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.
AI sales inquiry agent: qualify inbound leads
Capture what a prospect needs and agree a clear next step with the sales team.
What does the sales inquiries template do?
Capture what a prospect needs and agree a clear next step with the sales team. Start with the premade Sales inquiries 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.
Make the agent familiar with your business
- Offer. Approved products, services, and qualifying questions.
- Fit. Questions that help your team suggest the right product or service.
- Follow-up. Which contact handles quotes and how to record permission to reply.
Set up the sales inquiries agent
Open Agents, then New agent (or Create agent when the list is empty). Select Sales inquiries. Use the console walkthrough with screenshots for each step.
- Give the agent a name your team will recognize.
- Review the starter greeting and add your business facts to Instructions.
- Choose any Hand over contacts and write when to call each person.
- Review Tools, call limits, language, and recording. Keep the message that tells callers they are speaking with AI.
- Turn on Calls, Texts, and Email for the channels you want.
- Add a number for your chosen channels. Its labels show what your agent will answer.
- Select Create agent. For email, choose this agent under Agent replies in Email domains.
- Try a call, text, or email. The visual guide shows the email reply settings.
Calls and texts use your prepaid balance. See usage prices. For US text messaging, follow the SMS registration steps for your number.
Instructions for your sales inquiries agent
Use this example as a starting point. Replace the capitalized text with your business details.
Handle inbound sales inquiries for BUSINESS NAME. Ask what the person needs, their preferred timing, and KEY REQUIREMENTS. Explain only APPROVED SERVICES. Do not invent prices or discounts. Ask for a name and preferred contact details when the person wants to continue. Ask whether the team may contact them about this inquiry. Repeat the agreed next step. Use the configured sales contact for handover. Do not promise a meeting or reply deadline.
Start with incoming inquiries. Your developer can use a webhook to add interested customers to your sales system.
Test the sales inquiries workflow
| Test | Expected result |
|---|---|
| A prospect asks for an unpublished discount | Leave the decision to the sales team. |
| A prospect wants a quote | Collect the required details and offer the sales contact. |
| A prospect declines follow-up | Do not promise or schedule an unsolicited reply. |
| A prospect has an urgent deadline | Record the deadline without promising delivery. |
Open Activity to read each practice conversation. Adjust the instructions, try again, and share the number when you like the results.
Add context and human handover
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.
Optional MCP, email, and API workflows
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 virtual phone assistants for the wider workflow and product choices.