How to Automate Tasks with Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists

Check this out: You can auto-forward emails to Smith.ai, and set rules for us to follow when we receive them. For example, you probably get an email every time someone completes the "contact us" form on your website. Auto-forward those to us, standardize how we'll handle the communication (e.g., call them, ask lead qualification questions, and then book appointments with the good leads), and then watch your calendar fill and your client list grow.

This is just one of the many ways you can automate one-off or routine tasks with Smith.ai. In this article, we dive into a few common automation scenarios that leverage our virtual receptionists to bring further efficiency to your business.

Have a need that isn't addressed below? Send an email to support@smith.ai. We love to find new ways to streamline your work.

5 Ways to Automate Tasks with Smith.ai Virtual Receptionists

Scenario 1: Call leads from web forms or events

This is the first scenario we mentioned above, and it's incredible easy to set up. When a new lead completes the "contact us" form on your website, they're hunting for a company to hire. Whether you run an HVAC company or a marketing agency, you know the faster you respond to these leads, the greater the chances you'll win the business. If the person came from organic search, it's a loss, but if the person came from paid ads, then you not only missed out on business, but you paid for that, too.

Problem solved: Use Smith.ai to get back to these leads immediately. Just set up an auto-forwarding rule in your email so that every email that comes in with the subject line "completed web form" (or whatever it says in your inbox) goes to Smith.ai. We'll field them as they come in according to your standardized directions. Several all at once? No problem. We'll have multiple receptionists get right on it.

Now, there are times when a lot of leads come through in bulk, and it's not always via a web form or email that allows for easy forwarding. Let's say you're at a conference and amass 50 new sign-ups, or business cards, or demo requests. Just give us the list and we'll make the calls for you. One quick email to us, and those 50 calls are taken care of. 

Scenario 2: Confirm & reschedule upcoming appointments

Do you get daily or hour-prior emails about events on your calendar? Pass those emails to us using the same auto-forwarding process above, and we'll call all of your clients to confirm their appointments, reducing no-shows and last-minute cancellations. If someone decides they can't make it, we can even draw from your waiting list to book a new appointment for you to fill the gap.

Another common situation is that weather or other unforeseen circumstances prevent your day from going as planned. Recently, we had a client whose event was moved to a new venue last minute due to bad weather, and he needed to immediately reach out to dozens of registrants. It's just not possible for one person to make that many calls. So, we got right on it. Some people could attend the event at the new venue, some couldn't make it in the bad weather so we rescheduled them for the next event. 

Scenario 3: Reduce phone wait times using Smith.ai for general support

If you use an IVR you know callers can get frustrated with phone trees and trying to connect to the right department. What's more, certain departments bear the brunt of the majority of calls, increasing wait times on the most commonly dialed extensions. Often, there are questions that can be answered by general support staff with little technical training, like your Smith.ai receptionists. Put Smith.ai into your IVR, or use us as your operator/general support department. We'll field all the basic questions so only the callers with truly technical issues reach those specialized team members on your staff. It's the easiest way to help callers promptly.

Scenario 4: Convert customer support calls into support tickets

Support teams are always busy and often have more work than they can handle. Specialized, technical, or on-site support teams are especially expensive. Protect their valuable time by keeping them off the phone lines and focused on incoming helpdesk tickets that have all the information they need to solve the problem. This is where Smith.ai comes in. Just redirect your support calls to us, and we'll capture all the customer information and pass it to your support team in a new helpdesk ticket.

Not only does this mean your team can focus on a single stream for support (just email, versus email and phone), it also means they have more time to handle the issue and respond to the customer, without the customer waiting (patiently or not) on the phone. It creates a lower stress situation all around.

Scenario 5: Collect on late payments

This must be everyone's least favorite task, right? Let us do the work of calling clients who are behind on their payments and capturing the revenue you earned. You can auto-forward late-payment reminder emails from your billing software, or just send us a bulk list of clients to call. We'll hunt down the outstanding payments.

Let's Get You Automated.

If you're ready to start automating tasks with Smith.ai, send an email to support@smith.ai with the subject, "Automation." Or, call us at (650) 727-6484 Monday through Friday, 5am – 6pm PT. New requests can often be set up within one business day.