Overview This article walks you through the complete setup process for your Hona AI Receptionist—from creating your agent to testing before launch. Setup typically takes one to two hours, with most firms fully deployed within one to two weeks.
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Creating Your Agent
Navigate to the Agents section in your Hona dashboard at app.hona.com and click Start Quick Creation. Enter your firm's website URL and click Continue. Hona will automatically fetch your website content, analyze your practice areas, generate starter call profiles, and assign a phone number to your agent. This process takes about three minutes.
Once complete, starter profiles will already be generated based on your website. You can place a quick test call right away to hear your agent before making any changes.
Configuring the Agent Editor
Open the Agent Editor to begin customizing your agent. The sections below follow the editor from top to bottom.
Agent Name Click the name field to update your agent's name, then click outside the field to confirm.
Phone Number This is the number your phone provider will forward calls to—callers won't dial it directly. If you need to change it, click the field to see your available options.
Connecting Your Phone Provider
To route calls to your AI Receptionist, you'll need to work with your phone provider to forward calls to your Hona number. Depending on your provider, this can be done through a self-service portal or by contacting them directly.
Tell your provider: "I want to forward calls from my main line to [your Hona number]."
Be specific about when to forward:
24/7 coverage: "Forward all calls to this number at all times."
After-hours only: "Forward calls after 5:00 PM, before 8:00 AM, and on weekends."
Note: Hona currently supports U.S. phone numbers only.
Language Support
Your AI Receptionist supports 12 fully supported languages, including Spanish, German, Hindi, and Russian. When a caller speaks one of these languages, the system automatically detects it and switches the entire conversation accordingly—no additional setup required.
Languages outside the 12 fully supported options have limited support. The agent may be able to speak the language but could struggle to understand responses. If your firm regularly serves callers in a specific language, test it before relying on it for live calls.
Building Caller Profiles
Caller profiles define how your agent handles different types of callers. Each profile has three parts: Identifiers, Information Collection, and Actions.
Identifiers Identifiers are phrases that trigger a profile. When a caller says something that matches, the agent routes them accordingly.
Best practices:
Use 3–5 identifiers per profile
Use natural, conversational phrasing
Avoid overlap between profiles
Example identifiers for a Personal Injury profile: "been injured in an accident," "car accident," "need legal help"
Information Collection
This section defines what information the agent gathers from each caller. Keep it short—just enough to qualify the lead. For most firms, the essential fields are full name, phone number, and email address.
How fields work: Each field has a Display Label (what the field is called) and a Collection Prompt (your instruction to the agent). The collection prompt is not the exact sentence the agent will say—it's guidance on how to ask. Think of it like instructing a human receptionist.
Tip: Avoid collecting more than 8 fields per profile. Longer calls reduce completion rates.
Actions
Actions determine what happens after the agent collects the caller's information.
Action | What it does |
Transfer Call | Routes the caller to a specific person or department |
Take Message | Collects information and ends the call |
Schedule Appointment | Sends the caller a link to book a consultation |
End Call | Concludes the call after information is gathered |
Company Information & Agent Personality
This section was auto-populated from your website during setup and can be edited at any time. It also controls your agent's personality and behavior.
By default, agents can sound flat or monotone. To adjust this, add direct instructions here. Vague language produces minimal results—be emphatic:
❌ "The agent should be more empathetic."
✅ "It is extremely important that the agent be warm and empathetic with every caller."
The stronger your instruction, the more noticeable the change. Test after making adjustments, and if needed, make your instructions even more direct.
Once you've made changes, click Save.
Notifications
This section controls where call transcripts and lead summaries are delivered after each call. Route these to any email address—your intake team, a shared inbox, or individual staff members.
To customize what's included in those emails, click Pipe Text to see available variables such as caller name, phone number, email, call summary, and full transcript.
Testing and Refining Your Agent
Once configured, call your Hona number and go through the flow yourself. Listen for:
Logical question order
Appropriate tone for your firm
Accurate name and phone number capture
Unnecessary length or wordiness
Make adjustments, then call again. After a few rounds of testing, your agent will be ready to launch.
Tip: Involve your intake team in testing—they'll catch things you might miss.
Why This Matters
A well-configured agent ensures every caller gets a consistent, professional experience from day one. The process is designed to be iterative—start simple, test, and refine. For questions, reach out to our support team or contact us at [email protected].