Placing outbound calls

Your agent doesn't only answer calls — it can place them too. Outbound calling is great for appointment reminders, lead follow-ups, confirmations, and re-engaging past customers.

How to place an outbound call

1. Open the Calls tab and click Outbound.
2. Choose the agent that will make the call.
3. Enter the destination number to call.
4. Set the objective — a short description of what the call should accomplish, for example "Remind the customer about tomorrow's 10am appointment and offer to reschedule if needed."
5. (Optional) Add variables to personalize the call — e.g. customer_name = "Sarah". These fill {{placeholders}} in the agent's prompt and greeting. See dynamic variables.
6. Start the call. The agent dials out, has the conversation, and works toward the objective.

The objective reframes the agent for this specific call, so the same agent can introduce itself appropriately and pursue the goal you set.

Good uses for outbound

• Appointment reminders — confirm upcoming bookings and offer easy rescheduling to cut no-shows.
• Lead follow-up — call new enquiries quickly while interest is high.
• Re-engagement — reach back out to past customers or stale leads.
• Confirmations — let customers know an order, booking, or job is ready.

If you connected a calendar, an outbound call can book or move appointments too.

Voicemail handling

Outbound calls often reach an answering machine. Your agent recognizes voicemail — a recorded greeting or a beep with no live person — and won't carry on a normal conversation with it. Instead it:

• Leaves your voicemail message (if you set one) and hangs up, or
• Just hangs up if you didn't set a message.

Set the message on the agent (Agents → your agent → Call actions → Voicemail message). It supports dynamic variables, e.g. "Hi {{customer_name}}, this is Bright Smile calling about your appointment — please call us back." When voicemail is reached, it's recorded on the call's timeline as "Reached voicemail."

Detection is AI-based (the agent listens for voicemail cues), not carrier-level — so on rare occasions it may misjudge. Keep your message short and clear.

Reviewing outbound calls

Outbound calls appear in your Calls list alongside inbound ones, each with its recording, transcript, and summary, so you can see exactly how the conversation went.

Calling responsibly

Outbound calling works best — and stays compliant — when it's expected and helpful:

• Call people who anticipate hearing from you (leads who reached out, customers with upcoming appointments, opted-in contacts).
• Respect local calling hours and do-not-call rules.
• Honor opt-outs immediately.

You're responsible for ensuring your outbound calling complies with the laws where you and the people you're calling are located.

Next step

Let calls book appointments automatically: Connecting a calendar.