Smart call tagging uses AI to suggest tags for your calls based on the conversation transcript, so agents spend less time on manual tagging and your reporting data stays consistent.

Call tagging is essential for reporting, CRM workflows, and analytics, but manual tagging is often inconsistent. Agents skip tags, rush through them, or interpret tagging criteria differently. Smart call tagging solves this by analyzing the call transcript and suggesting the most relevant tags from your existing tag list.

Key benefits:

  • Less manual work: AI suggests tags automatically so agents do not have to search for the right ones
  • More consistent data: every call gets tagged the same way, regardless of which agent handled it
  • Works with your existing tags: AI selects from the tags your company already has, with no new setup needed
  • Optional guidance: admins can provide instructions to improve AI accuracy for your specific use case

Who can use smart call tagging?

RequirementDetails
LicenseAI Assist Pro (required per agent)
PermissionsAdmin or Owner role to configure
PrerequisitesReal-time transcription must be enabled on the number
LocationNumbers > [Number] > Settings
Note: Only agents with an AI Assist Pro license will receive AI tag suggestions. Calls handled by agents without the license will not be auto-tagged.
Note: Having an AI Assist Pro license isn't the only requirement. The agent also needs to stay on the call ended view long enough for suggestions to appear, Please see Making sure agents see AI suggestions for the exact settings that determine this.

How it works

  1. A call ends on a number where smart call tagging is enabled
  2. AI analyzes the call transcript along with your company's available tags
  3. If guidance was provided, AI uses those instructions to determine which tags are most relevant
  4. Suggested tags appear in the agent's call ended view, pre-selected in the tag selector, with a brief loading time while AI processes the transcript
  5. The agent reviews the suggestions and can accept, modify, or remove them before saving
Note: AI only selects from your company's existing tags. It will never create new tags. If an agent tags a call manually during the conversation, smart tagging is skipped entirely for that call. Manual tags always take priority.
Smart call tagging instructions

How AI Assist decides which tags to suggest

AI Assist follows the same logic on every call:

  1. It starts from your company's full list of tags, the call transcript, and call metadata.
  2. If guidance has been written for the number the call came in on, AI Assist uses it to refine which tags are most relevant.
  3. AI Assist then suggests the resulting tags in the agent's call ended view.

AI Assist can suggest any tag from your company's tag list on any number, whether or not guidance has been written for it. Guidance is optional, and only helps AI apply tags more accurately. It does not restrict or gate which tags AI is allowed to suggest.

Note: Guidance is scoped to the number it is written on. It is never shared or combined with guidance written on other numbers.

Setting up smart call tagging

Step 1: Enable real-time transcription

Smart call tagging requires real-time transcription to analyze call content.

  1. Go to Aircall Dashboard > Numbers and select the number you want to configure
  2. Open Settings
  3. Under Transcriptions, enable Transcribe calls in real time

Step 2: Enable smart call tagging

  1. On the same Settings page, scroll to the Smart call tagging section
  2. Toggle auto-tagging on
  3. Optionally, add Guidance to improve AI accuracy (see below)
  4. Save your settings

Writing auto-tagging guidance

Guidance is optional free-text instructions, up to 1,000 characters, that help the AI suggest tags more accurately. Without guidance, the AI infers meaning from your tag names and call content. Adding guidance improves accuracy, especially for complex or ambiguous tags.

Rules can be based on transcript content, call metadata, or a combination of both.

To reference a specific tag in your guidance, type # to open a searchable tag dropdown. Selected tags appear as highlighted chips in the text field, ensuring exact matching.

Example guidance

Transcript-based rules:

  • Tag as #Resolved when the customer confirms their issue is fixed
  • Tag as #Follow-up when a meeting or callback is scheduled
  • Tag as #Pricing Objection when the customer expresses concerns about cost

Metadata-based rules:

  • Tag calls over 5 minutes as #Meaningful Connect
  • Tag calls outside 9am–6pm as #After Hours
  • If the call was missed or abandoned, tag as #Missed - Callback Needed
  • Calls routed through the Sales IVR branch should be tagged #Sales Inquiry

Combined rules:

  • Tag as #Hot Lead if the call is over 3 minutes and the customer discussed pricing or next steps
  • Tag as #Urgent Support if routed through the Support IVR and the customer mentions "urgent" or "critical"

Exclusions:

  • Do not apply #Sales Inquiry to calls under 30 seconds
Important: Guidance applies to all calls on the configured number. Write rules that are specific enough to avoid over-tagging, and use exclusion statements where needed.

Agent experience

When a call ends on a number with smart call tagging enabled, the agent sees the call ended view with a brief loading state, "Selecting tags automatically...", while AI processes the transcript. Once ready, AI-suggested tags appear pre-selected in the tag selector under an AI Suggested section.

Screenshot 2026-04-23 at 15.24.01.png

The agent can:

  • Accept the suggestions as-is
  • Remove any tags they disagree with
  • Add additional tags manually

Making sure agents see AI suggestions

Whether the agent sees the call ended view long enough to review suggestions depends on two number settings, Wrap-up time and Mandatory Tagging:

Wrap-up timeAutomatically close conversation after the callMandatory TaggingDoes the agent see AI suggestions?
Above 0OffOn or offYes, for the full wrap-up duration
Above 0OnOn or offYes, until they mark after-call work complete
0OnOnYes, held on the view until they apply a tag
0OnOffNo, the view closes before suggestions can be reviewed

See Aircall Workspace: After-call work and Aircall Workspace: Call settings for how to configure Wrap-up time and Automatically close conversation after the call.

Where to view tagged calls

Tags applied through smart call tagging appear everywhere regular tags do in Aircall:

  • Aircall Workspace: in the call details panel
  • Conversation Center: alongside transcripts and other call insights
  • Analytics: for filtering and reporting
  • Integrations: tags sync to connected CRM tools as usual

Important considerations

  • Works with existing tags only. AI selects from your company's tag list. It will never create new tags
  • Requires real-time transcription. The number must have real-time transcription enabled for auto-tagging to work
  • Applies to new calls only. Past calls will not be retroactively tagged
  • AI suggestions improve with guidance. Without guidance, AI matches based on tag names and transcript content. With guidance, accuracy improves for your specific use case
  • Large tag libraries may reduce accuracy. If your company has many tags, AI may be less precise. Providing clear guidance helps improve results

FAQs

Do I need AI Assist Pro for smart call tagging?

Yes. Each agent whose calls you want auto-tagged must have an AI Assist Pro license. Calls from agents without the license will not receive suggestions.

Will AI create new tags for my company?

No. The AI only selects from your existing company tags. It will never create or suggest tags that do not already exist.

Can I use smart call tagging with mandatory tagging?

Yes, but Mandatory Tagging isn't required for smart call tagging to work. What matters is that the agent stays on the call ended view long enough for suggestions to render, either because Wrap-up time is set above 0, or because Mandatory Tagging is on. If Wrap-up time is 0 and Mandatory Tagging is off, the agent won't see any AI suggestions. Please see Making sure agents see AI suggestions above for the full breakdown.

What happens if the AI cannot determine a relevant tag?

If no tags are a good match based on the transcript and guidance, the AI may return no suggestions. The agent can still tag manually as usual.

I saw unexpected results for AI-suggested tags after a call, what happened

Unexpected results, whether no tag was suggested or an unexpected tag was suggested, are usually caused by one of the following:

  • The tag name itself is not descriptive enough for AI to interpret reliably.
  • Guidance for the same tag has been written differently on different numbers. Since guidance is scoped per number and never shared across numbers, this can lead to inconsistent suggestions for that tag depending on which number the call came in on.
  • Your company has a large tag library, which can reduce overall suggestion accuracy.

What happens if an agent manually tags a call during the conversation?

Smart tagging is skipped entirely for that call. The agent's tags are preserved as-is.

Can agents edit tags after a call?

Yes. Tags can be modified in the call details view after the call is saved.

Will past calls be tagged retroactively?

No. Smart call tagging only applies to calls that happen after the feature is enabled on a number.

Does guidance support all languages?

Guidance should be written clearly in natural language. The AI supports the same languages as standard AI Assist Pro features for transcript analysis.

Can I configure different settings for different numbers?

Yes. Smart call tagging is configured per number, so each number can have its own toggle and guidance.

Can unanswered calls be tagged automatically as missed?

No, currently, it's not possible.