VOICE AI Agent for Small Businesses

Below is the script for the above video:

G’day, legends! Welcome to the show, where we’re diving into the wild world of voice AI agents—bloody ripper tech that’s gonna blow your mind! Today, I’m yarnin’ about how these clever bots are shaking things up. Why voice AI, you ask? Well, a few months back, I was scrolling through YouTube—y’know, the usual X and Tube rabbit hole—and I stumbled across this cracker of a video. With new AI agents popping up faster than snags on a barbie, there’s always something new to gawk at. Check this out!

[Speaker 1]I'm at GenSpark Clinic Sofia and [upbeat music] Hello? Hello, Emily. This is Sofia, an AI assistant for Jennifer. I'm calling to confirm your appointment at GenSpark Clinic, tomorrow at 9:00 AM.

[Speaker 1]No.

[Speaker 0]Hold up, how’s that for a game-changer? This video showed an AI ringing someone up, having a proper chinwag, and even taking calls like a seasoned pro. I was gobsmacked—mate, that’s next-level stuff! These bots can talk to real humans, no dramas.

[Speaker 0]Picture this: these AI agents get how you talk, know what you’re trying to do, and can jump in or shut up at just the right moment. It’s like having a mate who’s always on the ball, ready to have a yarn. Bloody brilliant! So, I got to thinking—if I’m running a small business in Australia, could I get my hands on this tech?

[Speaker 0]Let’s say I’ve got a car repair shop, and every six months or so, I’m on the blower sorting out routine maintenance. You know the drill: “G’day, mate, need a service booked for next week.” They’re like, “Hang on, let me check if we’ve got a spot.” Or maybe I’m booking a doc’s appointment or a haircut—same story. Every time, I’m stuck on the phone, or worse, the poor buggers at the business are juggling calls while trying to do their actual job.

[Speaker 0]I’ve seen it firsthand—folks in small businesses getting interrupted left, right, and centre to answer phones. Or, if they’re a bit bigger, they’ve got someone parked at a desk all day, punching bookings into an Excel sheet. So, I’m wondering: with tools like the one in that video, can we build something ourselves? And how much is it gonna cost? I did a bit of a Captain Cook around the web, and here’s the good oil.

[Speaker 0]I found this ripper tool called Vapi—reckon that’s how you say it, Vapi.ai. It’s a voice AI agent that listens to what you’re saying and fires back a response quicker than you can crack a tinnie. I gave their website a burl, and here’s how it went.

[Speaker 2]Welcome to Vapi. I'm an assistant that you can talk to like a person. So, how's your day going?

[Speaker 0]Aw, mate, it’s going like a dream! Just keen to see what you can do for my small business—any tricks up your sleeve?

[Speaker 2]That's awesome to hear.

[Speaker 0]Cheers, yeah! Just wanna know how you can help me out, ‘cause I’m running a little biz and need some AI magic.

[Speaker 2]I'd love to dive into how I can help your small business. But before I do, would you mind telling me how you found out about Vapi?

[Speaker 0]Oh, just saw some bloke using Vapi in a YouTube vid—looked like a bloody good setup!

[Speaker 2]Cool. Well, thanks for sharing. Well, Vapi helps small businesses like yours by making it super easy to build voice assistants. You can, um, automate customer support, handle inquiries or even set up voice-powered sales, all without needing to be, um, a tech whiz. Want me to tell you more about specific features?

[Speaker 0]Nah, that’s plenty for now, mate. Cheers!

[Speaker 0]See that? It’s like having a yarn with a real person—sometimes it jumps in a bit early, like your mate who’s had a few too many at the pub, but it gets the job done. So, today, I’m building a simple demo voice agent. The plan? Let someone ring me up, book an appointment, and have the AI jot down their name, phone, and address, then slot an event into my calendar. Easy as!

[Speaker 0]So, what’s in this setup? Every AI agent’s got a few bits and bobs. First, the brain—think big language models like ChatGPT, Grok, or Gemini. You can even host your own if you’re feeling fancy. Then, you’ve got tools—like recording customer details in a Google Sheet or creating events in a Google Calendar. These tools let the AI do practical stuff, like checking if a time slot’s free. And then there’s memory—giving the AI the lowdown on your business, like your rules and processes, so it doesn’t stuff things up.

[Speaker 0]For this demo, I’m using Vapi as the core, picking ChatGPT 4.1 Mini as the brain ‘cause it’s cheap as chips and quick enough for the job. You could go fancier, but Mini’s got the grunt for this. The tools? Just a Google Sheet to log customer info and a Google Calendar for bookings. Oh, and you’ll need a phone number so punters can ring you. I’m talking incoming calls going straight to the AI, which then sorts everything into your Sheet and Calendar. Let’s break down the cost, ‘cause that’s the bit that makes your wallet happy.

[Speaker 0]If you’re in Sydney, hiring a full-time admin to answer phones could cost you three or four grand a month—minimum—plus super and all that jazz. With Vapi, you’re laughing. I found a virtual number for 36 US bucks a year—about 50 AUD, or less than a decent feed at the pub. Incoming calls are free, and the AI costs 11 US cents a minute. Even if your phone’s going off like a frog in a sock for eight hours straight, that’s only about 53 US dollars a day—roughly 80 AUD. Realistically, you’re getting a few calls, so it’s way cheaper than hiring someone. Plus, you can focus on fixing cars or cutting hair instead of playing receptionist.

[Speaker 0]First up, the phone number. Being in Sydney, I wanted a local Aussie number, not some random US one. I found this site, Dama.com—bloody beaut! For 36 US bucks a year, you get a virtual number with free incoming calls. No outgoing minutes in my plan, but that’s fine—my customers are calling me. It integrates with Vapi, so it’s smooth as.

[Speaker 0]Then, I’ve got my Google Sheet and Calendar—dead simple. The Sheet logs customer names, emails, and numbers, and the Calendar handles the bookings. That’s the toolkit sorted.

[Speaker 0]For the brain, I’m using ChatGPT 4.1 Mini. You’ll need an API key, which might cost a bit, but Vapi can bundle it into their billing, so no dramas. Now, let’s see it in action—I’m gonna call the number and show you how it works.

[Speaker 0]Here’s the number: 02 8880 5979. Let’s give it a burl.

[Speaker 3]Thank you for calling BCT Infotech. This is Alice, your scheduling assistant. How may I help you today?

[Speaker 0]G’day, I wanna book an appointment.

[Speaker 3]I'd be happy to help you with scheduling. Let me get some information from you so we can find the right appointment. What type of appointment are you looking to schedule today? We offer general discussion or AI strategy discussion.

[Speaker 0]General discussion, mate.

[Speaker 3]Have you booked an appointment with BCT Infotech before or will this be your first appointment with us?

[Speaker 0]First time.

[Speaker 3]I'll need to collect some basic information. Could I have your full name, email address and a phone number where we can reach you?

[Speaker 0]Sure thing. I’m Tom.

[Speaker 3]Thank you, Tom. Could you please provide your full name, including your last name, your email address and a phone number where we can reach you?

[Speaker 0]Righto, my surname’s Tester. T-E-S-T-E-R.

[Speaker 3]Thank you, Tom.

[Speaker 3]Thank you, Tom Tester. Could you please provide your email address and a phone number where we can reach you?

[Speaker 0]No worries. Email’s tom, T-O-M @gmail.com.

[Speaker 3]Thank you for the email, Tom. Could you now provide your phone number where we can reach you?

[Speaker 0]Sure. 0434 888—

[Speaker 3]Thank you for the start of your phone number. Just to confirm, your email is tom@gmail.com and your phone number is 0434-7777, is that correct?

[Speaker 0]Nah, mate, it’s 0434-999-777.

[Speaker 3]Thank you for the update. Just to confirm, your phone number is 0434-999-777, is that correct?

[Speaker 0]Yep, spot on.

[Speaker 3]Thank you for confirming, Tom Tester. I'll now check the earliest available times for a general discussion appointment, which lasts 30 minutes. Just a moment while I look at the schedule. Hold on a sec.

[Speaker 3]For a general discussion appointment, I have availability today, June 26th, starting from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Would you prefer an appointment at 10:00 AM or perhaps later in the afternoon around 2:00 PM?

[Speaker 0]Nah, I’m after tomorrow.

[Speaker 3]Give me a moment.

[Speaker 3]For tomorrow, June 27th, I have availability from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Would you prefer an appointment at 10:00 AM or at 2:00 PM?

[Speaker 0]Reckon 2:00 PM’ll do.

[Speaker 3]Great. I've reserved a general discussion appointment for you on Friday, June 27th at 2:00 PM. Does that work for you?

[Speaker 0]Yeah, beaut. Cheers!

[Speaker 3]Give me a moment.

[Speaker 3]To confirm, you are scheduled for a general discussion appointment on Friday, June 27th at 2:00 PM. The appointment will last approximately 30 minutes. For this appointment, we will use Google Meet. Please check your email for instructions and ensure you have the meeting link before the appointment. If you haven't received the meeting invitation before the scheduled start time, please check your spam folder or contact us. Thank you for scheduling with BCP Infotech. Is there anything else I can help you with today?

[Speaker 0]Nah, all good, mate. Thanks heaps.

[Speaker 3]You're very welcome. Have a great day, and we look forward to speaking with you at your appointment. Goodbye.

[Speaker 0]See ya!

[Speaker 0]How good’s that? It’s not perfect, but it’s bloody close. The AI gets what you’re on about, grabs the right details, and slots the booking in like a pro. Check the screen—yep, there’s Tom Tester, email, phone number, all correct. And tomorrow at 2 PM? General discussion booked, no worries. In the rest of this vid, I’ll walk you through how to set this up without getting bogged down in techy stuff. It’s doable, and it’s easier than you’d think.

[Speaker 0]First, grab a phone number. Head to Dama.com, sign up, and pick an Aussie number—Sydney, Canberra, wherever you’re based. I went with Sydney. You choose your number, pay 36 US bucks, and it’s yours for the year. Dead simple, and it hooks right into Vapi.

[Speaker 0]Next, Vapi itself. Sign up, create an account, and you’re off to the races. They’ve got two modes: Assistant for simple stuff like bookings, and Workflow for fancier setups with extra steps. For this demo, I’m keeping it basic with Assistant. You write a prompt telling the AI what you want—say, “You’re booking appointments for my car shop, use Google Sheets and Calendar.” Then, link your tools.

[Speaker 0]For tools, I’ve got a Google Sheet for customer details—name, email, phone—and a Google Calendar for bookings. Setting up the Sheet’s easy: grab the spreadsheet ID, set the range (like columns A to C for customers), and you’re sorted. For the Calendar, same deal—grab the ID, set the time zone to Australia/Sydney, and tell it to book events or check availability. I’ve got one tool for booking and another for checking slots. Piece of piss.

[Speaker 0]Now, the brain. I picked ChatGPT 4.1 Mini ‘cause it’s quick and won’t break the bank. You can choose others—OpenAI, Grok, whatever—but Mini’s fine for this. It’s about 700 milliseconds delay, which is barely noticeable, like a quick sip of your coffee. The AI converts the caller’s voice to text, sends it to ChatGPT, gets a response, and turns it back to voice using something like ElevenLabs. Smooth as a cold one.

[Speaker 0]The key bit’s the system prompt. You tell the AI it’s an appointment assistant, explain the vibe—friendly, clear, no mucking about—and lay out the flow: greet the caller, ask for details, check availability, book the slot, and log it in the Sheet and Calendar. You can chuck in extra context, like business rules, in the prompt or even upload files for the AI to use as memory. I kept it simple, but you can get fancy if you want.

[Speaker 0]To wrap it up, this whole setup costs bugger all—36 US bucks a year for the number, maybe 50 bucks a day max for calls, but likely way less. You need a phone number, a Vapi account, and some basic config. The only tricky bit’s linking the number to Vapi with an API key, but their guides walk you through it. If you want a proper techy rundown, I can whip up another vid, no dramas.

[Speaker 0]Point is, tools like Vapi are popping up everywhere, and they’re a godsend for small businesses. My job’s to sift through the noise, test this stuff, and break it down in plain English for you legends running cafes, car shops, or whatever. It’s about saving you coin and letting you focus on what you do best. Wanna give it a crack? Hit up Dama.com for a number, Vapi.ai for the AI, and you’ll be laughing. If you need a hand, we’re here to help. Cheers for watching, you bloody rippers—catch ya next time!