Compare › Guides › Connect your AI receptionist

Connect your AI receptionist to your other tools

An AI receptionist answers the phone. The value comes when what it learns on a call (who rang, what they need, when they want you) ends up in the tools you already use, without you retyping it. Here's how that works, in plain English.

Step 1: check your receptionist can send data out

Some AI receptionists connect directly to calendars or job software. Check the vendor's page in our comparison, and whether the integration is included on your plan.

If the tool you want isn't on its list, an automation tool can often fill the gap, but only if the receptionist offers a way to send call details out. Common ways are:

Webhooks: the receptionist sends details to a web address after each call.
An API: other software can ask the receptionist for call records.
A connector to an automation tool such as Make or Zapier.
Email or SMS summaries: automation tools can often read these too, though it's less reliable than a webhook.

Ask your vendor which of these it offers on your plan before you rely on it.

Step 2: what an automation tool does

Make is a visual automation tool. You build a “scenario”: when something happens in one app (a trigger), Make does things in other apps (actions). Make says it offers integrations with more than 1,000 apps, and it can also receive webhooks or connect to apps with a public API.

A typical flow for an AI receptionist looks like:

A call ends and the receptionist sends the details out.
Make receives them and picks out the fields you need (name, number, job type, preferred time).
Make creates or updates records in your other tools.

What you could connect

Calendars

Add a booking or a call-back reminder to your calendar. Make lists a Google Calendar app with actions such as creating events.

CRMs

Create or update a contact and log the call, so you have a history of every enquiry. Check Make's app directory for your CRM.

Job software

Turn an enquiry into a lead or job in your trade or field-service software. Whether this works depends on your job software having a Make app or an API, so check both sides first.

Xero

Make lists a Xero app with actions such as creating contacts and invoices. For example, you could add a new caller as a Xero contact. Invoicing straight from a phone call usually needs a person to check it first.

What it costs

Make has a free plan. Paid plans charge by “credits”, and most actions use one credit each, so a flow with four steps that runs after 100 calls uses roughly 400 credits a month. Check Make's pricing page for current plans and prices, which may be in USD.

Things to watch

Start with one simple flow (for example, call → calendar) and test it with real calls.
Personal information moves between services, so check where each one stores data and update your privacy notice if needed.
If a step fails, make sure someone gets an alert so enquiries aren't lost.
Your receptionist's own integration may be simpler than a DIY flow, so compare both.