The Initial Greeting is the first thing a new caller hears from your AI Agent. It sets the tone for the whole conversation, explains who the caller is speaking with, and can include important messages such as your recording disclosure or after-hours note.
Where to edit it
Open Greetings, then choose Customer Greetings from the sidebar.
The Initial Greeting card is titled Initial Greeting. Its description says: The first message your AI agent sends when a customer starts a new conversation.
Type your greeting directly into the text box. When you make a change, a banner appears at the bottom asking Save your changes? Use Save Changes to keep the update, or Reset to discard it.
What to include
A good first greeting usually does three things:
- Welcomes the caller to the business
- Introduces the AI Agent naturally
- Gives the caller permission to speak in their own words
For example:
Thanks for calling {{business_name}}. I'm {{ai_agent_name}}, your AI assistant. How can I help you today?
Keep the greeting short enough that callers do not have to wait, but clear enough that they understand they can ask for bookings, opening hours, service information, or other supported help.
Available variables
The Initial Greeting supports these variable buttons:
| Variable | What it inserts |
|---|---|
{{business_name}} |
Your business name |
{{location_name}} |
The selected location name |
{{ai_agent_name}} |
The AI Agent's name |
{{after_hours_message}} |
Your after-hours message |
{{recording_disclosure}} |
Your recording disclosure text |
Select a variable button to insert it into the greeting at your cursor. You can also type { in the text box to open variable suggestions.
⚠️ Important: If voice recording retention is enabled, Speako requires
{{recording_disclosure}}in the Initial Greeting. If it is missing, saving may fail with a message asking you to insert the Recording Disclosure variable.
Preview before saving
Use the eye icon to preview how the greeting looks after variables are replaced with real business details. The preview dialog says it shows the greeting with actual business data.
Use the speaker icon to generate an Audio Preview and hear how the greeting sounds in the AI voice.
Practical writing tips
Avoid making the greeting sound like a phone menu. The AI Agent is conversational, so the greeting should invite natural speech rather than listing instructions.
Good:
Hi, you've reached {{business_name}}. I'm {{ai_agent_name}}. You can tell me what you need in your own words.
Less helpful:
Press one for bookings, press two for opening hours.
The AI Agent does not need callers to use exact commands.