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Set up your AI receptionist in 10 minutes (and test it before a real customer does)

2026-10-15

This guide gets your AI receptionist answering real questions in about ten minutes. Every step ends with something you can check, so you always know it worked. You do not need any technical skills.

You will need your business website or social profile, and about ten minutes.

Step 1: Create your account (2 minutes)

  1. Go to catchliner.com/signup.
  2. Paste your website or social media link. If you have neither, enter your business name and what you do.
  3. Wait a moment while the AI reads it. You will see what it learned about your business.
  4. Create your login with your email and a password of at least 8 characters.

Check it worked: you land in your dashboard and see a short getting-started list.

Step 2: Check what the AI knows (3 minutes)

Open AI Training. A coach asks you short questions, one at a time, and saves your answers as you go. Answer in plain words:

If you have a website, paste the link and the AI will learn from it, so you do not have to type everything.

Check it worked: scroll down to the list of what your AI has learned. Read it like a customer would. Fix anything that is wrong by editing it directly. Anything the AI does not know, it will not invent.

Step 3: Turn on one channel (2 minutes)

Do not connect everything at once. Pick the one your customers use most.

Check it worked: the card shows Live instead of Not connected.

Step 4: Run three test conversations (3 minutes)

This is the step most people skip, and the one that matters most. Every channel card has a Test button that opens the real thing, so you see exactly what a customer sees.

Run these three tests:

  1. The easy one. Ask your most common question, for example "How much is a haircut?" The answer should match your price list.
  2. The booking one. Say "I'd like to book for Friday afternoon." The AI should ask for your name and phone number or email, then confirm.
  3. The tricky one. Ask something you never told it, like "Do you do weddings?" It should say it will check with the team instead of guessing.

Check it worked: open Inbox. All three conversations are there, and the booking test also shows up under Leads and Appointments.

Step 5: Fix what you did not like

For every answer you would not give yourself, go back to AI Training and add the correct answer in one sentence. Run the same test again. Two rounds is usually enough.

Step 6: Decide how you hear about it

In Settings, then Notifications, choose where alerts go: email, Telegram, SMS or WhatsApp. Each alert includes what was said, so you can step in when it matters. Open any chat in the Inbox and use the switch to take over or pause the AI for that conversation.

What happens next

Quick checklist

When all five are ticked, you are ready for real customers. Create your account and start with step 1.

See what the AI learns about your business

Drop your website or social media and Catchliner shows what it learns from you. Then it answers every customer message for you.

Start with Catchliner