Creating an AI agent takes about 5 minutes. You'll define what the agent says, pick a voice, and set up its capabilities. By the end, you'll have an agent ready to handle calls.

This guide walks you through each step of the agent creation wizard.

Before you start#

Make sure you have:

  • A dialnote account with admin access
  • At least one phone number in your account
  • A basic idea of what you want your agent to do

Starting the wizard#

  1. Go to Settings → AI Agents in your dialnote dashboard
  2. Click Create Agent → Voice Agent
  3. Pick a starting point

Three ways to start#

AI-Powered Setup (recommended) — A chat-based builder asks about your business in plain English. It generates a complete agent config (name, greeting, identity, guardrails) that you can review and tweak before saving.

Browse Templates — Pick from 17 industry-specific templates covering healthcare, real estate, professional services, home services, retail, tech, hospitality, and education. Each template comes pre-filled with a greeting, conversation flow, and relevant tools. If you filled out the onboarding questionnaire, dialnote highlights the best match for your industry.

Build from Scratch — Start with a blank slate and full manual control. Look for the "Advanced user?" link at the bottom of the starting point screen.

All three paths lead to the same 4-step wizard. You can move between steps freely. Nothing is saved until you finish Step 3, when the agent gets created. Step 4 (capabilities) can be modified later.

Step 1: Basic info#

The first step defines your agent's name and greeting.

Agent name#

Give your agent a descriptive name. This appears in your agent list and helps you identify which agent is which.

Examples:

  • "Reception Assistant"
  • "After-Hours Support"
  • "Appointment Scheduler"

The name is for your reference. Callers won't hear it unless you include it in the greeting.

Greeting message#

This is the first thing callers hear when your agent answers. Keep it natural and brief.

Good greeting:

"Hi, thanks for calling Smith Dental. This is Alex, how can I help you today?"

Avoid:

"Hello valued customer. Your call is important to us. Please state the nature of your inquiry clearly and concisely."

Tips for greetings:

  • Include your company name
  • Keep it under 3 sentences
  • Sound like a real person, not a recording

Step 2: Voice selection#

Pick a voice that matches your brand. dialnote offers voices from multiple providers (ElevenLabs, OpenAI, Deepgram, PlayHT) with different characteristics.

Choosing a voice#

Use the filters to narrow down options:

  • Gender: Male or female
  • Accent: American, British, Australian, and more

Click the play button next to any voice to hear a preview. Pick one that sounds natural for your use case. A law firm might want a calm, professional voice. A pizza shop might want something more casual and upbeat.

Language selection#

Choose the primary language your agent will speak. Options include:

  • English (US, UK, Australia, India)
  • Spanish (Spain, Mexico, US)
  • French (France, Canada)
  • German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian
  • Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified/Traditional)
  • Hindi, Arabic

The agent responds in the selected language. If callers speak a different language, the agent will still try to help but may switch to the configured language.

Step 3: Instructions#

This is the core of your agent. You're telling the AI how to behave, what to say, and what to avoid.

Agent identity#

Describe who the agent is and why it's answering calls.

Structure your identity like this:

You are [Name], a [Role] at [Company].
Context: You're answering because [reason - after hours, agents busy, etc.].
Vibe: [Personality - professional, friendly, calm, etc.]

Example:

You are Sam, a Customer Support Assistant at Acme Corp. Context: You're picking up calls because all human agents are currently busy. Vibe: Professional, empathetic, and efficient.

Interaction style (optional)#

Define how the agent should speak. This is optional but helps create consistent behavior.

Consider including:

  • Tone: Warm, formal, casual, reassuring
  • Pacing: Keep responses short (under 20 words works well)
  • Turn-taking: What to do if the caller interrupts
  • Filler words: Natural phrases like "I understand" or "Got it"

Conversation flow#

Write the step-by-step flow your agent should follow. Be specific and include exact phrases.

Example flow:

1. Greeting: "Hi, this is Sam from Acme Corp. How can I help you today?"
2. Capture name: Ask "Who am I speaking with?"
3. Capture reason: Ask "What's the main reason for your call?"
4. Acknowledge: Confirm what you heard back to the caller
5. Next steps: Let them know someone will follow up, or offer to transfer
6. Closing: "Thanks for calling. Have a great day!"

The more specific your flow, the better. Vague instructions lead to unpredictable behavior.

Guardrails (optional)#

Define what the agent should never do. These rules help prevent mistakes.

Common guardrails:

  • Don't promise specific callback times
  • Don't share other employees' personal information
  • Don't provide legal or medical advice
  • If unsure, offer to transfer to a human

Step 4: Capabilities#

After completing Step 3, your agent is created. Step 4 lets you add knowledge bases and tools.

Knowledge bases#

Knowledge bases give your agent specific information to reference during calls. You can select from existing knowledge bases or create new ones.

To attach a knowledge base, check the box next to it. The agent will search this content when answering questions.

See Knowledge Bases for details on creating and managing them.

Tools#

Tools let your agent take actions during calls. A default "End Call" tool is created automatically.

Available tools:

  • End call: Hangs up with a customizable goodbye
  • Transfer call: Forwards to an external phone number
  • Transfer to team: Routes to specific team members
  • Send SMS: Texts the caller
  • Check availability: Looks up calendar slots (Calendly/Cal.com)
  • Book meeting: Schedules appointments directly
  • Custom webhook: Calls your own API

Click "Add Tool" to create additional tools. Each tool needs a name, description (so the AI knows when to use it), and configuration specific to that tool type.

See Custom Tools for detailed setup instructions.

After creation#

Once you finish the wizard, your agent is ready but not yet live. To start receiving calls:

  1. Go to Phone Numbers in Settings
  2. Select the number you want the agent to answer
  3. In the call flow settings, add your AI agent as a step

You can also test your agent before assigning it to a phone number.

Editing an existing agent#

To modify an agent:

  1. Go to Settings → AI Agents
  2. Click the agent you want to edit
  3. The same wizard opens with your current settings
  4. Make changes and click Save Changes

Changes take effect immediately for new calls. Calls in progress continue with the original configuration.

What's next#

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