# Voice agents

**You'll need:** an administrative role. **Administration → Voice Agents.**

A voice agent answers phone calls. Callers talk to your AI agent over a real phone line,
and it answers from your knowledge bases and takes messages around the clock.

## Create a voice agent

| | |
|---|---|
| **Agent** | Which agent answers. Only [public-facing agents](/guide/ai/agents) can be used. |
| **Greeting** | The first thing it says when it picks up. |
| **Language** | The primary spoken language. It switches automatically if the caller speaks another. |
| **Daily credit cap** | Calls stop being accepted for the day once this many credits are spent. |

Under **Voice**, you can optionally set a specific text-to-speech voice (provider and
voice ID). The default suits most cases.

## Get a phone number

**Get a phone number** provisions a dedicated line, with no extra accounts or telephony setup
on your side. Choose:

- **Country**, where availability varies
- **Preferred area code**, optional, US and Canadian numbers only, matched where possible

Once the number is active, anyone who calls it reaches your agent.

## Bring your own number

To use a number from your existing telephony provider:

1. In your provider, buy or import a phone number.
2. Set that number's **Server URL** to the address shown on this screen.
3. Call the number, and the agent configured here answers.

## Review calls

The **Analytics** tab lists recent calls. Select one to listen to the recording and read
the transcript.

Notifications fire when a call finishes, so the bell in the header is a practical way to
keep up without watching the screen.

## What to expect

A voice agent handles calls that have a definite answer: opening hours, whether you
stock something, where you are located, or taking a message with a callback number. It
is not suited to calls that require a judgment call.

Two things make the difference between a useful line and a frustrating one:

**A first message that sets expectations.** "You've reached the Northfield support line.
I'm an automated assistant and I can answer questions or take a message" works better
than an agent that presents itself as a person, and it changes what callers ask.

**Knowledge that covers the top ten questions.** Note what customers most often ask on
the phone today, and make sure those answers are in the attached knowledge bases before
you publish the number.

<Callout type="caution">
	The same exposure rule as widgets applies, and more sharply: everything attached to
	the agent can be extracted by anyone who calls. Attach only publishable content.
</Callout>