AI voice agents · Autessa Phone & Texting
Natural turn-taking
Autessa Phone & Texting lets you tune how an AI voice agent listens and talks on the phone: whether callers can interrupt and how easily, how long it waits before it replies, how it handles background noise, when callers can type on the keypad, and what it says while it looks something up. Settings live on the number, and each agent can override them.
The problem it solves
Robotic timing ruins a good voice agent
An agent that talks over people, jumps in mid-sentence, or goes silent while it searches feels broken, even when its answers are right. Callers in a car or a busy shop need different handling than callers in a quiet office. These settings let you match the agent to the people who actually call.
What you get
- Interruptions can be on or off, with low, medium or high sensitivity.
- Reply timing (end of turn) can be fast, normal or patient, or an exact 0.2 to 4.0 seconds on the agent.
- Background handling can be quiet, normal or noisy, or an exact 3 to 25 dB, with noise suppression on top.
- Keypad entry can be off, only when asked, or any time, with a finish key and a 1 to 10 second digit timeout.
- While a tool runs, the agent says one short filler line, and a "still working" line after about 8 seconds.
- Filler lines are made in the agent's own voice when the call starts, so they play instantly.
- Each tool can have its own phrases, or stay silent.
How it works
How does natural turn-taking work?
Set the number's defaults
On the number's AI call behavior card, choose interruptions and sensitivity, reply timing, hang-up phrases, keypad entry and background noise reduction.
Override on the agent
In the agent's Listening and keypad settings, set exact end-of-turn seconds, background level, keypad mode and noise suppression. The agent's settings beat the number's.
Choose filler phrases
Pick Smart, Only my phrases or Off, and give individual tools their own phrases or silence.
Call and adjust
Call the number from the place your callers are, listen, and adjust timing or noise until it feels right.
Every option
Listening, timing and phrase settings
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Interruptions | On or off, with sensitivity Low, Medium or High. |
| Reply timing (end of turn) | Fast, Normal or Patient; on the agent, an exact 0.2 to 4.0 seconds. |
| Background | Quiet, Normal or Noisy; on the agent, an exact 3 to 25 dB. |
| Reduce background noise | Noise suppression on the number or the agent. |
| Keypad entry | Off, when asked, or any time; finish key #, * or none; digit timeout 1 to 10 seconds. |
| Hang-up phrases | Phrases that end the call when the agent says them. |
| Filler phrases | Smart, Only my phrases, or Off; per-tool phrases at start or only if it takes a moment. |
| Limits | Any-time keypad entry does not apply on numbers that add listeners to every call, or after a transfer. |
Permissions
Who can do what?
| Who | Can |
|---|---|
| Person with write access to the number | Change the number's AI call behavior. |
| Agent builder | Override listening and keypad settings and filler phrases on the agent. |
| Caller | Interrupt, pause and type on the keypad as the settings allow. |
AI on the line
What AI agents do here
The agent uses these settings to decide when the caller has finished and when to speak, and covers tool calls with short phrases in its own voice so there is never dead air.
Connected
How it connects to everything else
FAQ
Questions about natural turn-taking
Can callers interrupt the AI agent?
Yes, if interruptions are on. You can also set how easily it yields: low, medium or high sensitivity.
How do I stop the agent from cutting people off?
Set reply timing to Patient on the number, or set an exact end-of-turn time of up to 4 seconds on the agent.
What does the agent say while it looks something up?
A short filler line when a tool starts, and a "still working" line after about 8 seconds. The lines are made in the agent's own voice and play instantly; you can use your own phrases or turn them off.
Can callers type numbers instead of saying them?
Yes. Keypad entry can be on only when the agent asks, or any time during the call.
100% customizable, code and all
Make Autessa Phone & Texting fully your own.
Use it out of the box, then change anything. Ask Autobot, Autessa’s AI builder, for a new field, screen, report, workflow or agent and it builds it into your copy of the app. Or open the code and edit it yourself. Nothing is locked: the app, its data and its code are yours.
Start free and make it yours