AI Messaging Agents: Overview and setup

Key benefits

How the AI Messaging Agent works

The AI Messaging Agent is a separate product from the AI Voice Agent, with its own tab in the Aircall Dashboard. It handles inbound messages only: it is triggered when a customer sends a message to an Aircall number where the agent is active.

Conversations remain active for 30 minutes of idle time from the last reply. If a customer resumes after that window, the agent retains the conversation context.

The agent works with Aircall SMS and WhatsApp. It can be assigned to the same numbers as your AI Voice Agent or to different lines. When the agent is paused, incoming messages route to your human team through the existing call distribution settings for that number.

Supported channels

Configuration

To configure your AI Messaging Agent, go to Aircall Dashboard > AI Agents > AI Messaging Agent and select your existing AI Messaging Agent or click on Create Agent to open the settings view.

Agent profile

Assign the agent a name. This identifies the agent within the Aircall Dashboard.

Language settings

Select which languages the agent responds in.

The agent adapts automatically to the language the customer uses, adjusting spelling and tone accordingly. It can also switch languages mid-conversation: if a customer starts in English and then writes in French, the agent follows.

You must also set a fallback language. This determines how the agent responds when a customer writes in a language that is not among your configured options.

Agent goal

The agent goal tells the agent who it is, what it does, and how it should behave. It sets the guardrails for the agent's responses, following the same principles as Conversational guidelines in the AI Voice Agent.

Company information

Include a clear description of your company and what the agent is there to help with. A detailed description helps the agent classify customer topics accurately and stay focused on relevant queries.

Knowledge base

The knowledge base is the content the agent draws on to answer customer questions. It works the same way as the knowledge base for the AI Voice Agent, and sources can be shared across both agents.

If a rule or piece of information applies to one channel only, create a dedicated knowledge source for it rather than adding it to a shared source. This prevents the agent from applying channel-specific content in the wrong context.

For guidance on setting up knowledge sources, see Using knowledge sources for your AI Voice Agent.

Messaging script

The messaging script controls what the agent says at three key moments in a conversation:

Intake flow

The intake flow defines the information the agent collects from the customer. Each item is configured as a property with two fields:

• Label: A short identifying name for the property.
• Description: Context that tells the agent what information to collect. A brief description is sufficient; the agent does not require highly detailed instructions to ask appropriate questions.

You can control how properties are collected:

• Upfront: The agent asks for all properties immediately after the greeting.
• Naturally: Properties are gathered through the course of the conversation, based on context.

Escalation rules

Specify when and how conversations are handed off to a human agent. This is configured alongside the escalation message in the messaging script.

Line assignment

Select which SMS and WhatsApp numbers the agent is active on. The agent can be assigned to the same numbers as your AI Voice Agent or to multiple different lines simultaneously.

Activation and scheduling

To activate the agent, you need to assign it to a phone number:

Steps:

1. Go to Aircall Dashboard > AI Agents > AI Messaging Agents.
2. Select your AI Messaging Agent.

3. Click on Connect number to assign it.

   

4. Once assigned, the agent begins responding to incoming messages automatically.

You can configure when the agent is active:

• Always on: The agent responds to all incoming messages at all times.

• Scheduled: The agent is active only during specified hours, configurable by time zone and day of the week.

  

To deactivate temporarily, pause the agent. While paused, incoming messages route to your human team through the normal call distribution for that number. You can pause the agent in two ways:

1. From the AI Messaging Agents view, by clicking on the Pause button in the Quick action column.

   

2. In your AI Messaging Agent settings, by clicking on your AI Messaging Agent's name and selecting the Pause agent option.

Analytics

Basic usage statistics for the AI Messaging Agent are available in the Analytics section of the Aircall Overview and Overview+ Dashboards.

Availability and pricing

• The AI Messaging Agent is available to all Aircall customers. It does not require an add-on.
• Pricing will be based on conversations.
• Pay-as-you-go (pre-paid bundles coming soon)

FREE: 100 conversations to get started + unlimited testing

• Conversation ends after 30 minutes of idle time from last reply.
• Standard SMS and WhatsApp rates apply for outbound SMS and WhatsApp templates.

Compliance

You are responsible for ensuring that the phone numbers you connect to the AI Messaging Agent comply with local regulations for automated messaging in each market.

Best practices

Use separate knowledge sources for channel-specific content

If content applies only to messaging or only to voice, keep it in a dedicated source rather than a shared one. Use the knowledge base as a source of truth, not an extension of the agent goal. Keep your agent goal focused on role and behavior; put factual content, FAQs, and product details in the knowledge base where the agent can retrieve them accurately.

For best results, ensure your knowledge base content is written in the same language as the customers you expect to serve on that line.

Limit intake properties

Collect only what is genuinely necessary. Fewer questions keep conversations shorter and reduce friction.