Guide · original checklist · no test results reported

How to test an AI receptionist: 12 scripted calls

Most vendors offer a free trial or free tier. Use it to run the same 12 calls against each candidate and score the results yourself. This page is a test plan; it does not report results.

Before you start

• Load the same business information (hours, services, prices, FAQs, transfer numbers) into each product.
• Call from a phone number the system has not seen, and from a second number for the “repeat caller” test.
• Keep a simple sheet: call number, pass/fail, notes, and what appeared in the summary, transcript and bill.

The 12 calls

1. Basic FAQ. Ask your hours and location. Pass: correct, concise, no invented details.
2. Price question. Ask about a service you priced and one you did not. Pass: correct price for the first; for the second, says it will check rather than guessing.
3. Book an appointment. Pass: correct slot appears on your calendar, confirmation sent if promised.
4. Reschedule and cancel. Pass: changes the existing booking rather than creating a duplicate.
5. Urgent transfer. Describe an emergency your rules say must be transferred. Pass: transfers quickly, briefs your team if warm transfer is offered.
6. Transfer when nobody answers. Pass: takes a complete message and tells the caller what happens next.
7. Message with details. Leave a name, callback number, and a two-part request. Pass: summary captures all of it correctly.
8. Off-script question. Ask something unrelated to your business. Pass: politely redirects without making things up.
9. Interruptions and accents. Talk over it, change your mind mid-sentence, or have a colleague with a different accent call. Pass: recovers without looping.
10. Second language. If you serve Spanish speakers, call in Spanish. Pass: switches and records an accurate summary.
11. Repeat caller. Call back from the first number. Pass: behaves sensibly; if the vendor advertises caller memory, it uses it appropriately.
12. Junk call. Hang up after a few seconds, or play a robocall-style message. Then check the bill. Pass: billed (or not) exactly as the pricing page says.

After the calls

• Read every transcript. Look for invented facts, not just tone.
• Check the usage meter against your log to see what each call cost.
• For regulated work (legal, health), confirm disclosure wording, recording consent and data-handling terms with your own advisers.

Then compare costs at your real volume in the pricing index.

Last updated Oct 21, 2026. Found an error? Tell us and we will correct it.