AI Voice Agent Behavior

Automate with AI3 min readUpdated 2026-03-14

The Behavior tab is where you define what your AI Voice Agent knows, how it communicates, and what rules it follows. These settings shape every response the agent gives.

Available on: All AI Voice Agent plans.

Agent Role

The agent role is the most important setting. It tells the agent what it does and who it represents.

Write the role as a clear, specific description:

"You are a receptionist for Acme Dental. Answer patient questions about office hours, insurance accepted, and appointment availability. Transfer urgent calls to a live receptionist."

What makes a good role description:

Name the business and department
List the specific tasks the agent handles
State what it should not do
Define when to transfer to a human

Avoid vague descriptions like "help customers with their questions." The more specific you are, the better the agent performs.

Agent Personality

Personality controls the agent's communication tone and style. Set it with a short description:

"Warm, professional, and concise. Avoid medical advice. Use the caller's name when available."

The personality applies across the entire conversation — from greeting to closing.

Common personality patterns:

Use case	Personality
Medical office	Warm, empathetic, careful to avoid medical advice
Sales qualification	Friendly, enthusiastic, asks open-ended questions
Technical support	Patient, methodical, confirms understanding before moving on
After-hours service	Calm, reassuring, focused on collecting information for follow-up

Conversation Style Guidelines

These guidelines control response length and pacing:

Response length — shorter responses sound more natural on the phone. One to two sentences per turn is usually right. Long explanations should be broken into smaller pieces with check-ins ("Does that make sense so far?").
Pacing cues — tell the agent how to handle pauses, confirmations, and transitions.

Example: "Keep responses under two sentences. After providing information, ask if the caller has follow-up questions before moving on."

Additional System Prompt

The system prompt adds rules and constraints the agent must follow regardless of what the caller says:

"Never quote prices over the phone. Always offer to transfer to billing for pricing questions. Do not schedule appointments more than 30 days out."

Use the system prompt for:

Hard rules that cannot be broken (compliance, legal, pricing)
Fallback behavior (what to do when the agent does not know the answer)
Specific phrases or disclosures the agent must include

The system prompt takes priority over other behavior settings. If the role says "answer pricing questions" but the system prompt says "never quote prices," the system prompt wins.