Before launching with either option, make sure you have gone to “Versions” on the left panel of the PolyAI platform and have selected “Go Live” for the version of the agent you want to launch with.
Option 1 (Recommended): Change your existing public number to your live PolyAI number
Option 1 (Recommended): Change your existing public number to your live PolyAI number
This option is the easier of the two and involves changing your public number to your live PolyAI number so your existing public number can be used as the transfer number.
Before launching with this option, make sure you have gone to “Versions” on the left panel of the PolyAI platform and have selected “Go Live” for the version of the agent you want to launch with.
The transfer number is the number that your PolyAI agent will transfer the guest to if their request requires human intervention.
Step 1: Add your original public number as the transfer number in the PolyAI platform
- How to do this:
- Log in to the PolyAI platform
- Go to Sites on the left panel
- Click the appropriate site
- Scroll down to the Reservations and call handling section
- Enter your original public phone number to the “Transfer number” field
- Enter in E.164 format, which is + followed by country code and number (e.g., +14155551234)
- Click “Save Version” in the top-right
- Add a note about what you changed
- Then click Save Version again
- To test that the transfer works, go to Numbers on the left panel
- Directly call the Sandbox number you see for the site and ask the agent to speak to a human
- The agent should transfer you to the transfer number destination
- Once you confirm the transfer works, click Versions on the left panel
- Click Go live on the right of the change you made in Sandbox
Step 2: Change your Google Business Profile’s phone number to your restaurant site’s PolyAI’s number
- How to do this:
- If you manage it through Google Search
- Make sure you’re signed into the Google account that manages the business.
- Go to Google Search and type your business name.
- You’ll see a panel called “Your Business Profile.”
- Click Edit profile.
- Select Contact.
- Under Phone number, click the pencil/edit icon.
- Enter your live PolyAI number (which can be found in the PolyAI platform, under the Numbers section on the left panel).
- Click Save.
- If you manage it through Google Maps
- Open Google Maps while signed into your business account.
- Search your business name.
- Tap/click the Business Profile.
- Select Edit profile.
- Go to Contact.
- Update your phone number to your live PolyAI number (which can be found in the PolyAI platform, under the Numbers section on the left panel).
- Click Save.
- If you manage it through Google Search
Step 3: Change the number of any public-facing materials to your restaurant’s live PolyAI number
- Coordinate internally to update any public-facing materials (including your website) that contain your restaurant’s current public phone number, and change that phone number to your restaurant’s live PolyAI number. This can be found in the PolyAI platform, under the Numbers section on the left panel.
Option 2: Forward your existing public number to your live PolyAI number
Option 2: Forward your existing public number to your live PolyAI number
This option is involves forwarding your public number to your live PolyAI number. It requires you to connect with your telephone provider to set up a secondary number, which PolyAI will use as the transfer number.
Before launching with this option, make sure you have gone to “Versions” on the left panel of the PolyAI platform and have selected “Go Live” for the version of the agent you want to launch with.
The transfer number is the number that your PolyAI agent will transfer the guest to if their request requires human intervention. This number cannot be the same as the restaurant’s public number (because that would put the guest in a loop if their request requires human intervention).
Step 1: Reach out to your telephone provider to get a secondary number set up for your restaurant
This secondary number will be used as the transfer number by PolyAI.
Step 2: Add the secondary number as the transfer number in the PolyAI platform
- How to do this:
- Log in to the PolyAI platform
- Go to Sites on the left panel
- Click the appropriate site
- Scroll down to the Reservations and call handling section
- Enter your secondary number to the Transfer number field
- Enter in E.164 format, which is + followed by country code and number (e.g., +14155551234)
- Click Save Version in the top-right
- Add a note about what you changed
- Then click Save Version again
- To test that the transfer works, go to Numbers on the left panel
- Directly call the Sandbox number you see for the site and ask the agent to speak to a human
- The agent should transfer you to the transfer number destination
- Once you confirm the transfer works, click Versions on the left panel
- Click Go live on the right of the change you made in Sandbox
On the day you want to launch, set up the call forwarding
The call forwarding must be set up (with caller ID passthrough) from your public restaurant number to the restaurant’s live PolyAI number.
- Below are instructions for setting up call forwarding, depending on common telephone providers.
- RingCentral
- Comcast Business (VoiceEdge)
- Nextiva
- Dialpad
- 8x8
- Vonage Business
- Zoom Phone
- GoTo Connect (Jive)
- Ooma Office
- Verizon Business (One Talk)
- Spectrum Business Voice
- Cox Business Voice
- Optimum Business (see page 4)
- Google Voice (Google Workspace)
- Grasshopper
- Phone.com
- Frontier Business Voice (page 11)
- AT&T Business (Office@Hand)
- Rogers (page 21)
If your telephone provider is not listed above, please search their support portal for forwarding instructions or reach out to their support team and send them the following message (replace the bracketed information):
We are implementing a VoiceAI solution with PolyAI to automate some of our incoming phone calls and improve the customer experience. To set this up, we need your help setting up the forwarding from our restaurant number [insert public number here] to the PolyAI number [insert the number here, found in the PolyAI platform]. Please set this up on [insert date you want PolyAI to go live] and make sure caller ID is passed through during the forwarding. Thank you. [Optional: If you want PolyAI to be forwarded only after a certain number of rings or during certain times of the day, add that information in. Otherwise, PolyAI will pick up immediately 24/7 when someone calls the restaurant.]
We recommend the PolyAI agent be turned on 24/7, but depending on your phone provider, you can customize if you want the call to be forwarded after a certain number of rings at the restaurant and/or only during certain times of the day.