You've signed up for an AI receptionist, or you're thinking about it, and you're staring at an empty box labelled "instructions". What do you actually type? The AI receptionist script examples below answer that for five kinds of small business, from a hair salon to an accountancy practice. Each one shows the written instructions, the facts the AI needs to have to hand, and a short sample call so you can hear how the pieces fit together.
A script for an AI isn't a word-for-word call sheet. You can't predict every caller, and the AI doesn't read lines out. What you write is closer to a briefing for a new member of staff: who you are, what callers want, what to do about each request, and where the line is.
What an AI receptionist script is made of
A workable script has six parts, whatever the industry. If one is missing, the calls show it.
- The greeting. The first sentence the caller hears. It names the business and invites the caller to speak. We've written a separate piece on business phone greeting examples, so this post keeps greetings short.
- The common reasons for calling. The four or five things most callers want. For a salon that's booking, moving an appointment, prices and opening hours. For a plumber it's emergencies, quotes and "are you coming today?".
- What to do about each reason. Book it, answer it from your information, or take details for a person to follow up.
- What to collect. Name, a contact number, and the one or two details that make a follow-up useful (postcode, service wanted, preferred time).
- Boundaries. The questions the AI must not answer, and what it says instead. This is the part most owners skip and the part that matters most.
- The close. A short summary of what happens next, so the caller isn't left guessing.
The facts themselves (prices, services, opening hours, policies) belong in your knowledge base rather than in the script. That way you change a price in one place and every channel picks it up. Our post on what to teach your AI receptionist covers how to organise that information.
Rules that apply to every script
- Be honest about what happens next. If the AI takes a message, it should say a person will be in touch. It shouldn't promise a callback "within ten minutes" unless someone is actually watching for it.
- Say it's an AI if you can. In the EU, Article 50 of the AI Act sets out a duty to make sure people know when they're interacting with an AI system, unless it's obvious. Building it into the greeting is the simple route.
- Tell callers why you're taking their details. In the UK, the ICO's guidance on the right to be informed applies to phone calls as much as web forms. A line such as "I'll pass your number to the team so they can call you back" covers the basic purpose; your privacy notice covers the rest.
Sample script 1: hair salon booking line
A salon's phone rings most when everyone's hands are full. Most calls are bookings, and the awkward ones are colour work that needs a consultation or a patch test first. The AI receptionist for hair salons page goes deeper on the trade itself.
The instructions (sample, the business is made up):
A sample call. The business is made up.
The AI didn't book a three-hour colour slot that the salon would have had to cancel. That one rule saves more trouble than anything else in the script.
Sample script 2: plumbing and heating firm
Trades calls split into two groups: emergencies, where speed matters, and quotes, where detail matters. The danger is gas. No AI should be giving safety advice beyond the official line, and no script should leave a caller who smells gas waiting for a callback. See AI receptionist for home services for the wider picture.
The instructions (sample, the business is made up):
The emergency number comes from National Gas's own emergency page, which says the line runs 24 hours and is free to call. Put the number in the script itself, not only in the knowledge base, so it's always there.
A sample call. The business is made up.
If you'd rather the AI gave no advice at all, not even about the stopcock, say so in the instructions.
Sample script 3: dental practice
Dental calls need the firmest boundaries of any here. The AI books routine appointments and answers practical questions. It doesn't decide how urgent someone's pain is. The AI receptionist for dentists page explains the clinical lines in more detail.
The instructions (sample, the business is made up):
The NHS guidance on when to use 111 is the right signpost for UK practices out of hours. In other countries, use the equivalent service.
A sample call. The business is made up.
Sample script 4: restaurant table bookings
Restaurant calls are short and frequent: tables, hours, menus and allergies. Allergies are where the AI should step back, because a wrong answer can hurt someone. More on the trade at restaurant AI receptionist.
The instructions (sample, the business is made up):
A sample call. The business is made up.
Sample script 5: accountancy practice
Professional firms get fewer calls, but each one is worth more. The script's job is to qualify the enquiry and stop the AI from giving anything that sounds like advice. See AI receptionist for accountants.
The instructions (sample, the business is made up):
How to adapt these AI receptionist script examples
Copying a script word for word won't work, because your rules are different. Use this checklist instead.
- List why people rang in your last 50 calls. A handful of reasons usually covers most of them.
- For each reason, pick one action: book, answer, or take details for a person.
- List the questions you'd never want a junior to answer. Prices for custom work, medical or legal questions, complaints, refunds. Write the response for each.
- Write the "what happens next" line for messages, and make it something you'll actually do.
- Test it. Ring it yourself and ask the awkward questions: the angry customer, the caller who won't give a number, the person who asks the same thing three ways.
- Read the first week of conversations. Look for answers that were wrong or vague, and fix the knowledge base or instructions rather than hoping it improves.
Common mistakes in first drafts
- Instructions that contradict the knowledge base. The script says "we close at 6", the opening hours say 5:30. The AI will pick one.
- Too many rules. Forty bullet points dilute the six that matter. Cut anything that hasn't caused a problem.
- No boundary section. This is how AI receptionists end up quoting prices for jobs they can't price.
- Promising callbacks nobody makes. A message that sits unread is worse than voicemail. Decide who checks for them; our post on AI receptionist handover to staff covers the routine.
How this works in Klugon
If you're writing a script for Klugon's AI receptionist, here's how the pieces above map to the product:
- Greeting: you write your own. The default is "Hello! Thank you for calling {your business}. How can I help you today?", which is in English and doesn't say it's an AI, so we suggest replacing it.
- Instructions and knowledge: you add instructions to the assistant and put facts in the knowledge base (uploaded documents, pasted text, or a scan of key pages on your website). The voice AI searches that knowledge during a call.
- What it can do on a call: list your services, check available slots, create a booking in Klugon's built-in calendar, cancel a booking, search your products, look up your business details, and save a lead with notes. It can't reschedule on a call, so tell it to cancel and rebook, or take details. The booking side is covered on the AI appointment booking page.
- Handover: it can't transfer a live call to a person. It saves the caller's details as a lead with a note, which appears in your dashboard and, on voice Business plans and up, is posted to Slack or Zapier.
- What it won't do: it sends no texts, emails or reminders, and it doesn't call people back. Your script shouldn't promise any of those.
- Tables and party sizes: Klugon's calendar books time slots per staff member, not tables, so it can't check covers or party sizes. A restaurant script like the one above needs a booking system that understands tables, or should take details for the team instead.
Plans and minute allowances are on the pricing page, and the AI phone receptionist page explains the phone side in full.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to write a word-for-word script for an AI receptionist?
No. Write a briefing: who you are, why people call, what to do about each request, what to collect and what not to answer. The AI handles the wording. Fixed phrases are worth specifying only for the greeting, safety messages and legal lines.
How long should the instructions be?
As a rough guide, 150 to 400 words of instructions is enough for most small businesses, plus a knowledge base for the facts. If your instructions run to several pages, the facts have probably crept in and should move to the knowledge base.
Should the script say the caller is talking to an AI?
We think so. It sets expectations and avoids complaints later. In the EU, the AI Act includes transparency rules for AI systems that talk to people, so check what applies to you.
What should an AI receptionist never answer?
Anything where a wrong answer causes harm or costs money: medical, legal or financial advice, prices for custom work, allergy safety, refunds and complaints. Write a specific response for each and have it take details for a person.
How do I know if my script is working?
Read the conversations from the first week, count how many ended with the caller's need met or a useful lead saved, and look for questions the AI couldn't answer. Fix those in the knowledge base, then check again a week later.
Can the AI handle emergency calls?
It can recognise them and give a fixed safety message, such as an emergency number, and save the details as urgent. It can't put the caller through to someone or alert your phone, so emergencies that need a person within minutes need a separate plan.
Start with one script, ring it yourself until it stops surprising you, then let it take real calls.