Initiate an Outbound Call via AI Voice Agent

Automate with AI3 min readUpdated 2026-03-14

Your AI Voice Agent can make outbound calls — following up with leads, confirming appointments, conducting surveys, or delivering notifications. The agent handles the entire conversation or transfers to a live agent when needed.

Available on: All AI Voice Agent plans.

Setting Up Outbound Calls

Step 1 — Configure the agent for outbound

Go to Dashboard > AI Voice Agent and select your agent (or create a new one).
On the Behavior tab, write a role description tailored to outbound calls:

"You are calling on behalf of Acme Solar to follow up with homeowners who requested a free energy assessment. Confirm their interest, answer basic questions about the process, and schedule an in-home assessment on Google Calendar."

On the Call Flow tab, set the greeting mode to Agent speaks first and write an opening line:

"Hi, this is Alex from Acme Solar. You recently requested a free energy assessment for your home — I'm calling to help get that scheduled."

Step 2 — Configure voicemail detection

On the Advanced Settings tab, enable Voicemail Detection:

Hang up — end the call when voicemail is detected (saves AI minutes)
Leave a message — deliver a configurable voicemail message

Step 3 — Set call limits

Configure Maximum Call Duration to prevent long calls. For outbound follow-ups, 5–10 minutes is typical. For qualification calls, 3–5 minutes.

Initiating an Outbound Call

From the Dashboard

Go to Dashboard > AI Voice Agent.
Select the agent.
Click Make a Call and enter the destination phone number.
The agent dials out using the assigned JustCall number.

Via API

Trigger outbound calls programmatically from your CRM, marketing automation, or custom application. The API lets you:

Initiate a call to a specific number
Pass context variables (caller name, account details, reason for call)
Schedule calls for a specific time

Use API-triggered calls for:

Automated appointment reminders
Lead follow-up workflows
Post-purchase onboarding calls
Survey and feedback collection

Outbound Call Flow Tips

Identify yourself immediately. Callers who receive unexpected calls need to know who is calling and why within the first 5 seconds.
Keep it short. Outbound calls should have a clear objective — confirm, qualify, or schedule — then close.
Handle "not interested" gracefully. Configure the agent to acknowledge, thank the caller, and end the call without pushing.
Use voicemail detection. Leaving AI voice messages burns minutes and can feel impersonal. Enable voicemail detection and leave a pre-recorded message instead, or hang up and retry later.

On outbound calls to businesses, the agent can navigate interactive voice response (IVR) menus — pressing digits or speaking responses to reach the right department. Configure IVR navigation in the Actions tab under during-call actions.

Compliance

Outbound AI calling has specific regulatory requirements. See Ethical and Compliant AI Outbound Calling for guidelines on consent, disclosure, and Do Not Call compliance.