Business Info
Configure the knowledge base and specific instructions your phone assistant uses to answer customer inquiries. In this section, you can also manage whether to allow the assistant to take over-the-phone orders, collect delivery addresses, and request card information for payments.
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Overview
This is the most important step in the phone assistant setup process. Everything the phone assistant says to callers comes from the information and instructions you provide here. The more detailed and accurate your content, the better the phone assistant performs.
Open this page at: app.i118.ai/app/instruction
Template type
Your current template type is shown at the top of the Business Info page. If you need to switch templates, simply click the pencil icon next to it—your saved instructions will remain unchanged.
Note: Available fields and dashboard options may vary depending on your selected industry template.
Your Contact Details
At the top of the page, fill in your business details:
At the beginning of each call, the phone assistant introduces itself using your business name. Your phone number and other contact details are only shared with callers if they specifically request them.
| Field | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Business name (required) | Exactly how you want the phone assistant to say your business name to callers | |
| Phone number (required) | Your business phone number, the phone assistant can share with callers if asked | |
| Address (optional) | Your full address so the phone assistant can give directions when asked | |
| Email (optional) | A contact email that the phone assistant can share if a caller asks | |
| Website (optional) | Your website, which the phone assistant can reference or share | |
| Other (optional, please specify) | Any additional details you want the phone assistant to be able to share with the caller, for example, your licenses to perform certain services. |
Business Information Fields
Enter your core business details and assistant instructions here. To keep your information organized and easy to manage, fields are grouped by topic:
- Detailed Information and Instructions (required except for Restaurant)
- Item Catalog and Pricing (optional except for Restaurant)
- Special Items (optional)
- Special Instructions (optional)
Writing Tips:
- Use Natural Language: Write your information and instructions in plain, everyday language—just as you would for a human receptionist.
- Flexible Formatting: Your input doesn't need to match the field title exactly; the assistant will process your information correctly even if it’s entered in a different field.
- Character Limits: Each field has a maximum character limit. If you run out of space in one field, simply continue writing in another.
- Multilingual input: Fully supported. You may write your information and instructions in your preferred language (e.g., English, Spanish or Chinese), or contain multiple languages (such as a Chinese restaurant menu contains both English and Chinese), and the phone assistant will be able to translate and process the details to assist customers in English or other languages.
1. Detailed Information and Instructions (required, except for Restaurant)
This is the primary field; provide information about the services you offer, policies, frequently asked questions, and any other details callers may ask, as well as your instructions to the phone assistant, such as what you want to accomplish with the call and how to answer certain questions. You can write it yourself or use Generate with AI to help generate a draft (recommended). The restaurant template does not have this field because the service a restaurant provides needs no introduction. But if you feel that additional information or instructions need to be shared, you may enter them in the Menu field. (max 5,000 characters).
Recommended topics:
- What your business does and the services or topics you cover
- Answers to your most common phone questions
- Service area, location, or availability
- Cancellation, deposit, or booking policies
- Qualifications, licenses, or credentials relevant to your business
- What callers should prepare or bring to an appointment
- A specific workflow the assistant should follow.
- The goal of the call is, for example, to book an appointment or a service call.
Write your own:
You can manually write and edit your instructions at any time.
Generate with AI:
While creating your own instructions is always an option, we highly recommend using this tool. It automatically drafts your business details and assistant instructions using your existing website or a few quick questions—saving you time and effort. Once generated, you can easily tweak the draft to fit your exact needs.
Note: The AI generator is available for most template types.
2-4. Additional fields
About Additional Fields
- Flexible Formatting: These optional fields vary by template. Your input doesn't need to perfectly match the field title—it will still work even if placed in the "wrong" box.
- Avoid Redundancy: If you repeat instructions here that you've already entered elsewhere, make sure they don't contradict each other, or simply delete the duplicate entry.
Item Catalog and Pricing (required for Restaurant and optional for others) — Enter your full menu (Restaurant) or service/product catalog (Retail and Small Business), including all items, options, and prices. You can type directly or upload a .txt, .docx, or .pdf file (max 3 MB, 20,000 characters).
Special Items (optional) — an optional second field for specials, promotions, or seasonal offers that the phone assistant should prioritize recommending. (max 5,000 characters).
Special Instructions (optional) — anything else the phone assistant should know: delivery fees, deposits, policies, allergen notes, behavior rules, etc. (max 5,000 characters).
You can use both a manually entered Core Catalog and a connected POS at the same time. The POS catalog takes priority for items it contains; your typed content fills in anything the POS does not cover.
Item Catalog and Pricing (optional) — Enter your pricing or pricing ranges, including all items, options, and prices. You can type directly or upload a .txt, .docx, or .pdf file (max 3 MB, 20,000 characters).
Special Items (optional) — an optional second field for specials, promotions, or seasonal offers that the phone assistant should prioritize recommending. (max 5,000 characters).
Special Instructions (optional) — anything else the phone assistant should know: delivery fees, deposits, cancellation policies, etc., and whether the phone assistant is required to pre-disclose certain policies or rates and obtain approval from the caller before finalizing the booking. (max 5,000 characters).
Phone Orders, Address & Payment Settings
These settings apply when the phone assistant handles over-the-phone order requests (phone orders). If you provide only intangible items, assistance, or information, some settings may not apply or may be ineffective regardless of the selection.
Phone orders
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Take Phone Orders | When enabled, the phone assistant allows customers to purchase goods or services over the phone. When disabled, order requests cannot be submitted. By default, fulfillment is at your business location unless specified elsewhere. This setting does not affect appointments or estimates. |
| Allow phone orders outside working hours | When enabled, phone order requests can be submitted outside business hours. When disabled, phone order requests are blocked outside business hours. |
Delivery
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Allow Delivery or In-home service | If you have not already specified that the phone assistant should collect the caller's address, enabling this requires it to ask for the address when the caller requests delivery, drop-off, shipping, or in-home services. If you charge a delivery fee, add it to the Special Instructions field. |
Collect credit card information
The Collect Credit Card Information setting controls whether the phone assistant asks callers for credit card details during the call:
| Option | What happens |
|---|---|
| Disabled | The phone assistant does not request any payment information |
| Delivery Only | The phone assistant requests card details only for delivery orders |
| All Orders | The phone assistant requests card details for every order |
The phone assistant does not process the card. It collects information verbally only during the call. You can retrieve the card information by listening to the call recording, then charge the payment yourself later.
Tax rate
Enter the total tax rate, including state and local tax, as a percentage (for example, 7.25).
- If certain items have different tax rates (such as alcohol), describe the applicable tax and rate in the Special Instructions field.
- If a POS is connected, this tax rate applies only to items that are NOT listed in the POS catalog.
Appointments and reservations
Appointment and reservation booking are configured in the Appointments page. Optional integration - visit the Appointments page to connect Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, or Calendly. If you use a POS, appointment options can be managed on the POS Integrations page instead.
How the phone assistant handles topics you didn't cover
The phone assistant draws a line between general knowledge and facts about your business:
- General, common-knowledge questions — the phone assistant may answer these using what is generally true for your type of business (what a term means, how a service usually works, safe general guidance). It frames these as general information, not as a statement about your business.
- Business-specific facts — prices, fees, deposits, discounts, what's on sale, availability, hours, policies, the exact products or services you offer, staff, credentials, or account details. The phone assistant states these only when they appear in your business content. It will not disclose a business-specific fact that you haven't provided.
When a caller asks for something specific that isn't in the content you provided, the phone assistant doesn't guess. It takes a message, offers a callback, or defers to staff confirmation. If a question mixes a general part and a business-specific part, the phone assistant answers the general part and defers the specific part.
This is why complete instructions matter: anything you leave out becomes something the phone assistant has to defer rather than answer. The more business-specific detail you provide here, the more the phone assistant can confidently handle on the call.
Writing tips
After saving new instructions, go to Test Simulator and ask the phone assistant questions about the content you just wrote. This is the fastest way to verify that the phone assistant understands and can accurately repeat your information.