An AI receptionist on the number you already own
It picks up every call, answers from your own business information, books appointments on your Google Calendar, and hands callers to a person when they ask. It runs on your Twilio or Telnyx account. No new number, no porting.
The same AI can answer your texts and your website chat. TelBuddy is a flat software fee and never marks up your carrier minutes.
🤖 AI: "Thanks for calling Bayside Plumbing. How can I help?"
👤 Caller: "My water heater is leaking. Do you do same-day visits?"
🤖 AI: "We do, for leaks inside the service area. I have 2:30 or 4:00 this afternoon. Which works?"
👤 Caller: "2:30, please."
✓ Booked on the calendar · name, number and address saved on the event
What it does on a call
Not a menu and not a voicemail greeting. A conversation that ends somewhere useful.
Answers from your information
Hours, prices, service area, policies. It looks them up in your knowledge base and says so when something is not covered, instead of making it up.
Books the appointment
Checks your real Google Calendar, offers times that are actually free, and writes the event before the caller hangs up. Appointment booking
Hands off to a person
Say "agent", "billing" or any phrase you choose, and the call goes to a phone, a team, or a call queue. AI call transfer
Asks your intake questions
Name, callback number, address, the reason for the call. Required questions are always asked; optional ones only when they fit.
Lets callers interrupt
Callers can talk over it, the way they would with a person, and it stops to listen. No waiting for a long sentence to finish.
Keeps a transcript
Every AI call is logged with a searchable transcript, so you can see what callers asked and tune the answers.
All day, after hours, or only when you are busy.
The AI does not have to replace your team. Most businesses start with one of these and widen it later.
A person is always one sentence away
You write the trigger phrases callers actually use: agent, manager, billing, emergency, a teammate's name. When one comes up, the AI hands the call over to the number or queue you chose for it.
Different topics can go to different people, and each assistant can have its own rules. Add at least one rule before you go live, because without one the AI keeps every call.
The questions you would ask, asked every time
List the questions in order and mark which are required. The AI works them into the conversation and can skip one when an earlier answer makes it pointless, such as not asking for an email from someone who wants a callback.
When it books, every answer lands on the calendar event under the question's own wording, with the caller's number. One calendar or one per person: ask for Maria and it books Maria.
Twilio or Telnyx, the same receptionist
The AI answers on whichever carrier the number belongs to. One honest difference, because it changes who you can ring.
| What | Twilio number | Telnyx number |
|---|---|---|
| Answers calls and texts | Yes | Yes |
| Knowledge base answers | Yes | Yes |
| Books on Google Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Transfer to a person or queue | Yes, and can ring a whole team at once | Yes, one destination at a time |
| Call minutes billed by | Twilio, at your rates | Telnyx, at your rates |
A flat monthly tier, not a per-call meter
The AI receptionist is an optional add-on on top of any TelBuddy plan. Each AI tier is one monthly price with an allowance of AI voice minutes and AI messages. The phone call itself stays on your own carrier account with no markup.
✓Works with any TelBuddy plan
✓Voice minutes and messages included
✓Carrier minutes at your own rates
✓Bills on its own renewal date
The add-on is not part of the 7-day free trial. See the AI tiers or compare it with an answering service.
A few honest answers.
Do I need a new phone number?
No. It answers the Twilio or Telnyx number you already have. Choose AI Voice Receptionist under Answered By and calls go to the AI from the next ring.
What happens when it does not know the answer?
It says it does not have that information instead of guessing. Answers come from your knowledge base, and anything without a close enough match is treated as not covered.
Can callers reach a real person?
Yes, through the trigger phrases you set. The AI hands the call to a phone number, a ring group on Twilio, or a call queue. Without at least one rule it keeps the call, so add one before you go live.
Can I have more than one assistant?
Yes. Give each number its own assistant, such as a sales line and a support line. Company-wide facts can be shared by all of them, and anything you attach to one assistant stays with it.
Is it included in my plan?
It is an optional add-on that works with any plan, with a monthly allowance of AI voice minutes and AI messages. It is not part of the free trial. Current tiers are on the pricing page.
Does TelBuddy mark up my call minutes?
No. The call runs on your own Twilio or Telnyx account at your carrier's rates. TelBuddy is a flat software fee, and the AI add-on is a flat monthly tier.
Related: AI knowledge base · AI appointment booking · AI call transfer · Setup guide · 3 ways to add an AI receptionist
Every call answered. On your own number.
Connect Twilio or Telnyx, add the AI tier that fits, and set Answered By to AI Voice Receptionist.