Setup and Configuration
How to set up your ChurchWiseAI Voice Agent including phone forwarding and greeting customization
Setting up your ChurchWiseAI Voice Agent takes just a few minutes. Once configured, it will answer calls to your church automatically.
Initial Setup
When you first activate your voice agent, we handle the technical setup for you:
- A phone number is assigned — Your church gets a dedicated phone number powered by our system
- Your church info is loaded — Service times, address, staff, and other details from your profile are used to train the agent
- The agent goes live — It is ready to take calls immediately
Setting Up Call Forwarding
To route your existing church phone number to the voice agent, you will need to set up call forwarding through your phone provider. The most common approaches:
Option A: Forward All Calls
Forward your church's main line directly to your ChurchWiseAI number. All incoming calls will be answered by the AI agent.
Option B: Forward on No Answer
Set your phone to forward to ChurchWiseAI only when no one picks up. This way, staff answer during office hours and the AI handles everything else.
Option C: Forward After Hours
Use your phone provider's time-based routing to send calls to ChurchWiseAI outside of office hours.
Contact your phone provider for specific forwarding instructions. You will find your assigned ChurchWiseAI phone number in the Settings tab of your admin dashboard at churchwiseai.com/admin/[your-token].
Customizing What the Agent Knows
Your voice agent pulls information from your church profile to answer questions. Make sure the following are up to date in the Settings tab of your dashboard:
- Service times — All regular services and their days/times
- Church address — Full street address for directions
- Office hours — When your physical office is staffed
- Staff names and roles — So the agent can reference your pastor, worship leader, etc.
- Ministry descriptions — Children's ministry, youth group, small groups, and other programs
- Upcoming events — Special services, community events, or seasonal programs
On the Voice Pro plan ($59.95/mo), you can also connect Planning Center for live event and group data, and Cal.com for appointment scheduling directly from calls.
Customizing the Greeting
By default, your voice agent greets callers with:
"Thank you for calling [Your Church Name]. How can I help you today?"
You can customize this greeting in the Settings tab. Some churches prefer a warmer opening:
"Hello and welcome to Grace Community Church! I'm happy to help you with anything you need today."
Keep your greeting brief and friendly. Callers appreciate getting to their question quickly.
Testing Your Voice Agent
After setup, we recommend calling your ChurchWiseAI number to test it:
- Call the number assigned to your church
- Ask a few common questions (service times, address, office hours)
- Try submitting a prayer request
- Check your dashboard to see the call transcript appear
If anything sounds off or the agent gives incorrect information, update your church details in the Settings tab and test again.
Pricing Quick Reference
| Plan | Price | Calls | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voice Starter | $29.95/mo | Up to 100/mo | 24/7 answering, prayer requests, email summaries |
| Voice Pro | $59.95/mo | Unlimited | Transcripts, Planning Center, Cal.com scheduling, custom workflows |
| Voice + Chat Bundle | $79.95/mo | Unlimited | Voice Pro + Chat Pro together (save $10/mo) |
All plans are managed from your admin dashboard at churchwiseai.com/admin/[your-token]. You do not need a PewSearch account to use ChurchWiseAI Voice -- it is a standalone product.