Skip to main content
By default, your AI Receptionist answers callers using your FAQ knowledge base. You can switch to a custom prompt when you need more control over how the AI handles calls. One example is qualifying inbound leads with a specific question flow. The custom prompt is a freeform textbox. In it you describe your business and exactly how the AI should handle callers. It works just like campaign prompts in AI Calling.

​
When to use a Custom Prompt

  • You already have a prompt set up for AI Calling and want to reuse it for inbound calls
  • You want the AI to follow a specific conversation flow (e.g., lead qualification questions in a set order)
  • Your call handling is too nuanced to express as question/answer pairs
Do you mainly need the AI to answer informational questions about your business? The FAQ knowledge base is usually the better fit. It is structured, easy to maintain, and hyzl can generate it automatically from your website.

​
Switch to a custom prompt

  1. Go to AI Receptionist → Knowledge Base
  2. Choose the Custom Prompt tab
  3. Write your instructions in the textbox: describe your business, what to ask callers, and what information to collect
  4. Click Save & Activate
Your FAQs stay saved when you switch. You can return to the FAQs tab at any time and click Use FAQs Instead to switch back. You lose nothing.

​
Reuse an AI Calling prompt

If you have saved prompts in AI Calling → Prompts, you can import them directly:
  1. Open the Custom Prompt tab
  2. Choose a prompt from the Import from saved prompts dropdown
  3. Click Import
  4. Click Adapt for Inbound (AI)
  5. Review the result and edit it where you need to
  6. Click Save & Activate
An outbound prompt is written for the AI making the call. Adapt for Inbound (AI) rewrites it for answering calls. The rewrite keeps your business details, offers, and qualification questions. It removes outbound-only content like cold-call openers.

​
What the Custom Prompt controls

The custom prompt replaces the FAQ knowledge base as the AI’s source of truth about your business. Everything else about your receptionist keeps working as configured:
  • Greeting: the first message is still set in Greeting & Voice
  • Call transfers, SMS scheduling links, and keypad dialing: still controlled by your call handling actions
  • Language and voice: still controlled by your settings

​
Tips for writing a good prompt

  • Describe the business first (“You answer calls for Smith & Associates, a family law firm…”)
  • List the questions to ask callers and the information to collect (name, callback number, reason for calling)
  • Spell out what the AI should not do. For example: “Do not quote fees; say that pricing is discussed during the consultation”
  • Keep instructions phone-friendly. The AI speaks them, so write the way you would talk