Customizing Your Assistant
PhoneShield team
The people who build and run PhoneShield
Written and kept current by the team behind PhoneShield, a sister company of Byte Federal, whose staff spent years meeting scam victims at cryptocurrency ATMs with the scammer still on the line.
In this article
Introduction
Your assistant is the voice callers meet in Receptionist mode, and the name the front desk uses in every mode. Out of the box she is called Nora, sounds like Marin, and knows nothing about you. This guide walks through everything you can change.
Why it matters
A caller decides in the first sentence whether they are talking to a machine they can hang up on or a front desk that will actually help. The name, the voice and a few specific instructions make that difference.
Where the settings live
Shield settings page
How calls are handled and what the front desk says:
- Mode: Open, Do not disturb, Receptionist
- Assistant name
- Voice: Marin or Cedar
- Greeting and message prompt
- Favorites, contacts and block lists
AI profile
How your assistant thinks and what she knows:
- Name and instructions
- Personality
- Language and speech speed
- Knowledge
- Conditional responses
Name, voice and speech speed
On Shield settings, give your assistant a name and choose her voice. In the AI profile, set the language she speaks and how fast.
Name
Nora is the default. Callers hear it in the greeting and when she introduces herself; the whisper on your phone and your notifications use it too. Pick something short that you would be happy to say out loud: “Nora”, “Sam”, “the office”.
Voice
Two voices are available:
- Marin: clear and even; the default
- Cedar: warmer and a little lower
The front desk greeting is pre-rendered in the voice you pick, so it sounds the same every time.
Language and speech speed
Set the language she speaks and adjust the speed. Slightly slower than normal conversation works well on the phone, especially for older callers or anyone on a bad line.
Greeting and message prompt
Both are on Shield settings. The greeting is the first thing every non-favorite caller hears; the message prompt is what they hear when a message is about to be taken.
Examples
Greeting, personal line
“Hi, you’ve reached Lena’s phone. This is Nora. Can I get your name and what it’s about?”
Greeting, business line
“Thanks for calling Harbor Dental, this is Nora at the front desk. Who’s calling, and how can we help?”
Message prompt
“Lena can’t take this right now. Tell me what you need and the best number to reach you, and I’ll pass it on.”
Say the name of the person or business
Callers who dialed a friend and hear a stranger will hang up. A greeting that names whose phone this is keeps them on the line long enough to be sorted.
Personality and instructions
In the AI profile, pick a personality and write instructions. The personality sets the tone; the instructions tell her what to do.
Friendly
Warm and conversational. Puts callers at ease and makes a good first impression for a personal line.
Professional
Formal and articulate. Sounds like the front desk of an established business.
Efficient
Direct and brief. Gets the reason for the call and the callback number without small talk.
Supportive
Patient and reassuring. Good for callers who may be anxious, older, or unsure why they were asked to explain themselves.
Instructions
Plain sentences work. Say who you are, who should be put through, what to collect, and what never to do:
“You answer for Harbor Dental. Existing patients with pain or a broken appliance should be connected to me. New patients: get their name, number and what they need, and say we’ll call back within the hour. Never quote prices; say the office will confirm. Insurance and billing questions: take a message.”
“You answer Lena’s personal phone. Family and the school are on her favorites list already. Anyone selling anything: say she isn’t interested and end the call. Deliveries and tradespeople: take a message with a callback number. Be brief and friendly.”
Specific beats long
Three concrete rules do more than a page of adjectives. Mention the words you want her to use for your business, and the topics she should never touch.
What your assistant does on a call
In Receptionist mode she speaks first and already knows why the caller said they were calling at the front desk. From there she can:
Connect the caller to you
When the call is worth an interruption, she rings your private line with a whisper saying who it is and why. If you do not pick up, she takes a message instead.
Save a structured message
Caller name, callback number and what they need, saved to your Messages feed and delivered to your channels. The whole conversation is kept with it.
Flag spam and end the call
If the call turns out to be a pitch or a scam, she says so, ends it politely, and the call is recorded with that reason. She hangs up after the goodbye on every call; nobody is left on the line.
A call, start to finish
- The caller dials your number, which forwards to PhoneShield
- Not blocked, not a favorite, so they meet the front desk and say who they are and why
- The intent is classified and, in Receptionist mode, your assistant picks up the conversation
- She connects them to you, answers from her knowledge, or saves a message
- She says goodbye and hangs up; the call appears in call history as ASSISTANT with the reason, and any message lands in your feed and channels
Knowledge and conditional responses
Knowledge
Facts she can answer from without bothering you:
- Opening hours and address
- What you do and do not do
- Prices, if you want them given out
- The two or three questions callers always ask
- Who is who, if more than one person works with you
Conditional responses
Fixed answers for particular situations:
One assistant, one profile
There is one assistant per account. Instead of separate profiles for different times of day, change the mode: Receptionist when you want her to talk, Do not disturb when you want messages only.
Testing your assistant
After saving, call yourself and listen:
- Set the mode to Receptionist and call your number from a phone that is not a favorite
- Listen to the greeting: the name, the voice, the speed
- Try a few callers:
- Ask something covered by her knowledge
- Ask to speak to you, to test the connect and the whisper
- Leave a message, then read it in the Messages feed
- Say something that should trigger a conditional response
- Open the call in call history and read the conversation
- Adjust the instructions and try again
Ask a friend
Someone who does not know what you wrote will find the gaps faster than you will. Have them call, and ask what felt odd.
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