Why Automate Your Business Phone?
Service businesses — dental offices, HVAC companies, law firms, insurance agencies — still close most of their revenue over the phone. But phones are unpredictable. Calls come in during lunch, after hours, on weekends, and in the middle of other calls. Every unanswered call is a customer who will try your competitor next.
Traditional solutions (hiring more staff, outsourcing to answering services) are expensive and don't scale. A full-time receptionist costs $35,000–$50,000/year. Live answering services charge $300–$800/month and still put callers on hold.
AI receptionists change the equation. They answer instantly, 24/7, with natural-sounding voice. They know your business, your hours, your services. They book appointments directly into your calendar. And they cost a fraction of the alternatives — starting at $0/month for 30 minutes.
The API Approach: Programmatic Phone Automation
Most AI receptionist platforms require you to manually configure everything through a web dashboard. That works for a single business, but it doesn't work if you're building AI into a larger workflow — like a CRM that automatically provisions phone lines for new clients, or an operations platform that spins up AI answering for seasonal demand.
The API approach lets you automate the entire lifecycle programmatically:
- Provision accounts — create new AI receptionist instances on demand
- Configure behavior — set business name, hours, greeting, call handling mode, industry, FAQ
- Assign phone numbers — pick a local or toll-free number from available inventory
- Monitor calls — pull call history, transcripts, and summaries programmatically
- Update settings — change configuration in real time as business needs evolve
This is especially powerful for AI agents and LLMs that can orchestrate the entire setup on behalf of a user — from account creation to going live — without any manual steps.
How It Works: HireJosie's LLM API
HireJosie's LLM API is a REST API designed specifically for programmatic access by AI agents, LLMs, and automation platforms. The base URL is api.hirejosie.ai and authentication uses Bearer tokens with API keys in the format hj_live_<key>.
Step 1: Request an API Key
Send a POST request with the user's email. HireJosie will email them an API key (viewable once for security).
POST https://api.hirejosie.ai/llm/request-access
Content-Type: application/json
{ "email": "owner@mybusiness.com" }Step 2: Pick a Phone Number
Query available phone numbers by country and area code. The API returns numbers ready for immediate assignment.
GET https://api.hirejosie.ai/llm/available-numbers?country=US&areaCode=512
Authorization: Bearer hj_live_<key>Step 3: Configure the AI Receptionist
Send business details, select a phone number, and configure how the AI handles calls. The AI starts answering immediately.
PUT https://api.hirejosie.ai/llm/configure
Authorization: Bearer hj_live_<key>
Content-Type: application/json
{
"businessName": "Bright Smile Dental",
"phoneNumber": "+15125551234",
"industry": "dental",
"timezone": "America/Chicago",
"businessHours": {
"monday": { "open": "08:00", "close": "17:00" },
"tuesday": { "open": "08:00", "close": "17:00" }
},
"callHandlingMode": "ring-first"
}Step 4: Monitor and Iterate
Pull call logs with full transcripts to understand how the AI is performing. Use the data to refine your greeting, FAQ, or call handling settings.
GET https://api.hirejosie.ai/llm/calls?limit=10
Authorization: Bearer hj_live_<key>Real-World Automation Scenarios
CRM Integration
When a new client signs up in your CRM, automatically provision an AI receptionist with their business details and a local phone number. The client gets a fully configured AI phone agent without filling out a single form.
Seasonal Scaling
HVAC companies can programmatically switch call handling modes when demand spikes — routing overflow to AI during peak season, then reverting to ring-first during slower months. No manual dashboard clicks needed.
Multi-Location Management
Franchise operators or agencies managing multiple businesses can configure and monitor AI receptionists for all locations through a single API, pulling call data across the portfolio for centralized reporting.
AI Agent Orchestration
LLMs and AI agents can use the API to set up phone automation on behalf of users conversationally. A user tells their AI assistant "set up a phone line for my business," and the agent handles account creation, number selection, and configuration — end to end.
What the AI Receptionist Actually Does
Once configured, the AI receptionist handles inbound calls with these capabilities:
- Natural voice conversation — sounds like a real person, not a robot or IVR menu
- Appointment booking — checks Google Calendar availability and books directly
- Industry-specific knowledge — understands dental, HVAC, legal, insurance terminology and common questions
- Call handling modes — AI-only, ring your phone first, transfer on request, or transfer during business hours
- Post-call summaries — email with transcript, caller intent, and action items
- SMS follow-up — sends the caller a text with relevant info after the call
Pricing for API Access
The API uses the same pricing as the web product — there's no separate API tier or premium:
- Free plan: $0/month — 30 AI minutes, dedicated phone number, 24/7 answering, email summaries, call transcripts. No credit card required.
- Pro plan: $49/month — 500 AI minutes, Google Calendar integration, SMS follow-ups, custom branding.
API keys expire after 30 days and can be refreshed programmatically via the /llm/refresh-key endpoint.
Getting Started
The full API reference — including all endpoints, request/response shapes, example flows, and a debugging guide — is available at hirejosie.ai/llm-integration. The API documentation follows the llms.txt convention, so any LLM or AI agent can read it directly.
If you're building automation, integrations, or AI workflows that need phone answering, the API is the fastest path from zero to live calls. Setup takes under 5 minutes, the free tier is genuinely free, and the AI starts answering the moment you configure it.