Configuring Inbound AI Call and SMS

Your Always-On Student Recruiter (AOSR) just got a major upgrade! Your AI Agent can now handle inbound calls and SMS, providing 24/7 support for prospective students.

Follow this guide to configure your inbound settings and learn best practices for implementation.

Inbound Configuration

To get started, navigate to your Halda AOSR configuration settings and provide your inbound greetings:

Phone Greeting

Add the greeting that you would like your Phone agent to use when an inbound call is received. If a greeting is not added, the following default message will be used:

"Hi! Thanks for calling {Account Name} — this is {Assistant Name}, an AI assistant. I can answer questions, share information about programs or admissions, or help connect you with the right team. What can I help you with today?"

SMS Greeting

Add the greeting that you would like your SMS agent to use when an inbound text is received. If a greeting is not added, the following default message will be used:

"Hi! This is {Assistant Name}, an AI assistant for {Account Name}. Thanks for reaching out—how can I help today?"

Configuring Lead Capture

The agent handles callers differently based on whether they already have an existing lead profile in Halda:

Scenario	System Action
Existing Lead Profile	Activity is automatically logged to their existing profile.
Unknown Caller	Data is collected, but no profile is created by default.

Want to create new profiles for unknown callers? Contact your Account Manager to activate lead capture for inbound phone and SMS. Once enabled, the AI will use the following scripts to identify new prospects:

Default Phone Script (If Unknown Phone Number)

Assistant: {Customized or Default Greeting}. Before we get started—what’s your first and last name?

Caller: [Name]

Assistant: Thanks {First Name}. In order to send you any additional resources regarding whatever we talk about today—what’s the best email to use? You can also provide your email via text if you prefer.

- If caller chooses Phone:
  - Caller: "It's chet@manley.com"
  - Assistant: (asks user to spell it out and confirms emails address)
- If caller chooses SMS:
  - Caller: “Please text me”
  - Assistant: “Great. I will text you now- please respond with your email address. What can I help with today?”

Default SMS Script (If Unknown Number)

Assistant: “{Customized or Default Greeting} Before we get started—what’s your first and last name?”

Texter: [Name]

Assistant:“Thanks, {First Name}! If you want, we can email you information or next steps we discuss so you don’t lose them later. What’s the best email to use? (Optional.)

How can I help today?”

Sharing First Name, Last Name, and Email Address are not required in order for a prospect to receive information from the AI Agent even if this feature is activated.

SMS Data Capture

For SMS conversations, you are able to capture additional information outside of name and email to store on the lead profile. To configure this additional information capture, navigate to the SMS configuration and toggle "Enable SMS Data Capture" on.

Here you can add custom questions, existing questions from Halda forms, or instruct the AI to proactively ask for missing information. Questions will be asked in the order listed in the "Fields to Collect" section. You can drag and drop the questions to reorder them.

Phone Number Placement Best Practices

We recommend adding your AI Phone Agent to any section of your website were there is a "Contact Us" section. This includes, but is not limited to, your "Contact Us" page, "Contact Us" blocks on the admissions or financial aid pages, and your website footer.

Adding the AI Agent phone number to your team's email signature provides prospective students with even more support during their enrollment journey, especially outside of business hours.

Web Team Resource: Give the code block below to your developers to add a styled "AI Support" box to your site. They can easily adjust colors and fonts to match your brand.

<div style="
    font-family: Arial, sans-serif; 
    border: 3px solid #000000; 
    padding: 25px; 
    max-width: 400px; 
    margin: 20px auto; 
    background-color: #ffffff; 
    color: #000000; 
    text-align: center;
">
    <h2 style="margin-top: 0; font-size: 22px; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 2px; font-weight: 900;">
        AI Support Agent
    </h2>
    <p style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.4; margin: 15px 0;">
        Available 24/7 for calls or texts.
    </p>
    
    <div style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 24px; margin-bottom: 20px;">
        [INSERT NUMBER HERE]
    </div>

    <a href="sms:+1INSERTNUMBERHERE" style="
        display: block; 
        background-color: #000000; 
        color: #ffffff; 
        text-decoration: none; 
        padding: 12px 0; 
        font-weight: bold; 
        text-transform: uppercase; 
        font-size: 14px;
        letter-spacing: 1px;
    ">
        Text Us Now
    </a>

    <p style="margin-top: 15px; font-size: 13px;">
        Or <a href="tel:+1INSERTNUMBERHERE" style="color: #000000; font-weight: bold;">Click to Call</a>
    </p>
</div>

Here is a preview of the element above:

Just like that, your Halda Phone and SMS agent are ready to take inbound calls and messages.

Need help with setup? Reach out to your Account Manager today to finalize your configuration!