Choose who answers, or delete an agent

The status next to your agent's name says who answers your calls and messages. Click it to choose one of three options. Your agent keeps its instructions, voice, actions, and channels with any option. You can change your choice at any time.

Deleting an agent is different. It removes the agent for good.

Choose who answers

1. Open the agent.
2. Click the status next to its name. It reads AI answers, After hours, or You answer.
3. Choose one option.
4. Select Save.

• AI answers. The AI answers every call and message, day and night.
• After hours. You answer while you are open. The AI answers while you are closed.
• You answer. The AI stops at once. Every call and message comes to you.

To stop the AI right now, choose You answer. The change applies to the next call or message.

The status says only who answers. The line under the agent's name says whether customers can reach it. It reads "Connected on" and lists the channels. It reads "Not connected" when no channel is connected. See Make your agent live for each combination.

Let the AI answer only after hours

After hours is a good start if you are not sure how the AI handles your customers. Your phone works as usual in the day. The AI takes the calls you would miss at night and on weekends.

When you choose After hours, you see your week as one bar per group of days. Green means the AI answers. Gray means you answer. Each row ends with the AI's times. Example: "AI 6 PM – 8 AM" on weekdays and "AI all day" on the weekend.

To change the hours, select Edit hours. If you have not set business hours, select Set hours.

1. Pick the days: Mon to Fri, Mon to Sat, or every day.
2. Set your opening and closing time.
3. Check the time zone. Nuteq AI starts with your computer's time zone.

The bars change as you edit. Check them before you save.

These are your business hours in Calendar. Customers book in the same hours. A change here also changes Calendar. If your hours differ on some days or have a break, each day gets its own row. Edit hours then opens Calendar. See Set your business hours and services.

While you are open, calls ring the number you enter under "During open hours, ring this number". If you leave it empty, callers can leave a voicemail. Messages wait in your Messages inbox while you are open, as they do when you answer yourself.

A line under your agent's name says when the AI answers. Example: "AI answers 6 PM – 8 AM and weekends". The line names the time zone if your business is in a different time zone from your computer.

Answer calls yourself

1. Open the agent and click its status.
2. Choose You answer.
3. Check the number that Nuteq AI rings. If you set one in Actions > Send callers to a person, Nuteq AI fills it in. You can change it or leave it empty.
4. Select Save.

The window lists only the channels that this agent uses. You see what changes before you save. While you answer, the status reads You answer. A line under the agent's name says where calls and messages go.

To let the AI answer again, click the status. Choose AI answers or After hours and select Save.

What callers experience while you answer

• Phone calls, with your number. The call rings your phone for about 20 seconds. If you do not answer or your line is busy, the caller can leave a voicemail.
• Phone calls, without a number. The caller hears a short message and can leave a voicemail.
• WhatsApp calls and website voice calls. These go to voicemail at once. They cannot pass to a phone.

Voicemails appear in Conversations > Calls with the label "Voicemail". You can play the recording.

What people who message you experience

Nuteq AI saves texts, WhatsApp messages, and Instagram and Messenger DMs in your Messages inbox. Your agent does not reply. Each thread appears under Needs reply. Answer it from the inbox. See Reply to a customer yourself.

For website chat, visitors leave a message. The chat then asks for a phone number or email. The message appears in your Messages inbox. Nuteq AI saves the contact details as a lead so you can call or email the visitor. You cannot reply inside the website chat.

If someone texts STOP, they stay opted out as usual.

Pick a number that does not loop

Use your cell phone. Do not use a number that forwards to Nuteq AI. If your business line forwards to Nuteq AI and you enter that line, the call rings Nuteq AI again and not you. Nuteq AI checks for this and shows "This number forwards to Nuteq AI, so calls would loop. Use your cell instead." Enter a different number to continue.

Testing still uses your agent

The Chat and Call your agent buttons still talk to your agent while you answer. You can keep testing changes. Outbound campaigns also keep running.

Delete an agent

1. In the Agents list, open the menu next to the agent.
2. Choose to delete it.

Nuteq AI warns you that you cannot undo this. Any phone number routed to the agent stops answering. Nuteq AI archives its conversation history for good. The dashboard has no restore option. If you are not sure, choose You answer and delete the agent later.