Build an inbound reception bot

Ask SAMI Chat to create, assign a number to, and publish a reception bot that answers calls and transfers callers to your team.

Open in SAMI OS

An inbound reception bot answers calls to a dedicated SAMI number, asks buyers and sellers a short set of questions, and uses transfer rules to direct each caller to a team member. It has a fallback rule for calls that do not match a specific route.

Choose the right bot

Sales agent bots reach out to leads through an outbound workflow and can answer callbacks. They need sales settings and an outreach cadence.
Inbound reception bots answer incoming calls. They use separate buyer and seller questions, transfer scripts and rules, and a fallback route. They do not enroll leads in an outbound workflow.

Create one in SAMI Chat

Ask SAMI, for example, “Build an inbound reception bot that sends buyers to Jane and sellers to Mark.” SAMI creates a draft with a greeting, default buyer and seller questions, and the transfer rules you specify.

If you do not name a recipient, SAMI chooses an eligible team member: first the organization creator if eligible, then you if eligible, then an eligible member by role and join date. If nobody is eligible, SAMI asks you to name or prepare a transfer recipient before it creates the bot.

A member is eligible for a transfer when their organization membership is active, they are available for calls, and they have a valid transfer phone. These settings determine who can be configured as a recipient; they do not guarantee that a person will answer each call.

Assign a number

Ask SAMI to assign a dedicated number to the draft, for example, “Put the front desk bot on the 843 number.” You review and approve the change in chat. If that number is assigned to a person, a ring group, or another bot, SAMI reports the conflict and asks before moving it.

Publish when the number is ready

Ask SAMI to publish the bot. Publishing checks the transfer configuration and the workspace's transfer domain. The assigned number also needs a confirmed reception configuration from the voice provider. If that configuration is still pending, check the number's readiness and try publishing again after it completes. A saved draft or assigned number alone does not make the bot live.

Edit, pause, and resume

Ask SAMI to change the greeting, add a seller question, or change a transfer recipient. Changes to a published bot are saved, but the new configuration goes live only after you publish it again. If publishing is blocked, the saved changes remain unpublished.

You can pause a published reception bot and later resume its last published version. A request just to resume uses that version, even if you saved edits while it was paused. To make paused edits live, ask SAMI to apply the edits and activate the bot in the same request, or ask SAMI to publish previously saved edits after resuming. Check the published version before expecting new calls to use your changes.

What reception bots do

Reception bots answer incoming calls around the clock. They have no business-hours or voicemail settings. Their transfer rules choose a configured destination and a fallback route catches other calls. They do not make outbound calls or use lead routing and outreach workflows.

Last updated 2026-09-21

Was this helpful?