How to write a good call goal for an AI phone call

Write the goal as one sentence with the outcome you want. Put facts the assistant may share in details, list exactly what you want answered in questions, and set limits in constraints. Add fallbacks, like a second time or a price ceiling, so the assistant can decide without calling back.

The short answer

A good call has one clear outcome, the facts needed to get it, the exact questions you want answered, and the limits you won't go past. Your agent usually fills these in for you, but knowing what each field does helps you ask for the right thing.

The fields

Only phone and goal are required. Full reference in the MCP docs.

Goal: one sentence, one outcome

Good:

• "Get a price and earliest opening for front brake pads and rotors on a 2019 RAV4. Don't book."
• "Move my Thursday 3pm cleaning to any time next Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon."

Weak:

• "Ask about brakes." (Which brakes? Price or availability? Book or not?)
• "Call the dentist." (About what?)

If you have two unrelated tasks with one business, make it two calls, or put the main one in the goal and the second one in questions.

Details: what they'll ask you

Think about what the person on the other end will need. plan_call lists likely ones. Common details:

• Name and phone for a booking
• Year, make, model and mileage for car work
• Breed, weight and service for grooming
• Order, claim or account numbers
• Dates you're flexible on

Leave out anything sensitive the call doesn't need. The assistant never says card numbers, Social Security numbers or passwords.

Questions: exactly what you want back

Each question comes back in answers, keyed by the question text. So write them the way you want to read them:

"questions": [
  "What's the total price including labor?",
  "OEM or aftermarket parts?",
  "What's the earliest appointment?"
]

When you're calling several businesses, use the same list for all of them so the answers line up. See quotes from several businesses.

Constraints: your limits

Constraints are what the assistant won't agree to. It checks them before saying yes to anything.

• "Don't agree to more than $200."
• "Saturday or Sunday only."
• "Don't book, quotes only."
• "Don't accept a retention offer that extends the contract."

Constraints also cut down on mid-call questions. If the business says "It's $40 more on Saturday, okay?", the assistant can answer from your limit instead of checking with your agent.

Fallbacks

The most common reason a call comes back without a result is that the first choice wasn't available and there was no second choice. Build it into the goal or details:

• "Friday 7 to 8:30pm, or Saturday same time if Friday is full."
• "Any stylist is fine."
• "If they don't have the 40 gallon, ask about 50 gallon."

Before and after

Before:

goal: "Get a groomer appointment for my dog."

After:

goal: "Book a full groom for my dog next Saturday, morning preferred, afternoon okay." details: "Goldendoodle, about 60 lbs, vaccinations current. Owner name Sam, phone 469-555-0142." questions: ["What's the price?", "How long does it take?"] constraints: "Don't agree to more than $140. Don't book if Saturday isn't available; just get their next opening."

The second version gets a booking or a clear alternative in one call.

Check it with plan_call

plan_call takes the same fields and costs nothing. It returns the opening line the assistant will use, a checklist, questions the business will likely ask that you haven't covered, whether the business is open now, and a cost estimate. Fix the gaps, then place the call.

Questions