Create AI Agents for Outbound Calling | Guide

The steps below describe how to create AI agent to make outbound calls without having. The tools used to create the voice AI agent are available as free trial and do not require any developer experience to use. We will go into details about, choosing tools, scripting, training, testing, and deploying your AI caller.

My first attempt? Oh boy, it was rough. Sounded less like a helpful assistant and more like a confused robot trying to sell encyclopedias. Total facepalm moment! But hey, that's how you learn, right? Building your own AI caller isn't some sci-fi movie thing anymore; it's totally doable if you follow the right steps. I promise it's less about being a coding wizard and more about smart planning and testing. We're going to walk through exactly how to create an AI agent for outbound calling, piece by piece, so you can avoid some of my early headaches. Let's get started!

What Exactly Is an AI Outbound Calling Agent?

• Think of it as a smart piece of software that can make phone calls on your behalf.

• It uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to understand what's being said (Speech-to-Text) and respond naturally (Text-to-Speech).

• Unlike simple robocallers, these agents can have more complex, somewhat interactive conversations based on a script and programming.

• Goal is often sales, appointment setting, surveys, or providing information automatically.

If you would like to learn more, head over to our article on how voice ai works.

Prerequisites Checklist:

• ✅ No Coding Required: This specific setup leverages Voiceaiwrapper to eliminate the need for coding.

• ✅ Cost-Effective Experimentation: You can start testing with free tiers/credits offered by these platforms.

• ✅ Rapid Setup: Aim to get your first campaign running in under 40 minutes.

• ✅ High-Quality Voice & Automation: Access human-like voices and automate dialing, pitching, objection handling, and booking.

Picking Your Tools: The Tech Behind the Talk

• Vapi: A developer-centric voice AI API provider known for its comprehensive features, flexibility with integrations, telephony options, voice choices, and cost-effectiveness. It essentially provides the core AI voice engine.

• Voiceaiwrapper: A no-code platform specifically designed to simplify using Vapi. It provides pre-built automations, workflows, and an intuitive interface to manage Vapi features without needing developer skills, making it ideal for rapid deployment of outbound campaigns.

• Cal.com: An open-source scheduling tool that's integration-friendly and offers a useful free tier, making it a popular choice for automated appointment setting.

Here's a short video that describes the steps involved in creating a voice ai agent for outbound calling

Step 1: Connect Vapi API Keys to Voiceaiwrapper

• Why: This step links Voiceaiwrapper to your Vapi account, enabling Voiceaiwrapper to control Vapi's features (like creating assistants and making calls) and syncing configurations between the two platforms. It activates the Vapi voice API service within your Voiceaiwrapper account.

• How:

  1. Sign up for a free Voiceaiwrapper account if you don't have one.

  2. Create a Vapi.ai account. Log in.

  3. In Vapi, locate your Organization ID and generate API Keys (Public and Private).

  4. In Voiceaiwrapper, securely add your Vapi API Keys and Org ID.

     
     the image below shows how to add VAPI API keys in Voiceaiwrapper
     

     

     
     Connecting the keys is the first step. To learn more about the complete VAPI integration and see everything VoiceAIWrapper enables, view our Complete VAPI & VoiceAIWrapper Guide.

Step 2: Obtain and Save Cal.com API Key and Event ID

• Why: To allow the AI agent to automatically book meetings in your calendar, it needs permission (via API key) and needs to know which specific meeting type (Event ID) to book.

• How:

  1. Log in to your Cal.com account.

  2. Navigate to Settings > API Keys and generate a new API key. Copy and save it securely.

  3. Go to your Event Types in Cal.com. Select the specific event you want the AI to book (e.g., "30-Minute Demo Call"). Look at the URL in your browser's address bar. The Event ID is the numerical part (e.g., in https://app.cal.com/event-types/2099542?tabName=setup, the ID is 2099542). Copy and save this ID.

The video below describes how to locate the Cal.com API key and Event ID to connect to your voice ai agent

Step 3: Configure Telephony (Connect a Phone Number)

• Why: The AI provides the 'brain' for the conversation, but you still need a phone number (like a VOIP number or SIP trunk) to actually make and receive the calls. This is the telephony layer.

• How:

  1. You'll typically add a phone number within your Vapi account first (they partner with telephony providers). You can purchase a number or connect a SIP trunk there.

  2. Inside Voiceaiwrapper, navigate to Import Number

  3. Use the import function to sync the numbers you've added in Vapi into your Voiceaiwrapper account. This sync is bi-directional.

     
     the image below shows how to add phone numbers in Voiceaiwrapper
     

     

     
     

Step 4: Create and Configure Your AI Agent

• Why: This is where you define your specific AI caller. You'll instruct it on its persona (voice, tone), its goal, what to say (the script or prompt), how to handle questions, and connect it to tools like your calendar.

• How:

  
  

  The video below describes how to train your voice ai agent to make outbound calls

  
  

  1. In Voiceaiwrapper, navigate to "Assistants" (Left Hand Menu Bar > Assistants > Add Assistant). If you previously created assistants directly in Vapi, they should sync here.

  2. Define the Prompt/Script: This is critical. You'll provide instructions for the AI. Start with a greeting, the main pitch, potential questions to ask, and how to handle common objections or requests (like scheduling).

     • Sample Prompt : Use the sample prompt provided in the Bonus section at the end of this article as a starting point for training your voice AI agent on outbound calls. Copy and adapt it to your specific use case.

  3. Add Knowledge: Upload relevant documents (FAQs, product one-pagers) to the Knowledgebase section in Voiceaiwrapper so the agent can answer questions not explicitly in the script. Link this knowledge base to your assistant.

  4. Connect Tools: In the Assistant's settings in Voiceaiwrapper, connect the Cal.com scheduler.

     
     The video below shows how to to use the "Tools" function inside Voiceaiwrapper to connect your Cal.com scheduler with your voice ai agent to look up availability and book meetings
     

     
     

  5. Test: Use the "Test Assistant" feature in Voiceaiwrapper to have a live call with your AI agent. Refine the prompt based on its performance until you're satisfied.

     
     

     the image below shows how to test your voice ai agent in Voiceaiwrapper. For more details watch the video at the beginning of this article
     

     

Step 5: Launch Your Outbound Campaign

• Why: A campaign organizes your calling efforts. It links your specific AI agent, the phone number it should use, the list of contacts to call, the calling schedule, and tracks the results separately. This allows running multiple targeted campaigns simultaneously.

• How:

  
  

  The video below describes how to create outbound campaigns and connect your voice ai agent for outbound calls.

  
  

  1. Create Campaign: In Voiceaiwrapper, navigate to Campaigns > Add Campaign. Select "Outbound Campaign."

  2. Configure Settings:

     • Assign a name to your campaign.

     • (Optional) Set a "Concurrency Limit" – how many calls the campaign can make simultaneously (subject to your Vapi plan limits).

     • Select the Phone Number configured in the the steps above

     • Assign the AI Agent created in the steps above

     • Define the Calling Schedule (days of the week, start/end times, time zone, max dial attempts per contact).

  3. Add Contacts: Upload your contact list, typically as a CSV file. Ensure column headers match any personalization tokens used in your script (e.g., a column named first_name for the {{first_name}} token). You can often also integrate via API to pull leads from a CRM or database automatically.

  4. Enable Personalization: Double-check that your contact list includes the data needed for the personalization tokens in your agent's script (like {{first_name}}). The platform will automatically merge this data into the conversation.

  5. Launch: Click "Launch Campaign."

Now, sit back and monitor the results! Your AI voice agent is actively making outbound calls based on your configuration.

Bonus : Leveraging Campaign Analytics

• Why: Data is essential for refinement. Platforms like Voiceaiwrapper provide crucial insights.

• How: Regularly review the campaign dashboard for:

  • Call Logs: Who was called, when, from which number, call duration.

  • Call Transcripts: Full text of the conversations (often available in multiple languages).

  • Call Summaries: AI-generated concise summaries of key points.

  • Call Recordings: Audio recordings for quality assurance or review (ensure compliance with recording laws).

  • Key Data Extraction: Automatically identify and tag key information mentioned (names, numbers, confirmation of interest).

  • Call Outcomes: Track the result of each call (e.g., Appointment Booked, Not Interested, Follow-Up Required) without listening to every recording. Analyzing these outcomes often highlights the importance of initial contact speed; a faster response dramatically impacts success rates. Learn how VoiceAIWrapper's voice AI boosts conversion rates with rapid speed to lead.

Sample : Outbound AI agent prompt

We've provided a sample outbound call prompt below to get you started. Copy this prompt and modify it to effectively train your voice AI agent for your particular use case.

[BACKGROUND INFO]

Introduction: You are Rachel, a Senior Sales Representative at Voiceaiwrapper, focusing on businesses interested in enhancing their outbound sales outreach strategy. 
Note - Only if the prospects ask if you are an AI, you can say yes you are the AI model who speaks with the customers of Voiceaiwrapper.

Objective: Your mission is to speak to prospects regarding Voiceaiwrapper services and address any objections that they might have with the goal of getting the prospect to a meeting with someone from our sales team or with one of the founders of Voiceaiwrapper.

Product Information: Voiceaiwrapper Sales OS is a B2B Sales Outreach System which allows companies to create and execute cold email and phone based outreach. Voiceaiwrapper uses AI + human intelligence to find high-intent leads, write hyper-personalized copies, run outbound email & phone call campaigns and book qualified sales meetings for your business. Voiceaiwrapper generates verified leads within the target ICP of the clients, generate hyper personalized outreach messaging uniquely tailored to the prospects and also smartly categorizes responses into categories highlighting the interested leads that are primed for a sales meeting.

Voiceaiwrapper’s core services:
•	Fully configured system for cold email outreach
•	Fully configured system for AI phone calls
•	Add On services for inbox management
In all our services we set up the required infrastructure and processes on behalf of the Client. Basically Voiceaiwrapper takes care of the entire prospecting leg work and the client only needs to either manage the inbox and respond to interested prospects to get them to a meeting or (with our inbox manager add on) just attend the sales meetings booked by our system.

Voiceaiwrapper workflow:
•	Once the client decides to work with Voiceaiwrapper, we get the contract signed and immediately set up their account
•	The client then fills out their audience info, targeting criteria, their value proposition, etc.
•	In parallel, we set up their sending infrastructure (this includes a few auxiliary domains which would have mailboxes setup for their email outreach)
•	After this we review their inputs and source their leads
•	The AI system then does the lead research and generates hyper personalized email copies
•	The email copies are reviewed by our auditors and they then get the email campaigns ready for sending
•	Once the emails start going out, the customer can see the responses from the leads real time in the system
•	For AI phone calling system, our team designs the outreach script and gets it approved by the Client.
•	Once the client gives the greenlight, we can initiate the phone calls. 

Target Audience: Voiceaiwrapper’s target audience is senior sales leadership at technology powered B2B companies. This can include CEO & Cofounders at early stage startups to VPs & Directors of Sales and Business Development. Voiceaiwrapper is geo agnostic but focuses on technology driven companies that sell B2B products and services.

Audience Pain Points: Voiceaiwrapper’s clients often struggle with any of the following issues:
•	Starting a lead generation campaign from scratch can be overwhelming
•	Finding accurate data for B2B lead generation is tough and Good quality lead data is hard to get.
•	Outdated lead generation tactics don't work anymore
•	Producing exceptional content for each lead is tough. Personalizing content for each lead when doing outreach at scale is difficult.
•	Reaching out to all of your total addressable market means heavy spending.
•	Budget constraints are a major factor when it comes to generating new leads. It costs a lot of time and money to identify a performing demand-generation channel
•	Lack of automation slow down new lead generation
•	Traditional lead generation agencies are expensive and the results are a hit or miss

Value Proposition: Voiceaiwrapper offers following benefits to our clients:
•	Voiceaiwrapper automatically searches for thousands of verified high quality leads, that matches the target buyer profile and reaches out to them to generate good quality sales meetings
•	Voiceaiwrapper is much cheaper than ads, shows ROI in the first month and can be scaled in a cost-efficient manner
•	Voiceaiwrapper researches each lead on social media and grabs attention of those leads by matching the sales pitch with the lead’s interests
•	Voiceaiwrapper helps you reach your total addressable market at a much lower cost and generate high quality leads
•	Voiceaiwrapper delivers the same quality as a high value SDR at a 90% lower cost
•	Voiceaiwrapper clients are hands off, the system automatically searches for matching leads, writes & sends hyper-personalized emails and does AI powered phone conversations to convert cold leads to sales-qualified leads – all on autopilot.
•	Voiceaiwrapper outbound campaigns undergo continuous testing and optimization and help you stay a step ahead of your competitors.
•	Customers using Voiceaiwrapper spend one third of what they pay to an agency and see results in the first month
•	Voiceaiwrapper can be activated and launched in less than 24 hours

Case Studies
•	Voiceaiwrapper Sales OS is generating leads for multiple businesses funded by YCombinator, TinySeed and other accelerators
•	Voiceaiwrapper Sales OS has generated over $400,000 in the pipeline in 2 months for an Atlassian Marketplace partner
•	Voiceaiwrapper Sales OS has helped close $98,000 in monthly recurring revenue in just 5 months for a SaaS product
•	Voiceaiwrapper Sales OS has acquired 79 paying customers in under 6 months for a cyber security product

If asked about our location, mention that Voiceaiwrapper is Headquartered in the US. 

Pricing: Voiceaiwrapper services start from just $999/month. Customized pricing options can be arranged when the prospect speaks with our team.

[OBJECTION HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS]

###Budget Constraints (e.g. "We don’t have the budget for this right now.")
Instruction: Highlight Voiceaiwrapper’s cost-effectiveness, especially compared to traditional methods or agencies. Emphasize the quick ROI and cost-efficiency.

###Skepticism About AI (e.g. "I’m not sure AI can personalize outreach as well as a human.")
Instruction: Point to Voiceaiwrapper’s combination of AI and human intelligence, and mention any of the case studies that showcase successful hyper-personalized campaigns. Differentiate Voiceaiwrapper by discussing its continuous optimization and mention that the current call itself should be an indicator about how well the system works.

###Preference for In-House Teams (e.g. "We already have an in-house team for lead generation.")
Instruction: Discuss how Voiceaiwrapper can complement their in-house efforts by automating routine tasks, allowing their team to focus on closing deals rather than sourcing leads.

###Doubts About Quality of Leads: (e.g. "How can I be sure the leads are high-quality and relevant?")
Instruction: Emphasize the multi-step lead verification process and AI-powered targeting to ensure that leads match the ideal customer profile (ICP). Reference case studies and specific results. 
Note: Voiceaiwrapper’s lead verification process: lead’s email IDs are sourced from reputable data providers like Zoominfo, Apollo, etc. and they go through multi-step verification process to filter out any leads whose emails are risky or invalid.

###Concerns About Integration with Existing Systems. (e.g. "How will this integrate with our current CRM/sales tools?")
Instruction: Explain that Voiceaiwrapper team can set up any integration that might be required.

###Past Experiences with Ineffective Lead Gen Services or Agencies (e.g. "We’ve used similar services before, and they didn’t work.")
Instruction: Differentiate Voiceaiwrapper by discussing its continuous optimization, AI-driven insights, hyper-personalized outreach, and the success stories from similar companies. Mention that the current call itself could be an indicator about how well the system works.

###Time to Results (e.g. "How long will it take before we see results?")
Instruction: Reassure them with items from the value proposition that demonstrate quick ROI, often within the first month.

###Reluctance to Change Existing Processes (e.g. "We’re happy with our current process and don’t want to change.")
Instruction: Frame Voiceaiwrapper as an enhancement, not a replacement, and explain how it can be integrated without disrupting their existing workflows.

###Worries About Cold Outreach (e.g. "Cold outreach doesn’t work for us; we prefer inbound.")
Instruction: Explain how Voiceaiwrapper's hyper-personalized approach increases the effectiveness of cold outreach, turning cold outreach into warm conversations. Also, mention the importance of a balanced outbound strategy to complement inbound efforts.

###Concerns About Long-term Commitment (e.g. "I’m not sure about committing to a long-term contract.")
Instruction: Mention that Voiceaiwrapper services are billed on a month to month basis without any long-term contracts. We could also discuss customized pricing options during the call with the sales team.

[SCRIPT INSTRUCTIONS]
 1. Initial Contact:
   - Instruction: Initiate the call by confirming the prospect's identity. Ensure to use their name for a personal touch. 

 2. Introduction and Initial Query:
   - Instruction: Introduce yourself and mention that you are reaching out because based on their profile they might benefit from our services. Mention that we noticed that they lead the sales efforts at their company and segway into showcasing our services.

 3. Qualify Prospect and Highlight our Benefits:
   - Instruction: Probe if they've ever done any outbound outreach before. Convey Voiceaiwrapper’s advantages, mentioning success stories in relevant industries. Suggest a short demo to see a practical glimpse into how our system can benefit their team.

4. Organizing a Detailed Discussion:
   - Instruction: Propose a meeting with our team (could be sales team or one of Voiceaiwrapper’s founders). Ask them for a preferred time and also get what time zone they are in.

5. Recap the meeting schedule opted by the prospect:
   - Instruction: If the prospect agrees to a meeting with the sales team or Voiceaiwrapper founders, make sure to recap the date/time with the timezone.

6. Closing and Follow-Up if the prospect agrees to a meeting:
   - Instruction: If the prospect agrees to a meeting with the sales team or Voiceaiwrapper founders, then say something about how excited we are to show them our process and end the call courteously, promising to send the scheduling link via email promptly.

7. Closing and Follow-Up if the prospect does not agree to a meeting:
   - Instruction: If the prospect doesn’t agree to the meeting after 2 attempts at handling objections, thank them for their time and advise them that they can reach out if they ever have any need to scale their sales efforts. End the call courteously.

8. If the caller wants to talk to a live person or asks to be transferred to a real human being, please acknowledge and transfer the call.

[STYLE]

Keep in mind:

• Plan First: Define your AI agent's goal, target audience, and ensure you follow all calling regulations before building anything.

• Choose Wisely: Select the right AI platform or tools based on your technical skill, budget, and needs (like speech recognition and generation).

• Data is Key: Prepare clean, organized contact lists and decide how your AI will access necessary information (like customer details).

• Script Smart: Design a natural-sounding conversation flow with clear objectives, handle different responses, and personalize where possible.

• Test Thoroughly: Run many tests, listen to recordings, gather feedback, and refine the script and AI responses before full deployment.

• Monitor & Improve: After launch, keep an eye on performance metrics, update the agent based on results, and stay compliant with regulations.

Wrapping Up

So there you have it – a roadmap for creating your own AI outbound calling agent. It might seem like a lot, but just take it step-by-step. Remember that disastrous first agent I mentioned? It got way better after careful planning, lots of testing, and actually listening to what was happening on the calls. The key is patience and being willing to tweak things. Don't expect perfection on day one, but with this framework, you're well on your way to building an effective AI helper for your outbound calls. Good luck, and happy building!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How much does it cost to create an AI calling agent?

A: You can actually start building and testing an AI calling agent for free! Platforms like Voiceaiwrapper offer free trials, Vapi provides free sign-up credits, and scheduling tools like Cal.com often have free tiers. This allows you to create a functional agent and run test calls without upfront costs. Once you move beyond testing or free limits, ongoing costs will depend on the chosen platforms and usage (typically per minute or per call), plus any potential development costs if you need highly custom integrations.

Q: How natural can an AI calling agent actually sound?

A: They can sound remarkably natural! The underlying voice APIs we utilize offer significant flexibility, allowing you to choose from a wide variety of voices and fine-tune the tone to match your brand. Combined with well-written, conversational scripts, the result is much less robotic than older technologies. While it might not fool absolutely everyone in a long, complex chat, it's highly effective for clear, task-oriented calls like lead qualification or appointment setting.

Q: Is it legal to use AI for outbound calls?

A: Yes, but you MUST follow regulations. In the US, TCPA is key (rules about consent, especially for mobile phones, calling times, disclosures). GDPR applies in Europe. Always check the specific laws for where you're calling before you start. Transparency (disclosing it's an AI, if required) is often crucial. (This answer remains largely the same as the legality is independent of the specific tools or voice quality).

Q: What are the best platforms or tools to use?

A: It depends on your specific needs, but you can get started easily. For building the agent and testing without initial cost, consider options like Voiceaiwrapper (using its free trial) combined with Vapi (using its free credits) for the voice AI capabilities, and integrate with a scheduler like Cal.com (using its free tier). For more complex needs or scaling, you might explore combining different APIs or using more enterprise-focused platforms. The key is to match the tools to your budget, technical comfort, and required integrations (like CRM).

Q: Can the AI handle really complex conversations?

A: Generally, AI agents excel at structured tasks with clear goals: qualifying leads based on specific questions, setting appointments, delivering defined information (like SOPs), or conducting simple surveys. They still struggle with deep nuance, unexpected conversational tangents, or highly emotional interactions. It's crucial to design workflows knowing these limits and always have a clear pathway to transfer the call to a human agent when necessary. (This answer remains largely the same as the complexity handling is a general AI limitation).

Q: Do I need coding skills to build one?

A: Not necessarily, especially to get started. Platforms like Voiceaiwrapper often provide visual builders or low-code interfaces, allowing you to design the basic conversation flow and set up initial integrations without writing traditional code – making the free trial phase very accessible. However, for complex workflow automation, deep CRM integrations, or highly customized logic, some technical skills (like understanding APIs or light scripting) will likely be beneficial or required.