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.
Outbound
AI Outbound Calling Agent
Calls placed to your list, on the cadence you set, for reminders, confirmations, surveys or whatever purpose you define.
Reminder calls, confirmations and short surveys matter, but they eat hours your team does not have, so they get skipped. This agent dials the numbers on your list, on the cadence and calling windows you set, and runs the flow you define. It respects opt-outs, logs every outcome and passes calls that need a person to your team.
- Places reminder, confirmation and survey calls from your list
- Respects your calling windows, retry limits and opt-outs
- Logs each call's outcome automatically in your systems
$6,900
20–30 working days
Optional maintenance $345/mo
What it is
AI Outbound Calling Agent places calls to the numbers on your list and runs the conversation flow you define, whether that is a reminder, a confirmation or a survey. It is the flexible base for outbound work, built before you need a specialized sales or collections build.
Why businesses buy it
Outbound calls that never get made have a cost: no-shows, unconfirmed orders and feedback you never hear. Asking staff to work through a list takes them away from customers in front of them, and the list rarely gets finished. This agent works the list on schedule, records every outcome and escalates the calls that need a person. The Scope Card fixes the flows, systems, calling rules and testing before you buy, so you can start with one purpose and add others later through a quoted add-on.
Problems this solves
Reminder and confirmation calls eat hours of staff time
The agent works through the numbers on your list and runs the call flow you define. Staff no longer spend afternoons dialling for routine reminders or confirmations.
Outbound call lists are only half finished each week
Calls are placed steadily from your list, and each outcome is written to the connected system. You can see who was reached and who needs another try.
Short surveys by phone never get done
A survey can be one of up to five call flows. The agent asks your questions in order and records the answers for your team to review.
You need outbound calling before committing to a specialized build
This is the flexible base for outbound work. You can start with reminders or confirmations now and add sales or collections flows later as separate builds.
A good fit if
Your outbound calling purpose does not fit a single specialized template, for example a mix of reminders, confirmations and short surveys.
You have a defined list source, such as a CRM segment or a scheduled export, that calls should be placed against.
You want one working outbound flow now and expect to add or reshape purposes as your calling needs change.
You need calls placed, logged and escalated correctly, without committing yet to a sales, collections or appointment-setting script.
Not the right fit if
Calls exist to pitch, handle objections and close or book a next step. See AI Voice Sales Agent, built specifically for selling conversations.
Calls exist to book appointments through cold or warm outreach. See AI Voice Appointment Setter, a narrower outbound booking build.
Calls exist to collect overdue payments. See AI Voice Collections Assistant, which is built with the tone and compliance framing that task needs.
You mainly need to answer calls, not place them. See AI Inbound Call Agent.
How it works
- The call is placed to a number from your list, at the time and cadence you set, respecting the calling windows and retry rules you define.
- Once connected, the caller is greeted and told the reason for the call, using the disclosure wording you approve.
- The agent runs the conversation flow you defined, for example confirming an appointment, reminding about a renewal, or asking a short set of survey questions.
- Responses are captured and, where relevant, written back to the system that triggered the call, such as marking a reminder confirmed or a survey completed.
- Calls that need a person, or where the recipient asks to speak with one, are transferred live or scheduled as a callback, based on the rule you set.
- Every attempt is logged with its outcome, whether that is connected and completed, no answer, or opted out, so your list stays accurate.
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.
- A telephony account in your name, such as Twilio, Vonage or Exotel, approved for outbound calling and compliant with your local calling regulations.
- The list source and the criteria for who gets called, when, and how many attempts.
- The purpose and script for each outbound flow, in plain terms, so we can turn it into a working conversation.
- Your calling windows, retry rules, and opt-out handling requirements.
- Access to the CRM or calendar this line should read from or write outcomes to.
- Admin access and API keys for every connected system, shared by adding our team as a user or creating a key you control, never by email.
- One person who can approve the outbound flows and sign off the test calls.
- Documented prior consent for every number we call, with your lists scrubbed against applicable do-not-call lists before each campaign. We do not give legal advice, so confirm your calling obligations with your own counsel.
- 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 confirmed and your outbound flows and calling rules scoped out.
Weeks 1–2
Flows, voice and dialing rules built to match what you described.
Week 3
List source, CRM and calendar connected and tested.
Weeks 3–4
Fifty test calls placed across every flow, transcripts sent to you.
Week 4
Your review, with two rounds of changes to the flows.
Go-live
Live and dialing your list, recorded handoff session held, support begins.
| Option | Delivery time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 20–30 working days | $6,900 |
| Express | 15–25 working days | $7,950 |
| Rush | 10–20 working days | $8,950 |
What you receive at handover
- AI Outbound Calling Agent, configured and deployed on one outbound number
- Workflow, prompt and guardrail configuration for up to five call flows, with live transfer to a person
- Connection to up to two agreed systems, such as your CRM and calendar
- A test report from 50 test calls with transcripts
- An admin guide, recorded 60-minute handoff session and 30 days of post-launch support
Expected benefits and how to measure them
- Routine outbound calls can get done without tying up your team.
- Call outcomes can be logged in one place for follow-up.
- You can test outbound calling before investing in a specialized version.
- List completion
- Compare how much of each week's call list is worked, from your CRM, before and after launch.
- Contact rate
- Divide calls answered by calls placed, from the agent's log, and track it weekly.
- Staff hours on outbound calls
- Ask staff to estimate weekly dialling time for a month before and after go-live.
Before you start: Note the size of your weekly call list and how much gets done. Record roughly how many staff hours go on outbound calls.
These are things to track, not promised results. Outcomes depend on your data, your team and your market.
Running costs
The build price is paid one time. Running it is billed in your own telephony and AI accounts, roughly $0.13 to $0.31 per connected call minute all in, covering the voice platform, the AI model and telephony, plus number rental. Outbound spend also depends on dial attempts, not just connected minutes, since unanswered calls and retries still use telephony minutes even when no conversation happens.
AI usage during build and testing is also billed to your own accounts, so every provider relationship stays yours.
Ask about running costsCustom requirements
Need a flow, list logic or compliance requirement beyond the Scope Card? Add a note at checkout and you get a written Change Quote, with work starting only once you accept it. Larger or bespoke projects go through the Custom AI request form instead.
Request a custom versionKeep it running
Optional monthly maintenance covers monitoring, fixes, model and platform updates, a monthly health report and monthly change hours, enough to add a seasonal calling campaign or adjust an existing flow. It starts after the thirty days of included support and can be cancelled any month.
$345/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 | An outbound dialer tool charges a per-seat or per-minute plan | A custom build gets quoted after discovery calls | Ours is one fixed price, shown on this page before you buy |
| Scope | A generic dialer still needs your team to script and staff the calls | An agency agrees scope during the project | Ours covers up to five outbound flows on one Scope Card |
| Delivery | A self-serve dialer is fast to sign up for but slow to configure well | An agency build usually runs several weeks | Ours has a fixed delivery time shown before you buy, with faster options |
| Call records | Basic dial logs without a structured outcome per call | Depends on what was agreed with the agency | Ours writes a transcript, summary and outcome into your CRM |
Questions about this product
What kinds of outbound calls can the AI Outbound Calling Agent make?
It covers up to five distinct outbound flows on one calling number, for example appointment reminders, order confirmations and short surveys running side by side. Each flow has its own script, questions and outcome logic. A sixth flow, or a second outbound purpose entirely, is quoted as an Additional Workflow add-on.
How is this different from the AI Voice Sales Agent?
The Sales Agent is written specifically to pitch, handle objections and close or book a next step, with conversation logic built for that purpose. This build is the broader base, meant for outbound work that is not selling, such as reminders or surveys.
How does calling compliance work, like do-not-call rules and calling windows?
You hold documented prior consent for every number we call, and you scrub your lists against applicable do-not-call lists. US regulators treat AI-generated voices as artificial voices, so consent is needed before these calls. The flow enforces the calling windows, retry limits and opt-outs you set. We do not give legal advice, so confirm your obligations with counsel.
What does the AI Outbound Calling Agent cost to run each month?
Connected call minutes run roughly $0.13 to $0.31 all in, covering the voice platform, the AI model and telephony, plus number rental, paid directly in your own accounts. Because outbound dialing includes unanswered attempts and retries, your total telephony spend depends on dial volume as well as connected minutes.
How long before the AI Outbound Calling Agent is dialing our list?
The delivery panel on this page shows the timeline for each speed. The clock starts once intake is complete: your list source, scripts, calling windows, retry rules and disclosure wording. We place fifty test calls to test numbers first, checking scripts, retries and opt-outs, and you get two rounds of changes before the agent dials a real customer.
Do the people we call know they are speaking to an AI agent?
Yes. The greeting includes a short disclosure in wording you approve, delivered before the conversation continues. Several US states and countries have specific disclosure and consent requirements for automated outbound calls, so this is set carefully during intake and can be updated later through monthly maintenance.
Can we add a new outbound flow after launch?
Small edits to an existing flow, such as new questions or an updated script, fit inside the monthly change hours included with maintenance. A genuinely new outbound purpose, for example a new campaign your business starts running, comes through the Additional Workflow add-on, priced before the work starts.
Guides on this topic
All guides Give every kind of outbound call one place to run from.
Order AI Outbound Calling Agent and it is dialing your list on the flows you defined on a fixed delivery date.
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