Assistant Setup Guide
This guide walks you through configuring and deploying AI-powered assistants on the Wiil platform. Whether you're setting up a Phone Assistant to handle calls or a Web Assistant for your website, the process follows the same core steps.
Setup Flow:
| Step | Configuration | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🤖 Choose Assistant Type | Phone Assistant or Web Assistant |
| 2 | 🌐 Voice & Language | Select language and voice |
| 3 | 🎯 Role & Objective | Choose template or create custom role |
| 4 | ⚙️ Capabilities | Platform services (appointments, orders, etc.) |
| 5 | 📚 Knowledge Base | Text, website, or document sources |
| 6 | 📡 Channel Config | Phone: number purchase / Web: mode + URL |
| 7 | 🚀 Testing & Deploy | Pre-launch check, deploy, test |
Note: Steps 4 and 5 — at least one must be configured.
1. 🤖 Choose Your Assistant Type
Wiil offers two types of AI assistants that work together to cover all customer communication channels.
Phone Assistant
Your AI-powered phone line that handles calls and SMS automatically. Customers call a dedicated number and interact with your assistant via natural voice conversation.
Key Features:
- Dedicated phone numbers (local or toll-free)
- Natural voice conversations
- Multilingual support (20+ languages)
- Smart call transfers to human agents
- SMS follow-up capabilities
- Call recording and transcription
Best For: Businesses that receive phone inquiries, appointment-based services, customer support lines.
Web Assistant
An embeddable widget for your website that engages visitors through chat or voice calls directly in their browser.
Key Features:
- Embeddable chat widget
- Three modes: Chat, Web Call, or Unified
- Customizable appearance and branding
- One-click integration (WordPress, Shopify, React)
- Real-time visitor engagement
- Conversation history and analytics
Best For: E-commerce sites, SaaS products, service businesses with web presence.
Comparison
| Aspect | Phone Assistant | Web Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Channel | Phone calls, SMS | Website chat, web calls |
| Customer reaches you via | Dedicated phone number | Widget on your website |
| Voice support | Always (primary mode) | Optional (Unified or Voice mode) |
| Text support | SMS | Chat (primary mode) |
| Setup requirement | Purchase phone number | Enter website URL |
2. 🌐 Voice & Language
Your assistant's voice and language shape how customers perceive your brand. A well-chosen voice builds trust instantly, while a mismatched accent or robotic tone can create friction.
Choose Language
Select the language your assistant will speak and understand. Wiil supports 30+ languages with native-quality pronunciation.
Supported Languages include:
- English (US, UK)
- Spanish
- French
- German
- Portuguese
- Italian
- Japanese
- Arabic
- Hindi
- And 20+ more
Tip: Consider your customer demographics. If most customers are from a specific region, match that accent. For diverse audiences, choose a clear, neutral voice.
Select a Voice
Choose a voice that fits your assistant's personality.
Voice Options:
- Female voices: Achernar, Aoede, Autonoe, Callirrhoe, Kore
- Male voices: Fenrir, Charon
- Neutral voices: Puck
Phone-Specific Considerations:
- Clarity over style — Phone audio compresses sound. Choose voices that remain clear on poor connections.
- Pacing matters — Slower, more deliberate voices work better for phone. Callers can't re-read what they missed.
- Test on real phones — Preview in-browser, but always test on actual phone calls.
3. 🎯 Role & Objective
Your assistant's role defines its personality, expertise, and boundaries. A billing support specialist speaks differently than a sales representative—and customers notice.
Recommended: Use Ready-Made Templates to get started quickly. These are pre-configured for common business use cases and can be customized later.
Ready-Made Templates
Wiil provides ready-made templates for common business use cases:
| Template | Description |
|---|---|
| Billing Support Specialist | Helps customers with invoices and payment issues |
| Technical Support Specialist | Troubleshoots common problems with your product or service |
| General Customer Support | Answers frequent questions and routes complex issues to human agents |
| Customer Onboarding Specialist | Guides new customers through setup and account creation |
| Sales Representative | Qualifies leads and presents offers |
| Create Custom Role | Build your own assistant with a fully customizable prompt |
Custom Role Prompt
If you select Create Custom, describe your assistant's purpose and behavior. Be specific—vague instructions lead to inconsistent responses.
Key elements to include:
- What should it help users accomplish?
- What tone should it use (formal, friendly, professional)?
- What information sources or rules should it follow?
- What should it never do or discuss?
Example Prompt:
"You are Maria, a virtual assistant for Wiil Coffee. Your job is to greet customers, answer product questions, and help them schedule coffee tastings. Always be warm, concise, and proactive. Never discuss competitor products or make promises about discounts."
Warning: Your role instructions shape every response your assistant gives. Test changes in sandbox mode before deploying to production.
4. ⚙️ Capabilities
Capabilities define the platform services your assistant can perform. These transform your assistant from a simple Q&A bot into an agent that can take real actions on behalf of your business.
Available Capabilities
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Appointment Management | AI books appointments, checks availability, and sends confirmations automatically |
| Reservation Management | Table, room, or resource reservations with calendar integration |
| Menu Management | Restaurant-specific ordering with dine-in, takeout, and delivery support |
| Product Management | Product catalog browsing and conversational order processing |
| Property Management | Real estate listings, property inquiries, and automated lead capture |
Configuration Requirement
Important: At minimum, either Capabilities or Knowledge Base must be configured. Both can be provided, but at least one is required. An assistant needs something to do (capabilities) or something to know (knowledge base) to function.
| Configuration | Assistant Can... |
|---|---|
| Capabilities only | Perform actions (book appointments, take orders) but limited Q&A |
| Knowledge Base only | Answer questions but cannot perform transactional actions |
| Both (recommended) | Answer questions AND perform actions |
5. 📚 Knowledge Base
Your knowledge base is what transforms a generic AI into your assistant. The information you add here becomes the foundation for every answer your assistant gives—from business hours to service details to policies.
Think of it as training a new employee: give them the information they need to answer customer questions correctly.
Content Types
Text Input
Enter business information directly. This is the fastest way to add content:
- Business hours and location
- Products and services offered
- Pricing information
- Frequently asked questions
- Return and refund policies
Website Import
Enter a website URL to automatically import content. The system crawls your site and extracts relevant information for your assistant.
Document Upload
Upload files to train your assistant.
Supported formats: PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, CSV, XLS, XLSX
Content Quality Tips
| Tip | Example |
|---|---|
| Be Specific | Instead of "We have great prices," say "Haircuts start at $35, color treatments from $85" |
| Answer Common Questions | Include your top 10-15 FAQs with clear, conversational answers |
| Include Policies | Cancellation, refund, and booking policies help the assistant set expectations |
| Keep It Current | Update when prices, hours, or services change—outdated info frustrates customers |
Note: Your assistant can only answer questions about information in its knowledge base. If a topic isn't covered, it will offer to transfer the caller to a human (phone) or indicate it doesn't have that information (web).
6. 📡 Phone-Specific Configuration
Purchase Phone Number
Your AI assistant needs a phone number to receive calls. This dedicated number becomes your business's AI-powered phone line—customers call it just like any regular number, but your assistant answers 24/7.
Number Types
| Type | Best For |
|---|---|
| Local | Regional businesses. Area-specific numbers build trust with local customers. |
| Toll-Free | National businesses. 800/888/877/866 prefixes project nationwide presence. |
Selection Process
- Choose Number Type — Local or Toll-Free
- Add Label (optional) — e.g., "Main Support Line"
- Select from Available Numbers — Browse and purchase
Tip: Choose a local number if most customers are in a specific region. Toll-free numbers work better for businesses serving customers across multiple states or nationwide.
FAQs:
- Can I port my existing number? Coming soon.
- Can I have multiple numbers? Yes, each can be configured with different assistant behaviors.
- Are there setup fees? No setup fees for new numbers.
7. 📡 Web-Specific Configuration
Choose Mode
Select how visitors will interact with your assistant on your website:
| Mode | Description | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Website Chat | Text-based chat widget | Quick support, simple FAQs, mobile users, visitors who prefer typing |
| Website Call | Voice calling in browser | Complex consultations, accessibility needs, hands-free interaction |
| Unified Assistant (Recommended) | Both text chat and voice calls | Most businesses. Maximum flexibility with both options. |
Website Integration
Enter your website URL to connect your assistant. This is the domain where your assistant will be deployed.
Example: https://yourbusiness.com
The platform validates your domain and generates a unique configuration for your assistant to serve on that website.
8. 🚀 Testing & Deploy
Pre-Launch Checklist
Before deploying, verify you've completed these essential steps:
| Step | Phone Assistant | Web Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Voice & Language | Selected professional voice matching your brand | Selected appropriate voice for your audience |
| Role & Objective | Defined clear instructions and call handling | Defined clear instructions and personality |
| Capabilities | Configured relevant platform services | Configured relevant platform services |
| Knowledge Base | Added comprehensive product/service information | Added comprehensive information |
| Channel Setup | Purchased and configured phone number | Entered website URL and selected mode |
Deployment
When you deploy your assistant, Wiil automatically:
- Validates your configuration
- Sets up knowledge sources
- Creates instruction configuration
- Creates agent configuration
- Sets up communication channel
- Creates deployment configuration
- Finalizes setup
Phone Assistant: Once deployed, your assistant immediately starts receiving calls at your purchased number. Customers can call or text to interact.
Web Assistant: Once deployed, you receive an embed code to add to your website. After adding the code, visitors can interact with your assistant.
Testing Methods
Phone Assistant Testing
- Test Call — Make a test call to your assistant's number. Your assistant calls you back and simulates a real customer interaction.
- Test SMS — Send a test SMS message to see how your assistant responds to text inquiries.
Testing Checklist:
- Greeting message sounds natural and professional
- Assistant correctly identifies customer intent
- Responses are accurate based on knowledge base
- Capabilities work correctly (appointments book, orders process)
- Operating hours are respected
Web Assistant Testing
- Chat Test — Text-based conversation to verify responses
- Voice Test — Voice conversation to verify speech recognition and responses
Testing Checklist:
- Greeting message appears correctly
- Knowledge base questions are answered accurately
- Chat conversations work smoothly
- Voice input and output work correctly (if enabled)
- Assistant handles "I don't know" scenarios gracefully
- Widget appearance matches your brand
Tip: Test with questions your actual customers frequently ask. This helps identify gaps in your knowledge base before going live.
Next Steps
After deploying your assistant:
- Monitor Conversations — Track conversation quality and resolution rates in the dashboard
- Review Transcripts — Read conversation logs to identify improvement areas
- Update Knowledge Base — Add information based on questions your assistant couldn't answer
- Refine Role Instructions — Adjust personality and boundaries based on real interactions
- Scale Up — Add more channels, assistants, and advanced features
Ready to get started? Navigate to your Wiil console and follow along with this guide.