BIG win with local lead but need some guidance 🔈

Hey everyone, I could use some help.

I’m building an AI receptionist in VAPI connected to a Twilio number for a local business. The idea is that it only responds after they miss a call. When someone calls and they don’t answer, the AI follows up, asks what appointment they want to book, collects about 8 pieces of info like their name, phone number, service type, etc., and then sends all that info to the business by email so they can easily follow up and book them in.

This is the first real business I’ve worked with, so implementing everything properly into their existing setup is pretty new to me.

They had a couple questions and I also have a few of my own.

First, what’s the best way to actually connect this to their landline? Right now I just have a Twilio number connected to VAPI. Would the correct way be setting up call forwarding on their landline so missed calls forward to the Twilio number? Or is there a better way to handle a missed-call-only system?

They also asked if there’s a way to turn it on and off whenever they want. What’s the cleanest way to do that? Would that just be toggling call forwarding, or is there something better inside Twilio or VAPI?

Another thing they asked about was voicemail. If the AI is answering after a missed call, does that remove their current voicemail? Is there a way for them to keep their existing voicemail as a fallback, or would the AI completely replace it?

The goal is that customers just call their normal number like usual, and if they don’t answer, the AI handles it automatically. I just want to make sure I implement this in the cleanest and most professional way possible.

Would really appreciate any advice from someone who’s set this up before.

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