VoiceAI Initial Set Up and Settings

This article outlines initial steps for getting started with VoiceAI: 

CLICK HERE for a video demo (requires sign-in).

See EliseAI's Integrations List for CRM / PMS software you can use with VoiceAI.

Settings Permissions

The following permissions are required to set up VoiceAI. 

Update permissions in your AI Portal's Users > Manage Users page. See the Set Up and Invite Users article for instructions.

Step 1: Determine how you will send calls to EliseAI

The first step to setting up VoiceAI is to decide whether or not you will be publishing the EliseAI provided Vanity Numbers or if you will be forwarding phone traffic from your existing numbers over to EliseAI Vanity Numbers. 

Setup Options

1. Publish EliseAI Vanity Numbers (Recommended)

You can choose to publish EliseAI Vanity Numbers on your Internet Listing Services, Google My Business Source, Property Website, and anywhere else that a prospect might find your building’s number. This means you must replace your existing numbers with numbers provided by EliseAI.

2. Forward Traffic to Corresponding EliseAI Vanity Numbers

You can also choose to redirect your existing marketing source vanity numbers to the corresponding EliseAI numbers. This means you will be keeping your existing Vanity tracking numbers and forwarding traffic to EliseAI when that number is called. 

3. Forward Traffic to One EliseAI Vanity Number

You can also choose to redirect your existing marketing source vanity numbers to a single EliseAI number. This means you will be keeping your existing Vanity tracking numbers and forwarding traffic to EliseAI when that number is called. 

We share marketing source attribution data with Entrata and Knock so this option is available if you will be using the same VoiceAI configuration across all of your marketing sources.

4. Phone Porting to EliseAI

In some cases, you may transfer ownership, or port, your existing vanity numbers to EliseAI. See the Phone Porting article for more information. 

Setup Instructions

1. In your AI Portal left-hand navigation panel, click Operations > Phone.
2. Click the Voice Hub tab at the top of the page.
3. Select the community you would like to set up on the left-hand side of the Phone settings page and then navigate to the “VoiceAI Settings” module.

4. From here, you can choose between two Launch Plan options:

   1. Forward Traffic to Elise
   2. Publish Elise Number

   Note: Changing this setting requires the Phone > Voice Hub Launch Plan permission.

5. If you are forwarding traffic, select the applicable integration. This determines the personalized onboarding instructions you receive to complete the voice integration.

Step 2: Determine what should happen when a call comes through

When a call initially comes through you have the option to allow the call to go directly to your VoiceAI assistant or to first route to a phone tree where your call will need to navigate prompts to get to the right place.

Setup Options

1. VoiceAI First (Recommended)

For clients on both Leasing and Resident Voice, we recommend streamlining the caller’s experience and letting the VoiceAI handle initial call triage. Faster pick-ups lead to greater caller satisfaction.

If you configure VoiceAI to answer after-hours calls, we recommend that you add "Available 24/7" next to any publicly displayed numbers (Property Websites, ILSs, and so on). 

2. Phone Tree

If you need to route calls within a phone tree, your VoiceAI assistant can help.

If you're using only one Voice product (e.g., Leasing Voice but not Resident Voice), use a phone tree to route calls correctly. Go to the Vanity Numbers page and select an EliseAI Vanity Number. In the Entrypoint column, choose Tree to configure Situation, Action, Phone Number, and Voice Hub Team as needed. You can configure up to four situations.  

3. Deflect to Text

If you do not want to handle these calls, you can choose to end the call and send the caller a text message follow-up. However, this should only be used for specific actions within the IVR and not the entrypoint.

Setup Instructions

1. In your AI Portal left-hand navigation panel, click Operations > Phone.
2. Click the Vanity Numbers tab at the top of the page.
3. Find the applicable vanity number you would like to update and adjust the Entrypoint settings in the “Configuration” section. For a more detailed article on Vanity numbers, see Launch Plan for Vanity Numbers.
   • If you select VoiceAI, then you are all set with the Vanity Number Setup.
   • Do not select “call” or “deflect to text” for your entrypoint when you are configuring VoiceAI settings.

Step 3: Who will handle initial call pick-up?

During office hours, you can choose to have VoiceAI answer first or take overflow from your leasing office or Call Center. 

• You can adjust this setting separately for residents and non-residents, so each caller type follows a different routing path. 
• EliseAI automatically identifies residents by matching the caller's phone number against your property's resident records. 
• After hours, VoiceAI will always pick up first.

Setup Options

The following pickup options are available for both the resident and non-resident routing settings:

1. VoiceAI answers all calls first (Recommended)

We recommend having VoiceAI answer first to field questions and triage calls as needed. VoiceAI picks up instantly, which means that your call abandonment rate will be almost 0 and your callers spend less time waiting for a pick-up. If VoiceAI is unable to answer the caller’s question, it will route calls based on the teams/responsibilities and routing plans that you set-up in the “teams” section. This setting allows you to make the most of your VoiceAI assistant.

2. Leasing Office is dialed first

If you select this option, you must configure the following settings:

If you set your Leasing Office to answer first, VoiceAI will act as an overflow solution if your office misses the call. If the initial call goes unanswered and the AI handles the conversation, it can attempt to transfer the call back to the original office number, as long as you add this number to the team routing section in your VoiceHub. See VoiceAI Team Setup > Set Team Routing Plans for more information. 

Please note that this setup only supports dialing a single number for a predetermined duration before VoiceAI takes over. Multiple numbers cannot be dialed in sequence or simultaneously.

If you select this option, you must configure the following settings:

• Leasing Office Number: This number will be used to initially dial your leasing office. It must be a direct line with no recordings or IVR setup. Do not use this number in any marketing materials, as it would bypass the AI entirely.
• Dial Duration: This setting determines how long the call will ring to your office before VoiceAI picks up. We recommend setting dial duration to 10 seconds or less to reduce the likelihood of hang-ups from prospects.

Connect to Call Dashboard

What does Connect to Call Dashboard do?

"Connect to Call Dashboard" enables Inbound Parallel Ringing. This means that incoming calls will ring both your leasing office number AND the available agents you have for the property. This means your agents can answer in either the AI Portal Call Center or their office line. We will also automatically create guest cards for all incoming calls answered on the office line.

Setting "Connect to call dashboard" to "on" will automatically turn on all users with the leasing agent and community manager role as "active" to receive calls.

Flow for what happens when a call is answered

1. When calls are answered on the office line
   1. We will display a "view live call" pop-up and the agent can click on that the view the guest card of the call they just answered. We will create guest cards for all incoming calls
2. When calls are answered in AI Portal Call Center
   1. The call will pull up the dashboard and guest card automatically

Benefits of Connecting to the Call Dashboard

1. Auto guest card creation for all calls
2. Multiple options to answer incoming calls
3. View live call modal to associate caller with their guest card

3. Call Center is Checked First

If you use the EliseAI Call Center, you can first attempt to connect the call to agents via the Call Center. EliseAI will check to see if there are any available agents online and ready to receive calls. If  not, the call will go straight to VoiceAI. If there are available agents, Call Center will ring all available agents for 20 seconds. If no one accepts the call, it will go to VoiceAI. For more information about the Call Center, see the Call Center Guide.

Setup Instructions

1. In your AI Portal left-hand navigation panel, click Operations > Phone.
2. Click the Voice Hub tab at the top of the page.
3. For Who should pick up first for residents? select VoiceAI, Leasing Office, or Call Center to set the routing path for callers identified as current residents.
4. For Who should pick up for for everyone else? select VoiceAI, Leasing Office, or Call Center to set the routing path for all other callers (prospects, vendors, etc).
5. If "Leasing Office" is selected for the everyone else option, also enter the following:
   • Leasing Office Number: This number will ONLY be used to initially dial your leasing office. It must be a direct line without any recordings or IVR setup. It is important to note that this number should not be displayed on your marketing sources, otherwise you will be introducing a call loop.
   • Dial Duration: The dial duration determines how long you want the call to ring to your office before VoiceAI answers. We recommend no more than 10 seconds to reduce hang-ups.

Step 4. Review Your VoiceAI Routing Plan

Once you have configured your VoiceAI call routing plan, you can view a dynamic flowchart on the Voice Hub page to review the plan for your community. This feature is useful for reviewing your workflow and identifying necessary changes. 

For more information, visit VoiceAI Routing Preview (requires sign-in).

Common Setup Mistakes

See VoiceAI: Common Setup Mistakes for detailed video guides (requires sign-in).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the AI's voice? 

Yes. We have a variety of voices available for your VoiceAI Assistant for you to choose from. Voices can be previewed on the Voice Library page in the EliseAI Portal. Please submit a support ticket if you would like to change it. 

How do I change the AI’s pronunciation of certain words?

To update your AI's pronunciation, please submit a support ticket with the correct phonetic spelling or a voice recording.

Where can I learn more about VoiceAI?

Sign up for our weekly VoiceAI Scaled Success Webinar to chat with our experts about maximizing your VoiceAI functionality.

Can I set different routing for residents and non-residents?

Yes. The VoiceAI Settings card in Voice Hub has two separate pickup settings: Who should pick up first for residents? and Who should pick up first for everyone else? You can select a different routing option for each group. EliseAI identifies residents automatically by matching the caller's phone number against your property's resident records.