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.
Multilingual input is 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 accurately process the details to assist customers in English or any other language.
Open this page at: i118.ai/app/instruction
Basic business information
At the top of the page (the Your Contact Details section), 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. |
Template-Specific Fields
The primary information and instruction fields on this page vary depending on the industry template you selected. If you chose the wrong template, you can change it at any time. Your current template type is displayed at the top of the Business Info page; simply click the pencil icon next to it to modify your selection. Your saved instructions will remain unchanged even when you switch templates.
When filling out these fields, enter your information and instructions in plain, natural language—just as you would write them for a human receptionist to read.
Detailed Information and Instructions (required)
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 AIto 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.
Recommended topics:
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What your business does and the services or topics you cover
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Answers to your most common phone questions
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Service area, location, or availability
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Cancellation, deposit, or booking policies
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Qualifications, licenses, or credentials relevant to your business
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What callers should prepare or bring to an appointment
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A specific workflow the assistant should follow.
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The goal of the call is, for example, to book an appointment or a service call.
Generate with AI
The Generate with AIform assistant is available for most template types. It uses AI to help you draft your business information and instructions from your existing website, or from a few answers to some predefined questions. We highly recommend using this tool.
This is optional — you can always write and edit instructions manually.
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 — 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.
Special Instructions — anything else the phone assistant should know: delivery fees, deposits, policies, allergen notes, behavior rules, etc.
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.
Special Instructions — 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.
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 |
Thephone 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).
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If certain items have different tax rates (such as alcohol), describe the applicable tax and rate in the Special Instructions field.
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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:
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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.
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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.