Going Live
Get your 24CallDesk phone system ready for real customers
You've configured your AI, tested it with sample calls, and you're ready to go live. This guide walks you through the final steps to launch with confidence.
Pre-Launch Checklist
Before flipping the switch, confirm these are complete:
Business Information
- Business name and hours configured
- Address and service area defined
- Contact information accurate
- Holiday schedule set (if applicable)
Voice and Personality
- Voice and speaking style selected
- Greeting sounds right
- Personality matches your brand
- Made at least 5 test calls
Knowledge Base
- Services and pricing documented
- Common FAQs covered
- Policies (cancellation, refunds) included
- Team members and their roles listed
Integrations
- Calendar connected (if booking appointments)
- CRM linked (if using customer context)
- Notifications configured (Slack, email, SMS)
- Webhooks tested (if using custom integrations)
Call Handling
- Transfer rules defined
- After-hours behavior configured
- Voicemail fallback set up
- Emergency escalation paths tested
Missing any of these can cause problems with real callers. Take 10 minutes to verify each item.
Phone Number Options
Get a New Number
During onboarding, you'll select a local number in your area code. Numbers are provisioned instantly — you can start testing immediately.
Use Your Existing Number via Forwarding
Want to keep your current business number? Set up call forwarding:
Get Your 24CallDesk Number
Select a local number during signup — it's instant.
Configure Forwarding at Your Carrier
Contact your current phone provider and set up call forwarding to your 24CallDesk number:
- All calls forward
- Busy/no-answer forward only
- Time-based forwarding (after hours)
Test and Go Live
Make test calls to verify everything works, then start promoting your number.
This approach lets you test 24CallDesk with real calls before making any permanent changes to your phone setup.
Launch Strategies
Soft Launch (Recommended)
Start small, build confidence, then expand:
Week 1: After-Hours Only
- Forward calls to 24CallDesk after business hours
- Your team handles daytime calls as usual
- Review transcripts each morning
- Adjust AI based on real conversations
Week 2: Overflow During Business Hours
- Forward calls when your team is busy
- 24CallDesk catches calls you'd otherwise miss
- Monitor how the AI handles live traffic
Week 3-4: Full Coverage
- All calls route through 24CallDesk
- AI handles initial greeting and qualification
- Transfers to team when appropriate
This approach gives you time to tune the AI with real calls before full commitment.
Hard Launch
For businesses confident in their setup:
- Complete all testing
- Update your website, Google listing, and marketing with new number
- Set up call forwarding from your old number to 24CallDesk
- Go live all at once
- Monitor closely for the first 48 hours
Best for new businesses or those with simpler use cases.
Call Forwarding Options
There are two types of call forwarding to consider:
Forward to 24CallDesk
Your current number → Your 24CallDesk number
Configure this through your current carrier:
- All calls forward
- Busy/no-answer forward only
- Time-based forwarding (after hours)
Forward from 24CallDesk
Your 24CallDesk number → Your team's phones
Set up transfer rules:
- When caller requests a person
- When AI can't answer
- When emergency keywords detected
- When VIP caller recognized
Publishing Your Number
Once live, update your number everywhere:
Digital
- Website header and footer
- Contact page
- Google Business Profile
- Social media bios
- Email signatures
- Online directories
Physical
- Business cards
- Signage
- Vehicles
- Print advertising
- Invoices and receipts
Marketing
- Paid ads (Google, Facebook)
- Marketing emails
- Landing pages
- Review request templates
First 48 Hours
What to watch during initial launch:
Monitor Call Volume
- Are calls coming through?
- What times are busiest?
- Any unexpected spikes?
Review Transcripts
- Is the AI answering correctly?
- Any gaps in knowledge?
- Tone and personality right?
Check Outcomes
- Appointments booked?
- Transfers happening correctly?
- Follow-ups being sent?
Common First-Day Issues
Calls going to voicemail instead of AI
- Check forwarding settings on your carrier
- Verify the 24CallDesk number is correct
AI doesn't know something it should
- Add missing information to knowledge base
- Test again after updating
Transfers not connecting
- Verify destination numbers are correct
- Check transfer rules are active
Wrong hours displayed
- Update business hours in settings
- Verify timezone is correct
Rollback Plan
If something goes wrong:
- Pause incoming calls - Toggle "Do Not Disturb" in dashboard
- Forward to fallback - Route to your cell or voicemail
- Diagnose - Review transcripts to find the issue
- Fix and test - Update configuration, make test calls
- Resume - Turn off DND when ready
You're never stuck. Worst case, calls forward to voicemail while you troubleshoot.
Ongoing Optimization
Going live is the beginning, not the end:
Weekly
- Review call transcripts
- Note questions AI couldn't answer
- Update knowledge base
- Check booking and conversion rates
Monthly
- Analyze call patterns
- Adjust staffing based on peak times
- A/B test different greetings or scripts
- Review customer feedback
Quarterly
- Update pricing and services
- Refresh seasonal information
- Review and update FAQs
- Check integration health
Most businesses see improvement for 2-3 months as they tune based on real calls. That's normal.
Need Help?
Before going live: Schedule a launch review with our team. We'll check your configuration and flag any issues.
After going live: Our support team monitors new accounts for the first week and proactively reaches out if we see problems.
- Email: support@24calldesk.com
- Live chat: In your dashboard
- Call: (Yes, AI answers, but humans are available)