week 3
Exotel call records mapped; transfers and second system tested.
Weeks 3–4
Fifty test calls run, transcripts shared with you.
Week 4
Your feedback applied over two rounds.
Go-live
Agent live on your Exotel number, handoff recorded, support begins.
| Option | Delivery time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 20–30 working days | $6,400 |
| Express | 15–25 working days | $7,350 |
| Rush | 10–20 working days | $8,300 |
What you receive at handover
- The AI Inbound Call Agent live on a number in your Exotel account
- An Exotel connection covering calls, numbers and call records, with a documented field mapping
- Up to five configured call types and a connection to one more system
- Access set up through keys you control, with none sent by email
- A test report on sandbox or test records, an admin guide and a recorded handoff session
- 30 days of post-launch support
Expected benefits and how to measure them
- Can help Exotel numbers cope with peak-time enquiries.
- Helps call records show what each caller needed.
- Makes it easier to spot which call types need staff attention.
- Calls completed without staff
- Count them from Exotel call records each month, broken down by call type.
- Missed or dropped calls at peak times
- Filter Exotel reports to peak hours. Compare four weeks before launch with four weeks after.
- Call records with a call type and result
- Count complete records in Exotel monthly. Compare with records from before launch.
Before you start: Export four weeks of Exotel call reports with peak-hour detail. Note which call types take the most staff time.
These are things to track, not promised results. Outcomes depend on your data, your team and your market.
Running costs
You pay once for the build. After launch, calls cost roughly $0.13 to $0.31 per minute all in, covering the voice platform, AI model and telephony, plus number rental, all billed in your own accounts. Exotel invoices you for its part directly, and your Exotel plan does not change.
AI usage during building and testing is also charged to you, which keeps every provider relationship yours.
Ask about running costsCustom requirements
Want a second Exotel number, more than five call types, or custom Exotel objects beyond the agreed mapping? A note at checkout gets you a written Change Quote.
Request a custom versionKeep it running
We recommend monthly maintenance, with monitoring, fixes and monthly change hours for things like updating an FAQ answer or a transfer number.
$320/mo (5% of the build price a month, includes 3 change hours)
Optional. Starts after the post-launch support period. Cancel any month.
How maintenance worksHow this compares
| Do it yourself with a SaaS tool | Hire a custom agency | Upmark Labs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | A voice-bot vendor adds a monthly platform fee on top of your Exotel bill | A telephony consultant quotes after discovery calls | Ours is one fixed price, shown on this page before you buy |
| Call records | The bot keeps its own history, apart from Exotel | Depends on what was agreed | Ours updates each Exotel call record with the outcome |
| Scope | One generic script per line | Agreed during the project | Ours covers five defined call types and live transfer |
| Delivery | Fast to sign up, slow to fit your calls | Set per project | Ours has a fixed delivery time shown before you buy, with faster options |
Questions about this product
What Exotel data does the inbound agent read and update?
Calls, numbers and call records. It receives each call on the Exotel number you chose, and at the end it updates that call's record with the outcome, using the fields agreed in the mapping. Anything outside that mapping, including custom Exotel objects, is not part of this build and would need a Change Quote.
Does the Exotel edition need us to change our Exotel plan?
No. The build works with the Exotel account and plan you already have, and licenses or plan upgrades are not included. If something you want depends on a different Exotel plan, it comes up on the 30-minute setup call, before any build work relies on it.
How does AI Inbound Call Agent for Exotel handle a caller it cannot help?
It transfers the caller live to the number you set for that call type. If nobody picks up, it takes a message and the Exotel call record shows the call as unresolved, so your team knows to call back. It never invents an answer outside the documents you approved.
Can we hear the Exotel agent's test calls before it goes live?
Yes. We run 50 test calls across your call types on Exotel test records and send you every transcript, along with how each call record was updated. You then get two rounds of changes, so wording, transfer numbers or flow steps can be adjusted before real callers reach the agent.
What are the delivery options for the Exotel inbound build?
The delivery panel on this page lists the standard timeline and the faster options, each priced before you order. Timing starts the working day after your Exotel key, token, scripts and transfer numbers are verified. Intake is due within 72 hours, and delays push the date, so gather those items early. The scope and testing are the same at every speed.
What does a month of AI-answered calls on Exotel cost?
It depends on minutes. All in, covering the voice platform, AI model and telephony, expect roughly $0.13 to $0.31 per call minute, plus number rental, billed to your own accounts. Exotel bills its share directly. Monthly maintenance is optional, and we recommend it.
Guides on this topic
All guides Turn your Exotel line into calls that end with an answer.
Order AI Inbound Call Agent for Exotel.
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