Try Out Iris Through a 7-Day Trial

To see is Iris is a good fit for your company, you can start a 7-day free trial to test out its features. 
To start an Iris trial…

1. Click the Subscriptions button at the top-right of your web portal.
   
2. On the AI Receptionist tab of the Subscriptions menu, review the description of Iris and click the Try It Free for 7 Days button. 
   
3. Once the button is clicked, a confirmation message will appear. Click the OK button to move forward.
   
4. Click the OK button again for the next confirmation message.
   

Train Iris to Represent Your Business

Once Iris has been enabled, you will see a new accessible page for Iris.

On the Iris page, you will be prompted to search for and select your business's Google business profile or the URL for your website so that Iris can train itself using the information from either of those sources.

Once you select the name of your business or enter your company's website, Iris will begin analyzing your business' description, the services your business offers, and any listed hours of operation.

Deploy Iris

Once Iris has trained itself, you will be taken to its Call Inbox. The Call Inbox will show a prompt that states that calls will need to be forwarded to Iris. Click this prompt's Deploy instructions button to view the Deploy tab.

In the Deploy Iris section, there will be a list of steps to follow to implement Iris within your business' call routing.

Step 1: Create a User for Iris

In order for Iris to be able to receive and route calls, a user will need to be created for it. This can be done by clicking the Create user button 

Clicking this button will have a user named “Iris AI Assistant” created with the extension number 40000. 

Once this user is created, its answering rules will automatically be set to have calls it receives directly forwarded to your Iris agent's Vee address.

Step 2: Forward Calls to Iris

Different businesses can have very differing call flows to meet their specific needs. It is recommended to review how your business' calls route before deciding how Iris should be implemented.

Method 1: As a Destination for Calls During a Specific Time

Some companies may prefer that Iris only be used during a specific time, such as their business hours or times they are busy (e.g., meetings, lunches, etc.). This can be done by adjusting the answering rules of a user or Inbound Routing User that are being utilized to perform time-of-day routing.

1. Navigate to the Users page.
   
2. Use the search bar to find the user that receives calls from your main phone number.
   

   Quick Tip: For a whole business or a specific site/location, an Inbound Routing User is usually the first destination for calls to a phone number. This routing user's sole purpose is to handle the time-of-day routing of the business/site. 

   To review your phone numbers and check the destinations for calls going to them, navigate to the Inventory page.

   

    
3. Click the Edit icon next to the user and select Answering Rules.
   
4. Click the Edit icon next to the answering rule of a specific time frame where Iris should handle calls.
   
5. In Call Forwarding section of the Edit menu, select User - 40000 (Iris AI Assistant) for the Always box.
   
6. Click the Save button.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 for any other answering rules that need to be updated.
8. Place a test call to your phone number during the time Iris is active to confirm calls are routing as intended.

Method 2: For Unanswered Calls from a Call Queue

Some business may prefer to have an AI Agent used as a last resort for when all of their team members are busy. To do this, Iris can be set as a queue's destination for unanswered calls. 

1. Navigate to the Call Queues page.
   
2. Click the name of the queue or the Edit icon next to the queue needing adjustment.
   
3. Go to the In Queue Options tab.
   
4. Adjust the following to set Iris as the destination for unanswered calls:
   • Queue Ring Timeout (sec) - If needed, use the slider to adjust how long agents in the queue should ring (in seconds) before a call is counted as unanswered.
   • If unanswered - Make sure Forward to destination is selected.
   • Forward Destination - Type and select User - 40000 (Iris AI Assistant).
     
5. Click the Save button.
6. If needed, repeat steps 2-5 for any other call queues needing this change.
7. Place a test call to the queue and have your team not answer your call to check that your unanswered call routes to Iris.

Method 3: As the Only Destination for a Phone Number

If you are not concerned with your business needing time-of-day routing, you can set a phone number you own to solely route calls to Iris. 

1. Navigate to the Inventory page of the web portal to view your list of phone numbers.
   
2. Click the phone number or the Edit icon next to the phone number that needs adjustment.
   
3. in the Edit menu, adjust the following to set Iris as the phone number's destination for calls.
   • Treatment - Select User.
   • User - Type and select 40000 (Iris AI Assistant). 
   • Notes - If needed, add any special notes about this phone number. 
     
4. Click the Save button.
5. If needed, repeat steps 2-4 for any other phone numbers needing this change. 
6. Place a test call to the phone numbers that were changed to confirm that Iris is in use.

Review and Adjust Your Business Info for Iris

Before allowing Iris to fully handle calls, it is recommended to check the Business information tab of Iris' settings to confirm the information it has for your business is thorough and up to date.

Check the following sections to make sure Iris has an accurate description of your business, its services, and your operating hours

• Training sources - If you change your business' name or your website's URL, make sure that these options are up to date.
  
  If you click the Update button to adjust these, use the Update training sources menu to have Iris retrain itself using your updated Google business profile or Website. 
  
• Business information - If needed, update the Name, Description, and Address of your business so that Iris gives callers this information accurately when asked. You can also update Iris' list of your services anytime your business adds a new product or service that callers can now request. 
  
• Opening hours - Verify that the business hours listed are correct.
  
  If you notice that these hours need to be updated, click the Update button and use the Update opening hours menu to select the days and times your business is open for.
  

Configure Iris' Settings

There are a variety of settings that you can adjust for Iris to fine-tune it to meet your needs. 

Create a Custom Welcome Message

If you have a preferred script that Iris should use for its introductory greeting, you can type out what you would prefer Iris to say in the Welcome message box. 

For the welcome message you create, it is recommended to include the following:

• The name of your business.
• Your company's motto if you would like to include it.
• A description of how Iris, an AI Assistant, can help handle their call.
• An ending sentence that prompts the caller to respond with what they are looking to accomplish, such as “How can I help you today?".
  

  Note: After this welcome message plays, Iris will pause and listen for what the caller is requesting. To avoid confusion, make sure Iris asks what they need. 

   

Pick a Voice for Iris

By default, Iris will use the voice, Jessica. There are many other voices that can be used instead. To preview these voices and find one that works best for you…

1. Click the voice that is currently in use.
   
2. Hover over a voice you want to preview and press the Play button that appears over their picture. 
   
3. If you are happy with a voice, select the voice. 
   

You should now see the new voice selected. 

To further see how the voice performs, click the Make a test call button at the top-right of the Settings menu. 

Add Destinations for Calls Requiring a Transfer

Some callers that interact with Iris may ask to speak with a specific department or person. You can set where calls should be forwarded when a specific person/department is mentioned.

1. In the Call transfers section of the Settings, click the Add transfer button to add a destination for transferred calls.
   
2. In the Add transfer menu, input the following:
   
   • Extension - Type the name or extension number of the name, call queue, or auto attendant that would receive the transferred call.
   • Name - Type a name for this transfer that Iris would listen for to transfer to this person/department.
3. Click the Save button. 
4. To make sure this transfer works, click the Make a test call button at the top-right of the Settings menu.

The Beta Directory Tool

Many auto attendants may use the Dial-by-Name Directory to allow callers to search for and contact a team member directly. This can also be done within Iris using its Directory feature. 

If you would like to try out this feature, click the Enable directory tool toggle.

You can click the Make a test call button at the top-right of the Settings menu, to test the functionality of the Directory in an active call with Iris.

Review Calls Handled by Iris

When Iris begins handling calls, its interactions with callers will be recorded and transcribed so that they can be reviewed. 

Reviewing these call's transcripts and recordings can help you identify things, such as:

• Common questions asked by callers.
• Any patterns of issues or concerns being reported.
• Information Iris missed that may be due to that information not being included in the Business information tab of Iris' Settings. 

If you would like to keep an Iris call's transcript and recording archived so that it can be quickly referenced later, click the Archive button at the top-right.

Call Traffic Insights

The Insights tab of Iris can be a great tool to use to review the days and times your company receives calls and any trends in missed calls. 

This page could be useful for performing tasks, such as call center forecasting and investigating issues with call routing or call flow. If there is a sudden increase in missed calls during a specific day and time, that could be an indicator that there may be a need for more coverage for phone calls during that time period.