Picking a Specific Team Member on Call
Customers often have a preferred staff member they want to book with. Your AI receptionist can handle staff preferences naturally during the booking conversation.
How the AI handles staff requests
When a caller says something like "I'd like to book with Jessica" or "Can I see the same person as last time?", the AI:
- Identifies the requested staff member by name.
- Checks the availability of that specific staff member for the requested service, date, and time.
- If available, confirms the booking with that team member.
- If the requested time isn't available with that person, the AI informs the caller and may suggest alternative times when that team member is free.
Staff member names in the AI
The AI knows your staff members by the names you've entered in the Team section of the dashboard. If a staff member's name in the system is "Jess Smith" but customers know her as "Jessica", there may be a mismatch.
Keep staff names in the system consistent with how your customers refer to them, or update the knowledge base to cross-reference common names.
No preference — any available staff
If the caller doesn't express a preference, the AI books with whichever qualified staff member has availability at the requested time. It doesn't ask "which staff member would you like?" unless the caller has already expressed interest.
This behaviour maximises booking efficiency — callers who don't care about staff preference get an appointment without unnecessary back-and-forth.
New customers requesting a default staff member
If a new customer calls and asks for "whoever is available", or a returning customer's usual staff member is unavailable, the AI offers the next available qualified option.
Staff member transferred mid-call
If you want the AI to offer to connect the caller to a specific staff member directly (not just book with them), that requires a configured transfer number for that staff member — not the same as staff booking preference. Transfer tools are configured in the AI Tools section.
💡 Tip: If a staff member is very popular and frequently requested, ensure their availability is properly configured and up to date. Unavailable but popular staff creates frustrated callers who can't get the person they want.
⚠️ Important: The AI matches staff member names based on what's in your team configuration. If a staff member leaves and you want callers to stop booking with them, deactivate them in the Team section and publish the changes to the AI.