Quickstart

Signing up opens a six-step onboarding wizard: Business Information, Business Hours, Appointment Types (prefilled for your business type), Voice Setup (six voices), Test the System (Call Me Now rings your phone) and A Few Quick Questions. Finishing it hands over to the Getting Started checklist on Home: Connect phone number (a new number by area code, or port yours), Configure AI voice settings (greeting, name, tone and knowledge under Receptionist → AI Voice), Make a test call, and Invite your team. Texting is separate: on a paid plan open Settings → Phone & SMS, Texting tab, and click Set up texting; approval takes three to seven business days. The Setup Assistant, the floating orb at the bottom right, can do most of these steps with you from a chat.

Updated September 29, 20262 min read

Getting FrontDesk answering takes two short passes: the onboarding wizard, then the checklist on your dashboard.

The onboarding wizard

Signing up (or your first sign-in) opens a six-step wizard. Each step saves as you go.

Business Information, "Tell us about your practice": Business Name, Business Type (dental, vet, home care and so on; it sets the words the app uses and the services offered in step 3), Phone Number and Website (optional).
Business Hours, "When are you open?": opening and closing times per day. The AI books inside these hours and switches to your after-hours behaviour outside them.
Appointment Types, "What services do you offer?": tick the services you offer from the list prefilled for your business type and adjust durations (15 to 240 minutes). Change them any time under Services.
Voice Setup, "Choose your Voice": pick one of six voices (Emma, Layla, Clara, Jake, Neil, James) and play each one, and optionally give your receptionist a name to introduce itself with. The full catalogue is under Receptionist → AI Voice later.
Test the System, "Test Your AI Receptionist": choose a scenario, enter your phone number and click Call Me Now. Your phone rings and you talk to your AI before any real caller does.
A Few Quick Questions: your timeline, primary goal and expected call volume. All three are needed to finish.

Finishing the wizard hands over to the dashboard.

The Getting Started checklist

The dashboard shows it above the greeting until setup is done. Configure AI voice settings and Make a test call sit together under Configure AI Calling:

Connect phone number: get a new number by area code or port the one you have. See Get a phone number. Your account email must be verified first.
Configure AI voice settings: under Receptionist → AI Voice, write the greeting, give the assistant a name, choose a tone, and add what it should know. See Customize your greeting.
Make a test call: opens Receptionist → AI Voice → Call scripts, where Test next to a script calls your own phone. Calling your new number from your phone counts too. See Test call walkthrough.
Invite your team: give colleagues logins. See Invite team members.

Turn on texting

Appointment reminders and replies by text need carrier registration. Any paid plan can register; during the trial or on the Free plan, add a card first (the button reads Add a card; registering is free and the card isn't charged for it). Open Settings → Phone & SMS, go to the Texting tab and click Set up texting; approval takes three to seven business days and texting turns on by itself. See Turn on texting.

Let the Setup Assistant do it

The floating orb at the bottom right of every page is the Setup Assistant. Tell it what you want in plain words and it changes the setting, finds and buys a number, previews voices, gives you the number to call for a test and notices when the call comes in, or takes you to the right page with the step explained. See Use the Setup Assistant.

Add online booking so clients can book themselves.
Work through your first week.

Frequently asked questions

How long does setup take?

The onboarding wizard takes about ten minutes; getting a number, tuning the greeting and making a test call another ten to fifteen. Texting takes three to seven business days of carrier review after you register, so start that early if you want appointment reminders by text.

Do I need a card to get started?

No. Your first phone number is included in every plan and needs only a verified email. A card is needed for a paid plan, for add-on numbers beyond the plan's allowance, and for domains.

Where do I change what I entered during onboarding?

Business name, phone and address: Settings → Locations (edit the location). Organization name and website: Settings → Account, Organization tab. Hours and holiday closures: Settings → Locations. Services: Settings → Services. Voice, greeting and how the AI behaves: Receptionist → AI Voice. Everything the wizard collected can be changed there.

I skipped the wizard. Can I get back to it?

Until it is finished, FrontDesk sends you back to it when you sign in; your answers are saved as you go. Once you have finished it, use the settings pages instead; the wizard does not reopen.

What does the Setup Assistant do?

It is the floating orb at the bottom right of every page. Ask it in plain words ("set my hours to 8 to 5", "find me a 415 number", "add a cleaning that takes 45 minutes") and it shows you the change to approve, or takes you to the right page and explains the step. It can also answer any how-do-I question from this help center.

When does the AI start answering real calls?

As soon as a number is active on the location: calls to it ring the AI. Until then, use Test the System in the wizard, or the Test button next to a script under Receptionist → AI Voice → Call scripts; both call your own phone so you can hear it. To keep your existing number, port it to FrontDesk or forward it to your FrontDesk number.

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