Skip to main content

​
Overview

Agent Phone Integration allows you to connect your conversational AI agents to phone numbers, enabling customers to call and interact with your agents directly. This feature uses Twilio as the phone service provider to handle incoming calls and route them to your configured agents.

​
Prerequisites

Before setting up phone integration, ensure all prerequisites are met to avoid configuration issues.
Before setting up phone integration for your agents, ensure you have:
1

Twilio Phone Provider Integration

A configured Twilio integration in your organization settings with active credentials
2

Active Agent

At least one agent created and configured in your app with proper training instructions
3

Twilio Phone Number (Optional)

A phone number provisioned in your Twilio account - you can also provision through the platform

​
Setting Up Phone Integration

1

Configure Phone Provider

Navigate to your Organization Settings and ensure you have a Twilio phone provider configured:
  1. Go to Organization Settings → Integrations → Phone
  2. If no phone providers are configured, click “Phone Provider” to add Twilio credentials
  3. Verify your Twilio integration shows as active
Your Twilio integration must show as “Active” before proceeding to the next step.
2

Provision a Phone Number

In your App Details, you can provision a phone number for agent interactions:How to Access:
  • Navigate to your App
  • Go to App Details → Phone Numbers
  • Platform Provisioning
  • Use Existing Number
Let Elementum provision a new number for you:
  1. Click “Add Phone Number”
  2. The platform will provision a new number through your Twilio integration
  3. Configure the phone service settings (see next step)
Platform provisioning is the easiest option and handles all Twilio configuration automatically.
3

Configure Phone Service

When provisioning a phone number, you’ll create a phone service with the following configuration:
Required Fields:
  • Area Code: The geographic area code for the phone number (if provisioning new)
  • Phone Provider: Select your configured Twilio provider from the dropdown
  • Agent: Choose which agent will handle incoming calls
Optional Settings:
  • Expand Languages:
    • Enable support for additional languages beyond English
    • See Supported Languages for the complete list of available languages
Enabling additional languages may decrease phone service performance.
  • Generate First Message:
    • Automatically generate an initial greeting when the agent answers
    • The agent will speak this message when calls connect
Configuration Steps:
  1. Fill in the Area Code (if provisioning new number)
  2. Select your Phone Provider from the dropdown
  3. Choose the Agent that will handle calls
  4. Toggle “Expand Languages” if multilingual support is needed
  5. Toggle “Generate First Message” for automatic greetings
  6. Click “Save” to create the phone service
4

Configure Agent for Phone Calls

Once your phone service is created, configure how your agent behaves during phone conversations:

Training Instructions

Specific guidance for phone interactions (e.g., “Keep responses concise for phone calls”)

First Message

Custom greeting message (if not using auto-generation)

Conversation Timeout

Set timeout duration for inactive calls

End Call Training

Instructions for how the agent should end conversations
Best Practices for Phone Agent Training:
  • Keep responses shorter than text-based interactions
  • Include verbal cues and confirmations
  • Train the agent to ask for spelling of names or important details
  • Provide clear next steps at the end of calls
  • Include hold music or transfer instructions if needed

​
Agent Tools for Phone Calls

EndConversation Tool

Agents have access to a special endConversation tool specifically designed for phone interactions.Purpose:
  • Allows agents to proactively end phone calls when appropriate
  • Provides clean closure for support interactions
  • Prevents calls from remaining open unnecessarily
  • Ensures proper conversation lifecycle management
Critical Configuration: Train your agents on when and how to use the endConversation tool for optimal user experience.
When you have fully resolved the caller's question or completed the requested task, 
use the endConversation tool to end the call. Always provide a brief summary 
of what was accomplished and any next steps before ending the conversation.
Use the endConversation tool when:
  • Support issue has been fully resolved
  • Caller’s question has been completely answered
  • Required information has been collected
  • Follow-up actions have been clearly communicated
  • Caller confirms satisfaction with the resolution

​
Initiating Outbound Calls

Beyond receiving inbound calls, agents can proactively initiate outbound calls to customers as part of automated workflows. This enables your agents to make follow-up calls, appointment reminders, and other proactive outreach automatically.

​
Overview

The Initiate Call automation action allows workflows to trigger outbound phone calls from your AI agents. This is a fire-and-forget operation, meaning the workflow continues immediately without waiting for the call to complete.
Outbound calls use the same agent configuration and phone service as inbound calls, ensuring consistent behavior across all phone interactions.

​
How It Works

  1. Workflow Trigger: An automation workflow reaches an “Initiate Call” action
  2. Call Initiated: The system asynchronously starts a phone call to the specified number
  3. Agent Conducts Call: Your configured AI agent handles the conversation
  4. Workflow Continues: The workflow proceeds to the next action without waiting
  5. Call Outcome Captured: Use “Agent Conversation Ended” trigger to process results

​
Configuring the Initiate Call Action

When adding an “Initiate Call” action to your workflow, you’ll configure:
Action Name
  • Descriptive name for the call action to identify it in your workflow
AI Agent
  • Select which agent will conduct the call
  • The agent must be properly trained for phone interactions
  • Agent will have access to any context you provide
Phone Service
  • Choose which phone service/number will be used to place the call
  • Must be a phone service you’ve already configured in your app
Phone Number to Call
  • Specify the recipient’s phone number
  • Can use:
    • Record Field: {{customer.phone_number}}
    • Previous Task Output: {{search_customer.phone}}
    • Static Value: +1-555-123-4567
Default Language
  • Set the primary language for the call
  • Agent will conduct conversation in this language
Related Record
  • Associate the call with a specific record
  • Provides context for the agent and enables better record keeping
  • Agent can access related record data during the call
Additional Context
  • Provide specific instructions or information for the agent
  • Examples:
    • “This is a follow-up call for support ticket #12345”
    • “Customer requested callback about billing issue”
    • “Appointment reminder for 2pm tomorrow”
  • Helps the agent conduct a more informed conversation

​
Example Workflows

TRIGGER: Support Ticket Created
  → IF priority = "High"
    → Initiate Call
      → Agent: Support Agent
      → Phone Service: Main Support Line
      → Phone Number: {{ticket.customer_phone}}
      → Related Record: {{ticket.id}}
      → Context: "Follow up on high-priority ticket {{ticket.number}}"
      → Language: English
  → Continue with other workflow actions

​
Fire-and-Forget Execution

Important: The Initiate Call action does not block workflow execution. Your workflow will continue immediately after initiating the call, before the call is answered or completed.
What This Means:
  • The workflow proceeds to the next action immediately
  • You cannot reference call outcomes in the same workflow
  • Call duration does not impact workflow performance
  • Multiple calls can be initiated simultaneously
Processing Call Outcomes: To take action based on what happens during the call, create a separate automation using the Agent Conversation Ended trigger: 
TRIGGER: Agent Conversation Ended
  → IF conversation.type = "Voice"
    → Post Comment (on related record)
      → Comment: "Call completed: {{conversation.summary}}"
    → IF conversation contains "needs follow-up"
      → Create Record (Follow-up Task)

​
Best Practices for Outbound Calls

Agent Training

Train agents specifically for outbound scenarios with appropriate opening statements and call objectives

Context Matters

Always provide relevant context to help the agent conduct meaningful conversations

Timing Considerations

Consider time zones and appropriate calling hours in your workflow logic

Fallback Handling

Use Agent Conversation Ended to detect no-answers and create follow-up tasks
Agent Training Tips for Outbound Calls:
Example Outbound Agent Instructions
You are making an outbound call to the customer. Start by:
1. Introducing yourself and the company
2. Stating the purpose of your call clearly
3. Confirming you're speaking with the right person
4. Proceeding with the conversation objective

Keep the call focused and respect the customer's time. If they're unavailable,
offer to call back at a better time or provide alternative contact methods.

Use the endConversation tool when you've completed the call objective or if
the customer requests to end the call.

​
Monitoring Outbound Calls

Call Records:
  • Each outbound call creates a record in your app (just like inbound calls)
  • Access complete transcripts through the Chat/Conversation interface
  • Review call metadata including duration, outcome, and timestamps
Using Automations:
  • Track call success rates with Agent Conversation Ended triggers
  • Generate analytics on outbound call volume and outcomes
  • Create follow-up tasks for unsuccessful call attempts
  • Send notifications to team members based on call results

​
Common Use Cases

Automatically call customers before scheduled appointments to confirm attendance and reduce no-shows.
Proactively reach out to customers after support tickets are resolved to ensure satisfaction.
Notify customers about important order status changes when immediate communication is critical.
Contact customers with overdue payments with friendly reminders and payment options.
Conduct automated satisfaction surveys or gather feedback through phone conversations.
Alert customers about urgent issues, security concerns, or time-sensitive matters.

​
Supported Languages

Agent Phone Integration supports multiple languages for enhanced accessibility. By default, phone services operate in English, but you can enable additional language support in the Advanced Options during phone service configuration.
English is always available and doesn’t require enabling “Expand Languages”. Additional languages require toggling the “Expand Languages” option in your phone service configuration.

​
Available Languages

🇧🇬 Bulgarian

🇪🇸 Catalan

🇨🇳 Chinese (Mandarin)

Simplified & Traditional

🇭🇰 Chinese (Cantonese)

Traditional

🇨🇿 Czech

🇩🇰 Danish

🇪🇪 Estonian

🇫🇮 Finnish

🇧🇪 Flemish

🇫🇷 French

Including Canadian

🇩🇪 German

Including Switzerland

🇬🇷 Greek

🇭🇺 Hungarian

🇮🇩 Indonesian

🇰🇷 Korean

🇱🇻 Latvian

🇱🇹 Lithuanian

🇲🇾 Malay

🇳🇴 Norwegian

🇵🇱 Polish

🇵🇹 Portuguese

Brazilian & European

🇷🇴 Romanian

🇸🇰 Slovak

🇪🇸 Spanish

Including LATAM

🇸🇪 Swedish

🇹🇭 Thai

🇹🇷 Turkish

🇺🇦 Ukrainian

🇻🇳 Vietnamese

​
Performance Considerations

Important: Enabling additional languages may impact phone service performance. Only enable multilingual support if your use case specifically requires it.
Best Practices:
  • Use single language mode when possible for optimal performance
  • Test thoroughly when enabling multiple languages
  • Monitor call quality and response times after enabling additional languages

​
Managing Phone Services

​
Viewing Active Phone Services

In your App Details under Phone Numbers, you can:
  • View all provisioned phone numbers
  • See which agent is assigned to each number
  • Check the status of each phone service
  • Monitor call activity and logs

​
Editing Phone Services

To modify an existing phone service:
  1. Navigate to App Details → Phone Numbers
  2. Click on the phone number you want to edit
  3. Update configuration settings
  4. Click “Save” to apply changes

​
Removing Phone Numbers

To remove a phone number:
  1. Navigate to App Details → Phone Numbers
  2. Find the phone number you want to remove
  3. Click the “Delete” option
  4. Confirm removal
Note: Removing a phone number from the platform doesn’t automatically release it from your Twilio account. You’ll need to manage number releases directly in Twilio if desired.

​
Testing Your Phone Integration

​
Testing Call Flow

  1. Make a Test Call: Dial your provisioned phone number
  2. Verify Connection: Ensure the call connects and the agent responds
  3. Test Agent Responses: Interact with the agent to verify it follows training instructions
  4. Check Call Logs: Review call logs in your app to ensure data is captured correctly

​
Troubleshooting Common Issues

Common Solutions:
  • Verify Twilio integration is active
  • Check that the phone number is properly registered
  • Ensure your Twilio account has sufficient credits
Common Solutions:
  • Verify the agent is properly configured and active
  • Check that the LLM model is available
  • Review training instructions for phone-specific guidance
Common Solutions:
  • Consider disabling “Expand Languages” if not needed
  • Review agent training to ensure responses are concise
  • Check Twilio service status

​
Integration with Workflows

Phone calls—both inbound and outbound—can be seamlessly integrated into your existing workflows. This enables sophisticated automation around phone interactions, from triggering calls based on business events to processing call outcomes.
For configuring outbound calls, see the Initiating Outbound Calls section above.

​
Call Data Capture

When a phone call is received or initiated, a record is automatically created in your app with call information:
  • Phone number (caller or recipient)
  • Call start time
  • Call duration
  • Call direction (inbound or outbound)
  • Agent assigned to the call
The system captures this call metadata automatically for both inbound and outbound calls - no additional configuration is required.

​
Workflow Triggers

​
Triggering Outbound Calls

Use the Initiate Call action in your automations to trigger outbound phone calls based on business events: Common Triggers:
  • Record Created (e.g., high-priority support ticket)
  • Record Updated (e.g., order status changed)
  • Scheduled Event (e.g., appointment reminders)
  • Approval Completed (e.g., callback after approval)
  • Time-Based (e.g., daily follow-up calls)
See the Initiating Outbound Calls section for complete configuration details.

​
Processing Call Outcomes

Use the Agent Conversation Ended trigger in your automations to process phone call outcomes for both inbound and outbound calls: What You Get:
  • Complete call transcript
  • Conversation duration and metadata
  • Call direction (inbound/outbound)
  • Agent responses and customer interactions
  • Call outcome and resolution status
Automation Examples:
  • Create support tickets based on call content
  • Send follow-up emails with call summary
  • Route urgent issues to appropriate teams
  • Update CRM systems with conversation details
  • Generate call reports for management
  • Create follow-up tasks for unsuccessful outbound calls
  • Track callback completion for outbound reminders
The Agent Conversation Ended trigger provides the full context of the phone interaction, allowing your automations to take intelligent action based on what was discussed during the call, regardless of call direction.

​
Viewing Phone Conversations

After a phone call ends (whether inbound or outbound), you can view the complete conversation in the record details: Conversation Interface:
  • Navigate to the automatically created record for the phone call
  • Access the Chat/Conversation interface in the record details
  • View the conversation marked as a Voice conversation type
  • See call direction indicator (inbound/outbound)
  • Review the complete transcript of the agent-customer interaction
  • See timestamps, agent responses, and customer inputs
This provides full visibility into all phone interactions alongside other communication channels in a unified interface.

​
Call Analytics

Create custom analytics and metrics using automations triggered by Agent Conversation Ended: Metrics You Can Build:
  • Call Volume Tracking: Count daily/weekly/monthly call volumes by creating records for each completed call, split by inbound/outbound
  • Response Time Analysis: Calculate and track average agent response times using conversation timestamps
  • Customer Satisfaction Scoring: Use AI Classification to analyze call sentiment and satisfaction levels
  • Resolution Rate Monitoring: Track conversation outcomes and successful issue resolutions
  • Agent Performance Metrics: Monitor individual agent call handling and success rates
  • Outbound Call Success Rates: Track connection rates, completion rates, and outcomes for outbound calls
  • Callback Effectiveness: Measure how outbound callbacks impact customer satisfaction and issue resolution
Implementation Approach: Use the Agent Conversation Ended trigger to automatically capture call data, then process it through AI actions and data calculations to generate your desired metrics and reports. The call direction field allows you to segment analytics between inbound and outbound calls.

​
Security and Compliance

​
Data Protection

  • All phone conversations are processed according to your data retention policies
  • Sensitive information handling follows your organization’s security guidelines
  • Call recordings (if enabled) are stored securely

​
Compliance Considerations

  • Ensure your phone interactions comply with local regulations
  • Consider call recording consent requirements
  • Review data processing agreements with Twilio

​
Best Practices

​
Agent Training for Phone Interactions

  • Be Concise: Phone conversations require shorter, clearer responses
  • Confirm Information: Always repeat back important details
  • Use Verbal Cues: Include phrases like “Let me help you with that” or “I understand”
  • Provide Clear Next Steps: End calls with specific action items
  • Use endConversation: Train agents to properly close calls using the endConversation tool when resolution is complete

​
Performance Optimization

  • Single Language: Use single language mode for better performance unless multilingual support is essential
  • Specific Training: Provide phone-specific training instructions separate from chat training
  • Regular Testing: Periodically test your phone integration to ensure quality

​
Monitoring and Maintenance

  • Regular Review: Check call logs and agent performance regularly
  • Update Training: Refine agent training based on call outcomes
  • Twilio Management: Monitor Twilio usage and costs
  • Backup Numbers: Consider having backup phone numbers for high-availability scenarios
By following this guide, you can successfully integrate phone functionality with your agents, providing customers with another channel to access your AI-powered support and services.