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Think of this as traffic control for your phone calls! These settings determine how smoothly conversations flow between your AI and callers.

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What is Call Management?

Call Management controls the conversation flow during phone calls. It’s separate from AI Configuration (which handles what the AI says) - this section controls when and how the AI responds to callers.

🚦 Call Management = Conversation Traffic Control

Just like traffic lights control car flow, these settings control conversation flow between your AI assistant and callers.

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Interruption Settings

Most Important Section: These settings directly affect how natural your conversations feel!

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Interruption Threshold

Simple Explanation: How many words a caller needs to say before the AI stops talking and listens.Technical Details:
  • Measured in: Number of words
  • Default: 3 words
  • Range: 1-10 words (recommended)
Real Example:
  • Threshold = 3: Caller says “Wait, I have a…” → AI stops talking
  • Threshold = 1: Caller says “Um…” → AI stops talking (very sensitive)
  • Threshold = 5: Caller says “Actually, I need to tell you…” → AI stops talking
When to Adjust:
  • Lower (1-2 words): For very responsive, human-like conversations
  • Higher (4-5 words): For formal business calls where AI should finish sentences
  • Much higher (6+ words): For presentations or when AI shouldn’t be interrupted
Technical Note: The system counts words by splitting text on spaces. Both word count AND min speaking time must be met for a valid interruption.

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Min Speaking Time

Simple Explanation: How long the AI must talk before it can be interrupted.Technical Details:
  • Measured in: Seconds (decimals allowed like 0.5)
  • Default: 0.5 seconds
  • Range: 0.1-3.0 seconds (recommended)
Real Example:
  • Min Speaking Time = 0.5s: AI says “Hello, how can I—” → Caller can interrupt
  • Min Speaking Time = 2.0s: AI says “Hello, how can I help you today? I’m here to assist with—” → Now caller can interrupt
When to Adjust:
  • Lower (0.1-0.3s): For very natural, back-and-forth conversations
  • Higher (1-2s): For business calls where AI should complete thoughts
  • Much higher (2-3s): For announcements or important information delivery
Technical Note: The AI must be speaking for at least this duration before any interruption is considered valid, regardless of word count.

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Interruption Cooldown

Simple Explanation: How long to pause after a caller interrupts before the AI starts talking again.Technical Details:
  • Measured in: Seconds (decimals allowed)
  • Default: 2.0 seconds
  • Range: 0.5-5.0 seconds (recommended)
Real Example:
  • Cooldown = 2.0s: Caller interrupts → AI pauses for 2 seconds → AI responds with buffered speech
  • Cooldown = 0.5s: Very quick responses (might feel rushed)
  • Cooldown = 4.0s: Longer pauses (might feel awkward)
Technical Note: During cooldown, any additional speech from the caller is buffered and processed together when the cooldown period ends.When to Adjust:
  • Lower (0.5-1s): For fast-paced conversations or tech support
  • Higher (3-4s): For emotional or sensitive conversations
  • Much higher (5s+): For elderly callers or those needing processing time

💡 Interruption Settings Quick Guide

Natural Conversations: Threshold=2, Speaking=0.3s, Cooldown=1.5sBusiness Formal: Threshold=4, Speaking=1.0s, Cooldown=2.5sCustomer Support: Threshold=3, Speaking=0.5s, Cooldown=2.0s (default)

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Timeout Settings

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Idle Timeout

Simple Explanation: How long to wait for the caller to respond before asking “Are you still there?”Technical Details:
  • Measured in: Seconds
  • Default: 30 seconds
  • Range: 10-120 seconds (recommended)
Real Example:
  • Timeout = 30s: AI asks question → 30 seconds of silence → AI says idle message
  • Timeout = 10s: Very short patience (good for quick interactions)
  • Timeout = 60s: Very patient (good for complex questions)
When to Adjust:
  • Lower (10-20s): For simple, quick interactions
  • Higher (45-60s): For complex questions or elderly callers
  • Much higher (90s+): For forms or detailed information gathering
Technical Note: The timer resets when the caller completes an utterance (speech_final) or when the AI responds with meaningful content.

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Max Idle Messages

Simple Explanation: How many “Are you still there?” messages to send before ending the call.Technical Details:
  • Measured in: Number of messages
  • Default: 3 messages
  • Range: 1-5 messages (recommended)
Real Example:
  • Max = 3: AI asks “Are you there?” → Silence → AI asks again → Silence → AI asks again → Silence → Call ends
  • Max = 1: AI asks once, then ends call (not very patient)
  • Max = 5: AI is very patient (might annoy callers)
When to Adjust:
  • Lower (1-2): For business efficiency or when call time is expensive
  • Higher (4-5): For customer service or when you don’t want to lose calls

⏰ Timeout Settings Quick Guide

Quick Service: Idle=15s, Max Messages=2Standard Support: Idle=30s, Max Messages=3 (default)Patient Service: Idle=45s, Max Messages=4

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Call Control Messages

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End Call Message

Simple Explanation: The last thing callers hear when the call ends (either by AI decision or timeout).Default: “Thank you for calling. Goodbye!”Examples:
  • Business: “Thank you for calling [Company]. Have a great day!”
  • Support: “Your issue has been resolved. Thank you for calling!”
  • Appointment: “Your appointment is confirmed. We’ll see you soon!”
Best Practices:
  • Keep it under 10 words for clarity
  • Include your company name if branding is important
  • Match the tone of your assistant’s personality

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Transfer Call Message

Simple Explanation: What the AI says when transferring a caller to a human agent.Default: “Please hold while I transfer your call.”Examples:
  • Professional: “Let me connect you with a specialist who can help.”
  • Urgent: “I’m transferring you to our emergency support team now.”
  • Specific: “Connecting you to our billing department. Please hold.”
Best Practices:
  • Explain WHO they’re being transferred to
  • Keep them calm with reassuring language
  • Include estimated wait time if known

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Idle Message

Simple Explanation: What the AI says when there’s been silence for too long.Default: “Are you still there? I’m here to help if you need anything.”Examples:
  • Friendly: “Hello? I’m still here if you have more questions!”
  • Professional: “Are you still on the line? I’m ready to assist.”
  • Helpful: “Take your time. Let me know when you’re ready to continue.”
Best Practices:
  • Sound patient, not annoyed
  • Offer help or reassurance
  • Keep it conversational and warm

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Recording Settings

🎙️ Automatic Call Recording

Always Enabled: All calls are automatically recorded by Twilio and stored securely in S3 as high-quality MP3 files.This is built-in and cannot be disabled - it ensures you have records for quality, compliance, and training purposes.

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Common Configuration Scenarios

Goal: Helpful but efficient support
Interruption Threshold: 3 words
Min Speaking Time: 0.5 seconds
Interruption Cooldown: 2.0 seconds
Idle Timeout: 30 seconds
Max Idle Messages: 3
Why: Balanced responsiveness with professional patience

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Troubleshooting Common Issues

Problem: Interruption threshold too low or min speaking time too shortSolutions:
  • Increase interruption threshold to 4-5 words
  • Increase min speaking time to 1.0-1.5 seconds
  • Callers won’t interrupt as quickly
Test: Make a call and see if AI can complete full sentences
Problem: Interruption cooldown too long or threshold too highSolutions:
  • Decrease interruption cooldown to 1.0-1.5 seconds
  • Decrease interruption threshold to 2-3 words
  • AI will feel more responsive and natural
Test: Try interrupting mid-sentence - AI should stop and respond quickly
Problem: Idle timeout too short or max idle messages too lowSolutions:
  • Increase idle timeout to 45-60 seconds
  • Increase max idle messages to 4-5
  • Give callers more time to think and respond
Test: Stay silent during a call - should get multiple “are you there?” messages
Problem: Idle timeout too long or max idle messages too highSolutions:
  • Decrease idle timeout to 15-20 seconds
  • Decrease max idle messages to 1-2
  • Calls will end more efficiently
Test: Simulate an unresponsive caller - call should end reasonably quickly

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Best Practices

🎯 Golden Rules for Call Management

  1. Start with defaults and adjust based on real call feedback
  2. Test with real users - your perception differs from callers’
  3. Match your business style - formal vs casual affects all settings
  4. Monitor call recordings to see where conversations break down
  5. Adjust gradually - small changes have big impacts on conversation feel
Pro Tip: Record yourself having a conversation with your assistant, then listen back. You’ll immediately hear what needs adjusting!

➡️ What's Next?

Ready to fine-tune your AI’s brain? Check out AI Configuration to optimize your LLM, TTS, and STT settings.Need live monitoring? See Live Transcript WebSocket for real-time call monitoring and transcript streaming.Need more technical control? See Advanced Settings for speech processing and audio settings.