Speako recognises returning callers by comparing the caller's phone number with active customer profiles in your workspace. When a match is found, the AI Agent can use the customer's first name naturally and can use the returning-customer greeting you configured.
This helps repeat callers feel recognised without your team needing to answer the phone manually.
What Speako checks
When a call reaches the AI Agent, Speako looks up an active customer profile with the same phone number. If a matching profile is found, Speako can use details such as:
- first name
- full name, when first name is not available
- email address, where needed for supported booking notifications
- phone number
If no matching active profile is found, the caller is treated as a new or unknown caller.
How the greeting changes
Your AI Agent greetings can include different wording for new callers and returning callers. For returning callers, Speako can use the Return Customer Greeting. If that greeting is not available, Speako falls back to the normal initial greeting.
The returning-customer greeting can use the customer's first name through the greeting setup. If first name is missing, Speako can use the first word of the full name.
💡 Tip: Keep customer first names clean and natural. A greeting sounds better with Hi Sarah than with a full legal name or a name written in all caps.
Why phone number quality matters
Returning-caller recognition depends on phone numbers matching. If a customer has multiple numbers, calls from a number that is not saved on their profile may not be recognised.
To improve recognition:
- save the customer's real phone number
- include the country code where possible
- avoid creating duplicate profiles for the same person
- update old numbers when a customer tells you they changed phones
What happens after recognition
When the caller is recognised, the AI Agent receives their first name as call context and can use it naturally if appropriate. It should still confirm important details before changing a booking, making a new booking, or cancelling anything.
Recognition is helpful context, not identity verification. If a caller asks to change or cancel a booking, the AI Agent and your team should still make sure the correct booking has been identified.
If a returning customer is not recognised
Check the customer profile first. Confirm that the phone number saved on the profile matches the number the customer called from. Also check that the profile is active.
If the customer booked online or through your team with a different phone number, update the profile so future calls can be recognised more reliably.