Assistants

Assistants quickstart

Build your first assistant and make a phone call in minutes

Overview

Create a voice assistant, connect it to a phone number, and make your first calls. You can complete this quickstart in the Dashboard or with the Vapi API.

In this quickstart, you’ll:

  • Create and test an assistant
  • Connect the assistant to a phone number
  • Make inbound and outbound calls

Prerequisites

1. Create an assistant

By default, when you create an assistant, the transcriber, model, and voice are set to the Balanced preset.

1

Open Assistants

Open the Dashboard and select Assistants.

2

Create an assistant

Select Create Assistant to create a blank assistant.

To start from a predefined template instead, select the down arrow next to Create Assistant, then choose a template.

3

Configure the conversation

Replace the content in First Message and System Prompt with the following examples.

First message

First message
Hello! How can I help you today?

System prompt

System prompt
You are a friendly phone support assistant. Greet the caller and offer help. Keep responses under 30 words. If a transfer is requested, confirm the reason first.
Assistant editor with First Message and System Prompt fields visible and the other assistant names blurred
Configure the assistant's first message and system prompt.
4

Publish the assistant

Select Publish, review the changes, then select Quick Publish. Publishing creates a new assistant version.

5

Test the assistant

Select Talk to start a web call. When prompted, allow the Dashboard to use your microphone.

2. Connect a phone number

1

Open Phone Numbers

Open the Dashboard and select Phone Numbers.

2

Choose a phone number option

Select Create Phone Number, then choose Free Vapi Number. To use a number from another provider, choose the corresponding import option instead.

Create Phone Number dialog with Free Vapi Number selected and the Area Code field visible
Choose a phone number option and enter a US area code.
3

Create the phone number

Enter a three-digit US area code in Area Code, then select Create.

Your first free Vapi number does not require a payment method. To create additional free Vapi numbers, add a payment method. You can create up to five free Vapi numbers in total.

Free Vapi phone numbers support US area codes only. For international use, import a number from another provider.

4

Connect the assistant

Open the phone number. Under Inbound Settings, choose the assistant you created in Assistant, then select Save.

3. Make your first calls

Test an inbound call

Call the phone number you created. Your assistant answers with its configured first message.

Place an outbound call

1

Open the phone number

Open the Dashboard, select Phone Numbers, then select the phone number that will place the call.

2

Open the test panel

Select Test.

3

Configure the call

Choose Single Number, enter the destination phone number, and choose your assistant in Assistant.

4

Place the call

Select Call to start the call immediately, or select Schedule Call to place it later.

Test Outbound Call panel with Single Number, destination number, and assistant controls
Configure and place an outbound call.

Next steps