Introduction
AI phone agents are transforming how businesses handle customer calls, but setting them up correctly is the first step to unlocking their potential. In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to access the AI Agent configuration page in your web portal. We’ll walk you through logging in, navigating to the AI Agents icon, and understanding everything from the agent list and search features to creating a brand new agent using customizable templates. Whether you need a receptionist, appointment scheduler, or support agent, this article will help you get started with confidence.
Accessing the AI Agents
In order to configure your AI Agents, you first need to Log in your Web Portal.
Once logged in, click on the AI Agents icon on the top right of your portal screen:
Agent List
The agent list displays all AI phone agents with two columns:
Account — The agent’s name
Extension — The phone extension assigned to the agent
The list is sortable by clicking the Account column header. A downward arrow (▼) indicates the current sort direction.
Searching Agents
Use the search bar at the top of the agent list to filter agents by name, extension, site, or description. Type your search term and the list will filter in real time.
Agent Row Actions
Each agent row displays five action icons on the right side when you hover over it:
Integrations (gear icon) — View and configure available integrations for this agent
Usage Analytics (magnifying glass icon) — View usage metrics and call statistics for this agent
Test (speaker icon) — Open a WebRTC test client to have a live voice conversation with the agent
Edit (pencil icon) — Open the agent editor to modify settings and configuration
Delete (red X icon) — Remove the agent permanently
Creating a New Agent
Click the New button in the top-right corner of the agent list to launch the new agent wizard. The wizard guides you through setup in several steps.
Choose Extension
Enter an unused extension number to assign to the new agent. This is the internal extension that will be used to reach the agent within the phone system.
Select Caller ID
Choose a Caller ID (DID) from the dropdown. This is the phone number that will appear as the Caller ID when the agent makes outbound calls. The dropdown is populated with available numbers from your account.
Name and Notification Email
Enter an Agent Name — a descriptive name that identifies the agent’s purpose (e.g., “Front Desk”, “After Hours Support”).
Then enter a Notification Email where agent notifications will be sent.
Choose a Template
Select from one of the ready-to-use agent templates to get started quickly. Each template comes pre-configured with instructions and functions suited to a specific use case:
📞Receptionist Agent — Answers questions, screens calls, and transfers to appropriate destinations
📅Appointment Scheduler — Schedules appointments and takes messages according to instructions
🛠️Support Agent (CRM) — Connects with Zendesk, Freshdesk, or MCP Server to handle customer support inquiries
📄Blank Slate Agent — Start from scratch with a basic agent template
📧Message Taker Agent — Answers questions and takes messages that are emailed with the full call transcript and recording
Template Setup Wizard
After selecting a template, a guided wizard walks you through the key settings for that template type. The steps vary by template but typically include:
Business name — Enter the name of your business so the agent can refer to it during calls
Greeting — Customize what the agent says when it answers calls (a default greeting is pre-filled based on the template and your business name). This step can be skipped.
Template-specific options — For example, the Receptionist Agent template asks whether to enable call transfers and shows available transfer destinations
Transfer Destinations (Receptionist Agent)
If you selected the Receptionist Agent template and enabled transfers, this step shows the available transfer destinations. These are automatically populated from your company directory — any user with “announce in directory” set to Yes in your domain will appear as a transfer destination.
The transfer instructions are pre-generated in a format the agent can use (e.g., “If the caller wants to speak to John Smith, transfer the call to pbx:1234”).
Finish
Click Finish to create the agent. A success confirmation will appear, and your new agent will be added to the agent list, ready to use.
Agent Row Actions
Integrations (Gear Icon)
The Integrations view shows available third-party integrations that can be connected to the agent. Click on any integration to configure it.
Available integrations:
Google Calendar — Connect your Google account to manage your calendar
Outlook Calendar — Connect your Outlook account to manage your calendar
ModMed — Connect to ModMed EHR for patient scheduling and management
Model Context Protocol — Connect to external MCP servers for extended capabilities
Netsapiens — Connect to Netsapiens UCaaS platform for subscriber management
Usage Analytics (Magnifying Glass Icon)
Opens the per-agent Usage Analytics page, which displays:
Voice Minutes — A chart showing minute consumption over time
Call count — Total number of calls handled
Average duration — Average call length
Test Agent (Phone Icon)
Opens a built-in WebRTC test client that allows you to have a live voice conversation with the agent directly from your browser.
Click Start Conversation to begin speaking with the agent and test its behavior.
Edit Agent (Pencil Icon)
Opens the agent editor. See the Editing an Agent section below for details.
Delete Agent (Red X Icon)
Removes the agent. You will be prompted to confirm the deletion.
Deleting an agent is permanent and cannot be undone. All agent configuration, call history, and associated data will be removed.
Editing an Agent
The agent editor is organized into tabs. The available tabs depend on whether the agent is attached to a template or has been detached.
When attached to a template: Basic Settings, SIP Settings, Rename Agent, Embeds
When detached from a template: Basic Settings, Advanced Settings, SIP Settings, Rename Agent, Embeds
Attached vs. Detached Mode
When an agent is created from a template, it remains attached to that template. In attached mode, the editor shows a simplified set of fields tailored to the template type. A Detach button appears in the top-right corner of the editor.
Clicking Detach permanently separates the agent from its template, unlocking the full set of editing options including the Advanced Settings tab. This gives you direct access to agent instructions, transfer rules, LLM model selection, and more.
Detaching an agent from its template cannot be undone. Once detached, the agent will no longer receive updates from the template.
Basic Settings (Attached to Template)
When attached to a template, the Basic Settings tab shows template-specific fields:
Template — The parent template (e.g., Receptionist Agent) as a dropdown
Language — Speech-to-Text language (English - US, Spanish - US, or Multilingual)
Time Zone — The agent’s time zone for scheduling and time-related responses
Voice — Select a TTS voice from the dropdown, with a Preview button to hear a sample
Voice Speed — A slider to adjust speaking speed from Slower to Faster (default 1.0x)
Business name — How the agent refers to your business
Business website — Your company website URL
Additional Link — An extra URL for the agent’s knowledge base
Agent Notification Email — One or more email addresses for notifications (use Add Email to add additional recipients)
Greeting — The message your agent says when answering calls
Enable Transfers — Checkbox to enable call transfer functionality
Transfer Destinations — Auto-populated transfer instructions from the NetSapiens directory (with a refresh button to re-sync)
Agent instructions — What information the agent should know (with AI Prompt Improver button)
Questions and Info Collection — Define what information the agent should gather from callers
Basic Settings (Detached from Template)
When detached, the Basic Settings tab shows a different layout with these fields:
Greeting — The message your agent says when answering calls
Agent Notification Email — One or more email addresses (use Add Email to add more)
Links — Knowledge base URLs for the agent (use + Add to add links)
Functions — Agent functions like webhooks and email (use + Add to add functions)
Campaign ID — A unique identifier for the agent (with Copy button)
Language — Speech-to-Text language selection
Time Zone — The agent’s time zone
Voice — TTS voice selection with Preview button
Voice Speed — Slider from Slower to Faster (default 1.0x)
Advanced Settings (Detached Only)
The Advanced Settings tab is only available after detaching from a template. It provides full control over the agent’s core configuration:
Agent Instructions — The complete instructions prompt with AI Prompt Improver button to help refine your prompt
Transfer Rules — Instructions for when and how to transfer calls, with a refresh button to re-sync destinations from the NetSapiens directory
Model — The LLM model powering the agent’s intelligence (e.g., GPT-4.1 Smart)
STT Engine — The Speech-to-Text engine for transcribing caller speech (e.g., Deepgram)
Call Recording — Toggle to enable or disable call recording
Mobile Call Detection — Toggle to detect whether callers are using a mobile phone before the call starts
Background Audio — Toggle to enable ambient background sounds during calls
Adding Functions
Click the + Add button next to Functions in the Basic Settings tab (detached mode) to add capabilities to your agent. The following functions are available:
Send HTTP requests to your backend systems during or around calls. Use webhooks to fetch dynamic information, push data to a CRM, trigger workflows, or log call events.
When adding a webhook, you configure the following fields:
Name (required) — Internal name for the webhook with no spaces (e.g., send_lead_to_crm)
Friendly Name — Display name shown in the UI (e.g., “Send Lead to CRM”)
Description — Describe when the agent should trigger this webhook (e.g., “Trigger when a caller provides their contact information and wants to be contacted later”)
Trigger Condition (required) — When the webhook fires. Options: Before Call, During Call, or After Call. Limits: 1 Before Call, 2 During Call, 1 After Call.
HTTP Method (required) — The HTTP method to use (e.g., POST, GET)
URL (required) — The endpoint URL to send the request to
Headers — Custom HTTP headers to include with the request (use + Add Header to add key-value pairs)
Parameters — Custom parameters to include in the request body (use + Add Parameter to add key-value pairs)
Headers Example
Headers are useful for authentication and specifying content types. Each header is a key-value pair. Common examples:
Key | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
Authorization | Bearer your-api-key-here | Authenticate with your API |
Content-Type | application/json | Specify JSON request body |
X-Custom-Header | my-value | Pass custom metadata |
Parameters Example
Parameters define the data sent in the request body. Each parameter is a key-value pair that the agent will populate based on the call context. Common examples:
Key | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
caller_name | The name provided by the caller | Capture the caller’s name |
caller_phone | The caller's phone number | Pass the caller’s phone number |
reason | The reason for the call | Log the call purpose |
appointment_date | The requested appointment date | Pass scheduling information |
Parameter values act as descriptions that tell the agent what data to extract from the conversation and include in the webhook request.
When enabled, your agent can send emails during the call based on the instructions you provide. This is useful for sending confirmations, follow-ups, or notifications to team members in real time while the caller is still on the line.
Transfer the call to another AI agent based on conditions you specify. This allows you to build multi-agent workflows where different agents handle different types of inquiries.
Adding Links
Click the + Add button next to Links in the Basic Settings tab to provide your agent with external knowledge sources. Links point to web pages or PDFs that the agent can reference during calls to provide accurate, up-to-date information.
Links serve as the agent’s knowledge base. The agent will use the content from these URLs to answer caller questions. Link to specific, relevant pages such as FAQ sections or product detail pages rather than general homepages.
Sharing and Publishing
Once your agent is configured, you can make it available to receive calls and interact with customers.
Forwarding Calls
Forward your existing business phone number to your agent’s number so that incoming calls are answered by the AI agent.
Embedding on a Website
Embed your agent as a chat widget on your website so visitors can interact with it directly from your web pages.
Code example :
<iframe
src="https://embed.com/embed?agentId=ABCD1234&theme=light&primaryColor=%232563EB&accentColor=%233B82F6&backgroundColor=%23F8FAFC"
style="width:320px;height:64px;border:none;border-radius:32px;"
allow="microphone"
></iframe>❗Important: To add this button or widget to your website, you or your team will need access to edit your site's code. If you are not comfortable with this process, please contact your IT department or Webmaster for assistance. They can safely insert the provided code snippet into the appropriate pages of your website.
➡️Next, check out these Agent Prompt Examples to see real-world templates and get inspiration for configuring your own AI agent's behavior and personality.