Question 1

What is an AI phone assistant and what does hellomateo AI telephony do?

Accepted Answer

An AI phone assistant takes over call answering for your business, for example when nobody picks up; hellomateo AI telephony answers incoming calls, responds to questions using the knowledge you provide and documents the request. You forward calls from your existing phone number to the number hellomateo sets up for you. The AI phone assistant works with your knowledge sources and guidelines, for example on opening hours or callback requests. During the call it can offer prepared messages and links to appointment booking and send them via WhatsApp after the caller explicitly confirms. It forwards calls to staff when the condition you set applies. Afterwards you read the summary and the transcript.

Question 2

How is hellomateo AI telephony connected to WhatsApp?

Accepted Answer

hellomateo AI telephony sends the caller the appointment booking link or a prepared message via WhatsApp during the call, as soon as the caller explicitly agrees. Your customer receives the booking link via WhatsApp and chooses an available appointment on the linked booking page. The voice AI also answers calls that come in via WhatsApp. One AI assistant can handle phone calls and WhatsApp chat using shared knowledge; you choose which guidelines apply to chat, phone calls or both. The summary and transcript of every call are in the conversation history, from where you open the chat with the customer directly.

Question 3

Does the AI telephony book appointments for my customers?

Accepted Answer

No, hellomateo AI telephony does not enter appointments in the calendar itself; it offers a link to appointment booking during the call. You choose the booking page and a message template and decide which channels the message is sent through. Only when the caller explicitly agrees does the AI phone assistant send the link, for example via WhatsApp. Your customer opens the booking page and picks a free time there. With a guideline such as “Do not promise appointments” you instruct the AI not to promise an appointment on the phone.

Question 4

Can the AI telephony also call my customers?

Accepted Answer

No, hellomateo AI telephony only answers incoming calls and does not call anyone itself. To reach customers on your own initiative, you use hellomateo via WhatsApp, for example with an automatic invitation to an inspection or an eye test.

Question 5

Does the AI learn from calls or does it stick to my rules?

Accepted Answer

hellomateo AI telephony is not self-learning and works with the knowledge and guidelines you provide. As knowledge sources you use web pages, frequently asked questions with answers, files and your own texts. In guidelines you describe, for example, that the AI phone assistant must not promise appointments and should refer invoice questions to accounting. These instructions apply to phone, chat or both channels. In the dictionary you add proper names, location names and technical terms that are often misheard on the phone. Summaries and transcripts show you where to add knowledge or rules. hellomateo does not use your data to train AI models.

Question 6

Do callers notice they are talking to an AI, and does contact stay personal?

Accepted Answer

Yes, callers learn in the greeting that they are talking to an AI, and for personal matters you set up forwarding to staff. In the greeting you state the assistant’s name and your company name and introduce it as an AI; this notice is mandatory. You choose voice, tone and speaking speed to suit your business. Through call forwarding you decide whether the AI steps in only when the line is busy, outside opening hours or when nobody answers. For handover to staff you set a condition and a destination. Your team then sees in the summary and transcript what has already been discussed.

Question 7

How much does hellomateo AI telephony cost?

Accepted Answer

hellomateo AI telephony starts at €80 per month including 500 free minutes; additional minutes are charged on top. You can add it to the Premium and Business packages, it is one of two selectable features in Business Plus and it is included in Enterprise. In Business Plus you choose two of AI assistant in chat, AI telephony and postal campaigns. If the AI forwards calls to staff, the forwarded minutes are charged separately. You can find the package overview on the hellomateo pricing page.

Question 8

Can I test the AI telephony beforehand?

Accepted Answer

You get to know hellomateo AI telephony beforehand in a personal presentation; it only answers real calls once it has been set up. In the presentation hellomateo shows you how to handle typical calls in your business with knowledge, booking links and forwarding. On request you get free test access to the hellomateo interface during or after the presentation, where you explore the inbox, customer journeys and campaigns with sample data.

Question 9

Does the AI telephony work with my phone system and my existing number?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you keep your existing phone number and connect hellomateo AI telephony through call forwarding in your phone system. hellomateo sets up a phone number to which your system forwards the calls you choose. You configure the call forwarding in your phone system yourself. For example, you decide that the AI takes over when the line is busy, outside opening hours or when nobody answers. Which forwarding rules are possible depends on your phone system. After activation you call your own business and check the flow.

Question 10

Does the AI telephony access my CRM or DMS?

Accepted Answer

hellomateo AI telephony works with the knowledge and guidelines you provide and does not access your CRM, your DMS or your workshop planner during the call. Every call ends up with summary and transcript in the hellomateo inbox at the caller’s contact, where your team continues. The caller chooses an appointment on the booking page themselves; the AI sends the link after the caller agrees, for example via WhatsApp.

Question 11

How does the AI telephony hand a call over to my staff?

Accepted Answer

hellomateo AI telephony forwards a call when the condition you describe applies. You write this condition in your own words, for example “The caller wants to talk about a vehicle offer”. As the destination you set a fixed phone number or a contact book, for example for a department; from the contact book the AI finds the requested person. You also choose whether the handover is direct or announced. With an announced handover the caller waits in the queue until someone answers. If nobody answers, the AI phone assistant continues the conversation. Forwarding works for calls to your phone number, not for calls via WhatsApp.

Question 12

Which languages does the AI phone assistant speak?

Accepted Answer

hellomateo AI telephony answers in more than 30 languages, and the languages available depend on the voice you choose. There are nine voices to choose from; some speak only German, others several languages. For each voice you see which languages it supports and can listen to a sample first. You also set tone and speaking speed. You hear how your AI phone assistant sounds in a conversation when you call it yourself after activation. If a caller speaks Swiss German, the AI telephony understands them and answers in standard German.

Question 13

How does hellomateo protect call data and what applies under the EU AI Act?

Accepted Answer

hellomateo runs its servers in Frankfurt, does not use your data to train AI models and provides a data processing agreement. You see summaries and transcripts of your calls in the conversation history of your account. Under the EU AI Act, callers must be told that they are talking to an AI. That is why you introduce the assistant as an AI in the greeting, for example as your business’s digital AI assistant; this notice belongs in every greeting. The AI notice does not replace your business’s other data protection obligations, such as the information in your privacy policy.

AI phone assistant with booking links via WhatsApp

More than 2,000 customers use hellomateo

From incoming call to documented request

The call comes in

The AI clarifies the request

Send a link or forward

Read the conversation

You decide how your AI telephony works

How your business sounds on the phone

You decide what the AI knows

Send a booking link or forward to staff

Your customers dial the number they know

Read what was discussed on the phone

Which requests come in by phone at your business?

Car dealership and workshop

Opticians

Hearing care

Furniture and kitchens

Fashion retail

Electronics retail

How businesses use hellomateo every day

Augenoptik Hauptsache Scharf: Mit hellomateo Zeit sparen und Kunden durch WhatsApp-Automatisierung begeistern

auric digitizes the customer journey and is already relieving 45 locations with automated WhatsApp communication via hellomateo

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