Setting up the AI Receptionist

The AI Receptionist answers inbound calls on your clinic's local number, shared with SMS, and can capture new leads for follow-up in your CRM pipeline. In the left sidebar, click Settings (at the bottom). In the settings menu, under Communication, click AI Receptionist. The page also includes Keyterms and Booked visits, where you can add terms the receptionist should recognize reliably and tag visits it books.

How do I turn on the AI Receptionist?

In the left sidebar, click Settings (at the bottom). In the settings menu, under Communication, click AI Receptionist. In the screenshot, Settings (1) is the left-sidebar entry, and AI Receptionist (2) is the page in the Communication settings menu.

1. In the left sidebar, click Settings (at the bottom). In the settings menu, under Communication, click AI Receptionist (1) and (2).
2. Turn on Receptionist line.
3. If Pick a phone number first opens, follow the dialog to choose a phone number for your clinic.
4. Select Provision and enable.
5. If the save dock shows Unsaved AI Receptionist changes, select Save changes.

The number is registered with the carriers automatically. If the provisioned number is not active yet, Ona shows Number ordered with Turn this on in a few minutes. and leaves the receptionist line off. If Ona cannot save, you see Couldn't save and should try again.

What does the AI Receptionist status mean?

On the AI Receptionist page, check whether the receptionist line is ready and which phone number it uses. Use Status (1) to see the current state, Phone number (2) to confirm the clinic number in use, and Last ready (3) to see when the receptionist was last ready. In the screenshot, the numbered callouts point to the status card, the phone-number fact, and the last-ready fact.

Status	What it means
Disabled	Inbound calls continue routing through your current phone setup.
Provisioning	Ona is connecting your clinic's phone number to the receptionist.
Active	The receptionist is ready to answer inbound calls.
Needs attention	Provisioning failed. Try enabling again.
Phone number shows the clinic number used by the receptionist, or Not provisioned if no number has been set up. Last ready shows a date and time when available, or Never.

While the status is Provisioning, greeting, new caller setting, custom instructions, keyterms, booked visit tags and knowledge file controls are disabled.

How do I set the greeting callers hear?

On the AI Receptionist page, use Greeting (1) to set the first thing callers hear when the receptionist answers. The field can hold up to 500 characters. In the screenshot, Greeting (1) is the opening-line field.

1. In Greeting, write the opening greeting callers should hear.
2. Leave Greeting empty to use the default greeting shown in the field.
3. Select Save changes when the save dock appears.

If Ona cannot save, you see Couldn't save and should try again. While the receptionist line is Provisioning, Greeting is disabled.

How do I choose what happens to new callers?

On the AI Receptionist page, use New callers to decide what the receptionist does when a caller is not an existing patient. Use Capture a lead (1) when your team should follow up before adding the caller to the patient list, or Register as a patient (2) when the receptionist should collect details and create a patient during the call. In the screenshot, the callouts identify the two choices under New callers.

1. In New callers, choose Capture a lead or Register as a patient.
2. Select Save changes when the save dock appears.

Mode	What happens
Capture a lead	The receptionist takes the caller's name and contact details and records a lead for your team to follow up in the CRM pipeline.
Register as a patient	The receptionist collects the caller's details, creates a patient record, and can book a visit on the same call. If your insurance feature is enabled, it also collects insurance details.

Choose Capture a lead when your team should review new callers before adding them to the patient list. Choose Register as a patient when callers can be added during the call. If Ona cannot save, you see Couldn't save and should try again.

How do I choose when the AI answers without ringing first?

On the AI Receptionist page, use Call handling to decide when the AI receptionist picks up at once, whether your team gets notified about those calls, and whether callers can ask to speak with staff. Use Answer without ringing (1) to choose when the AI answers first, Notify about AI-answered calls (2) to turn those notifications on or off, and Transfer to staff on request (3) to let callers reach staff when they ask. In the screenshot, the callouts identify the mode selector and the two switches in Call handling.

1. In Answer without ringing, choose Always ring first, Outside opening hours or Custom hours.
2. If you choose Custom hours, the hours open in a tray where you set the days and times when the AI should answer first.
3. Turn Notify about AI-answered calls on or off.
4. Turn Transfer to staff on request on or off.
5. Select Save changes when the save dock appears.

Option	What it means
Always ring first	Your team rings first. The AI picks up only if nobody answers.
Outside opening hours	The AI answers at once outside your opening hours.
Custom hours	The AI answers at once during hours you choose, like lunch or evenings.

If custom hours have an issue, the save dock shows Fix the custom hours before saving until you correct them. If phone calls are off, Call handling shows Phone calls are off with Set up calls. If your clinic uses legacy routing where the AI answers every call, it shows The AI receptionist answers every call with Open Omnichannel.

How do I add custom instructions?

On the AI Receptionist page, use Custom instructions for behavior the receptionist should follow on every call. Use Custom instructions (1) for the rules the receptionist follows, Character counter (2) to track how much of the limit you have used, and Keyterms (3) to add terms the receptionist should recognize reliably. The field can hold up to 20,000 characters. In the screenshot, the numbered callouts mark the instructions field, the counter, and the keyterms field below it.

1. In Custom instructions, write the rules the receptionist should follow.
2. Check the character counter if the instructions are long.
3. In Keyterms, add terms one by one. The counter shows the combined list length, including commas between terms.
4. Select Save changes when the save dock appears.

Write instructions as specific rules. Include the boundaries that matter for your practice, such as scheduling limits, what information to collect, what to route to staff, and what the receptionist should not promise. In Keyterms, add names, payers, services, and local place names the receptionist should recognize reliably. You can add up to 100 keyterms, and each keyterm can be up to 100 characters. The Keyterms counter measures the combined list length and stops you at the total character limit. If Ona cannot save, you see Couldn't save and should try again.

How do I upload knowledge files?

On the AI Receptionist page, use Knowledge base to upload files the receptionist can reference on calls. Use Drop files here or browse (1) to add files from your computer or drag them into the upload area. Each file must be 25 MB or smaller. In the screenshot, Drop files here or browse (1) is the upload control in Knowledge base.

1. In Knowledge base, drag files into the upload area or select files from your computer.
2. If you selected more than 10 files, upload the remaining files in another batch.

You can upload PDFs, images, text files, Markdown files, Word documents and CSV files. Uploaded files appear in the list newest first. A file with Processing is syncing to the AI assistant in the background. A file with Sync failed is saved in the list, but did not sync to the AI assistant.

How do I preview, download or delete a knowledge file?

On the AI Receptionist page, use Knowledge base to review or remove files the AI Receptionist can reference.

1. In Knowledge base, select a file row to preview it.
2. Select Download to save a copy to your computer.
3. Select Delete file to remove it from the knowledge base.
4. Confirm the deletion in the dialog.

Images and PDFs can be previewed in Ona. Other file types show Preview not available for this file type, but you can still download them.

How do I tag visits the receptionist books?

On the AI Receptionist page, use Booked visits to add tags to visits the receptionist books. Use Tag receptionist bookings (1) to turn visit tagging on for receptionist bookings. In the screenshot, Tag receptionist bookings (1) is the switch for booked visits.

1. In Booked visits, select Tag receptionist bookings.
2. Choose the tag or tags you want applied to those bookings.
3. Select Save changes when the save dock appears.

The save dock can show Choose a tag for receptionist bookings if no booking tag is selected. If Ona cannot save, you see Couldn't save and should try again.

What can't I do here?

On the AI Receptionist page, access and actions are limited in these ways:

• Staff and doctors cannot manage AI Receptionist settings from Settings.
• You cannot edit greeting, new caller handling, custom instructions, keyterms, booked visit tags or knowledge files while the receptionist line is Provisioning.
• Answer without ringing is unavailable when phone calls are off, when the AI Receptionist is not active, or when the clinic uses legacy routing where the AI answers every call.
• Notify about AI-answered calls and Transfer to staff on request are available once the AI Receptionist is active.
• You cannot save call handling while custom hours have an issue. Fix the fields when you see Fix the custom hours before saving.
• You cannot save booked visits until a booking tag is chosen.
• You can upload only the first 10 files in one batch. Upload the rest in another batch.
• Each knowledge file must be 25 MB or smaller.
• A knowledge file with Sync failed is saved in the list, but did not sync to the AI assistant.
• You can add up to 100 keyterms, and each keyterm can be up to 100 characters.
• The Keyterms field has a 1,000-character combined list limit, including commas between terms.

Common questions

Does the AI Receptionist use my clinic's phone number?

Yes. The receptionist answers on your clinic's local number, shared with SMS. If you do not have a number yet, turning on Receptionist line opens Pick a phone number first.

What should I choose for new callers?

Choose Capture a lead if your team should follow up before creating a patient record. Choose Register as a patient if the receptionist should collect details, create a patient record and potentially book a visit during the call.

Do instructions save automatically?

No. Custom instructions, Keyterms and other AI Receptionist page fields save when you select Save changes in the dock. The Keyterms counter shows the combined list length and stops at the total character limit. If Ona cannot save, you see Couldn't save and should try again in a moment.

What does Always ring first mean?

Always ring first means your team rings first. The AI receptionist picks up only if nobody answers.

Can callers ask to speak with a person?

Yes, when Transfer to staff on request is on and the AI Receptionist is active. When a caller asks for a person, the AI receptionist puts them through to your team. If nobody answers, they can leave a voicemail.

What happens if I upload too many files at once?

Only the first 10 files are uploaded. Upload the remaining files in another batch.

Can I delete a knowledge file after uploading it?

Yes. Select the file from Knowledge base, select Delete file, then confirm the deletion.

What happens if I do not choose a booking tag?

The save dock shows Choose a tag for receptionist bookings until you pick one.