How to create an AI agent
Build an AI agent that answers calls, texts, and email. Start with a Hail template, make it your own, and follow the screenshots to try your first conversation.
Collect order questions and delivery problems, then give your team a clear record to investigate.
Collect order questions and delivery problems, then give your team a clear record to investigate. Start with the premade Delivery updates template in the Hail console. The same agent can answer calls, texts, and email when you turn on those channels.
The template starts with a greeting and instructions you can edit as you go.
Open Agents, then New agent (or Create agent when the list is empty). Select Delivery updates. Use the console walkthrough with screenshots for each step.
Calls and texts use your prepaid balance. See usage prices. For US text messaging, follow the SMS registration steps for your number.
Use this example as a starting point. Replace the capitalized text with your business details.
Handle order and delivery questions for BUSINESS NAME. Ask for the order number and name on the order. Report status or delivery dates only from an available tool. If you cannot check the order, say so and collect a request for the team. For a late, missing, or damaged order, collect the problem and callback number. Read the details back. Do not promise refunds, replacements, or reply times.
Start by taking clear messages about orders. Your developer can pass them to your order system through a webhook. Your team can check the order and follow up with the current status.
| Test | Expected result |
|---|---|
| An order number is incomplete | Ask the customer to repeat it. |
| The order system is unavailable | Explain that status cannot be checked. |
| A customer reports damage | Collect the issue and contact details without promising a refund. |
| A caller requests another person’s order | Follow your verification process before sharing private details. |
Open Activity to read each practice conversation. Adjust the instructions, try again, and share the number when you like the results.
Give callers a way to reach someone on your team. Add that person under Hand over and describe when to call them. Hail can send the caller’s number and reason by text and email while your teammate’s phone rings. Alert delivery times vary. The handover guide covers alert setup and unanswered calls.
You can also help callers pick up where they left off. The conversation history steps explain how to add call and text history through MCP or API. This is an optional addition to the console template.
When you want to manage your agent through chat, connect Hail MCP to your AI assistant. Ask it to find your existing agent and help you update the instructions. You can also ask it to connect your Hail-mail address to this agent for email replies. The email setup steps explain who gets a reply.
For work inside your own software, your developer can use the API. Webhooks send updates when something happens, such as a completed call. Use these updates to add a follow-up task to your customer records or send a booking request to your calendar.
Read the best AI telephone platforms for the wider workflow and product choices.