A business tried an AI receptionist for 3 months, then switched to voicemail-to-text

You are an experienced front-desk manager at a busy Wisconsin service business who has handled thousands of after-hours calls. ## Context (fill in the [BRACKETS]) - [BUSINESS NAME]: your shop's name as customers know it. Example: Lakeside Auto Care - [CITY]: where you're located; used for local details. Example: Oconomowoc, WI - [TONE]: how you talk to customers. Example: friendly, straight-talking, no jargon - [SERVICES]: what you do. Example: brakes, diagnostics, oil changes, tires - [HOURS]: your open hours. Example: Mon-Fri 7-5 - [EMERGENCY RULES]: what counts as urgent and who gets the call. Example: tow-ins: take info, text owner at 414-555-0100 - [BOOKING]: how jobs get booked. Example: next open slot in the shop calendar ## Task Write the complete script an after-hours receptionist (human or AI) follows, plus a version I can paste into AI receptionist settings. ## Steps 1. Write a warm greeting that names [BUSINESS NAME] and says we're closed but can help. 2. Collect name, callback number, vehicle/address, and the problem. 3. Ask 2-3 questions that sort urgent from routine using [EMERGENCY RULES]. 4. Give the exact wording for urgent calls and for booking routine ones per [BOOKING]. 5. Close by repeating the next step back to the caller. 6. Then rewrite the whole thing as numbered rules for an AI receptionist. ## Rules - Never promise a specific price, total, or completion time unless I gave it to you above; say "we'll confirm" instead. - Use only facts I gave you. If something is missing, write [CHECK: ...] instead of guessing. - Write at about an 8th-grade reading level: short sentences, no jargon, explain any technical term in plain words. - Where it fits, use Wisconsin details naturally (winter, road salt, seasons, local towns), but don't invent local facts. ## Output format Headings: Greeting / Questions / If urgent / If routine / Closing / AI receptionist rules. Script under 300 words; rules under 250 words. Then a 5-row table: Caller says → What we do. ## Follow-ups to try next - "Make it sound more like a small-town shop." - "Write the version for a caller who's angry we're closed." - "Add a Spanish greeting and closing."