# Voice prompt

> Write the base instructions the AI agent follows on every call, and choose its voice, speech and timing settings.

- Section: Using the app (manual) › AI agent
- Web page: https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/voice-prompt
- MCP (AI assistant) equivalent: [Voice prompt](https://docs.biglysales.com/mcp/voice-prompt.md)
- Video: placeholder — "Writing a voice prompt that works" (not yet recorded)

The **voice prompt** is the AI agent's standing instructions: who it is, how it talks, how it handles questions and objections, and when to transfer or hang up. It applies to every call. The campaign-specific part, meaning the opening and the qualifying questions, comes from an [intro](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/intros.md) and is inserted wherever your prompt contains `{intro}`.

The same tab also holds the agent's voice and timing settings, and a panel for placing test calls.

## Before you start

- Fill in your [prompt variables](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/prompt-variables.md) so you can refer to them in the prompt.
- Decide on the outcome you want from a call, such as a transfer, a booked meeting or a callback.

## Write the prompt

1. Go to **AI › Teach Your Bot › Voice Prompt**.
2. Click **Outbound** in the switch at the top.
3. Fill in **First sentence outbound calls** and **Second sentence outbound calls**: what the agent says when the lead answers, and what it says next.
4. Fill in **First sentence inbound calls**: the agent's greeting when someone calls you.
5. In the **System Prompt** box, write the agent's rules for outbound calls. Include `{intro}` where the campaign script should go.
6. Click **Inbound** and write the **System Prompt** for inbound calls. It also needs `{intro}`.
7. Click **Save Assistant**.

If this is your first save, Bigly asks you to name the prompt. Enter a **Prompt Name** and click **Save**.

Without `{intro}`, the agent never sees your campaign script or your qualifying questions, and nothing warns you. Keep it in both the outbound and inbound prompts.

### A structure that works

Most working prompts follow the same outline:

1. **Objective:** one or two lines on the goal of the call.
2. **Persona:** who the agent is and how it sounds. Use `{bot_name}` and `{company_name}`.
3. **Rules:** answer the caller's question first, keep replies short, don't repeat greetings.
4. **Voicemail and wrong numbers:** if a voicemail or an automated system answers, end the call.
5. **"Are you a robot?":** how to answer honestly.
6. **`{intro}`:** the campaign script.
7. **Transfer rule:** transfer only after every question is answered.
8. **Callback rule:** offer times within `{working_hours}`, remembering that today is `{date}`.
9. **FAQ and objections:** short, scripted answers.

## Insert variables, contact details and tools

- **Variables:** in the right-hand column, open **Variables** and click a placeholder to insert it at the cursor.
- **Tools:** open **Tools** and click a tool name, such as the transfer or end-call tool, to insert it. The agent only uses a tool if its name appears in the prompt, so spell it exactly as shown.
- **Contact Attributes:** if **Uses Prompt Attributes** is on in [AI settings](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/ai-settings.md), a **Contact Attributes** link appears on outbound prompts. Click **show**, then click an attribute to insert the contact's value.

## Save and reuse prompts

You can keep several named prompts, for example one per product line.

- **Save a copy:** click **Save As**, enter a **Prompt Name** and click **Save**. The new prompt is saved and becomes the one in use.
- **Switch prompts:** saved prompts are listed under the System Prompt box. Click a name to load it into the editor, then click **Save Assistant** to use it.
- **Delete a prompt:** hover over its name, click the bin icon and confirm.
- **Use a prompt for one campaign only:** choose it in an intro's **Voice Prompt** dropdown. See [Intros](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/intros.md#use-a-different-voice-prompt-for-one-intro).

## Place a test call

1. In the right-hand column, open **Test Call**.
2. Enter a **Name**. The agent uses it in place of the contact's name.
3. Enter your **Phone Number** in international format, such as `+15551234567`.
4. Choose one of your **Intros**.
5. Leave **Livekit Version** and **Sip Provider** as they are unless support asks you to change them.
6. Click **Test Call**. Your phone rings within a few moments.

Afterwards, review the recording and answers on [Test calls](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/test-calls.md). Save your changes before testing so the call uses them.

## Settings explained

| Section | Setting | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| General | **Max Duration Of Call** | The longest a call can last before the agent ends it. |
| General | **Max Ringing Time** | How long the agent lets the phone ring before giving up. |
| General | **AI Speak duration** | How long the agent waits for a silent caller before speaking again. |
| General | **Silence Timeout** | How long a call can stay silent before it ends. |
| Background Sound | **Audio File**, **Volume** | An optional background sound played during the call, and how loud it is. |
| Interruption | **Allow Interruption** | When on, the caller can talk over the agent and it stops to listen. |
| LLM | **Voice Engine** | **Cascade (STT + LLM + TTS)** uses separate speech-to-text, language model and text-to-speech steps. **Speech to Speech** uses one model that listens and speaks, so the speech, voice and turn-taking settings below don't apply. |
| LLM | **Provider**, **Model**, **Temperature**, **Top P**, **Max Tokens** | The language model and how varied and how long its replies are. Lower temperature gives more predictable answers. |
| Speech to Text | **Provider**, model, **Key Terms**, **Language** | How the caller's speech is transcribed. Add product names or unusual words to **Key Terms**, separated by commas. |
| Text to Speech | **Provider**, **Voice**, **Speed**, **Volume**, **Emotion** | The agent's voice. You can pick an English and a Spanish voice and choose which one is the **Default**. Click the play icon to hear a voice. |
| Turn Detection | **Provider**, **Language** | How the agent decides the caller has finished their turn. |
| Voice Activity Detection | **Interrupt Minimum Words**, **Interrupt Speech Duration**, **Min End Pointing Delay**, **Max End Pointing Delay** | How much the caller must say before the agent stops talking, and how long it waits before treating the caller as finished. |

Change one setting at a time and place a test call after each change. It's the quickest way to tell what made a difference.

## Troubleshooting

**The agent ignores my campaign questions.** Check that `{intro}` is in the System Prompt for that direction (outbound or inbound).

**The agent never transfers or never hangs up.** Insert the tool from the **Tools** panel so its exact name is in the prompt.

**My edits are gone.** If you switch tabs with unsaved changes, Bigly asks before leaving. **Discard** drops the changes. To undo a saved change, use the [activity log](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/activity-log.md).

**One campaign behaves differently from the rest.** Its intro may have its own voice prompt or voice settings. Open the intro to check.

## Related

- [Intros](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/intros.md)
- [Prompt variables](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/prompt-variables.md)
- [Test calls](https://docs.biglysales.com/manual/test-calls.md)
- [Edit the voice prompt with your AI assistant](https://docs.biglysales.com/mcp/voice-prompt.md)

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All documentation pages: https://docs.biglysales.com/llms.txt