Call Scheduling Funnel

RyMac Call Funnel

Wire a site to convert visitors into scheduled calls, with a human-ping path for emergencies. This is the architecture running live on RyMac's own CRM platform; the pattern works with any stack (a CRM with AI channels, or Vapi/Twilio + a calendar API wired directly).

The architecture (one persona, many channels)

One AI persona serves web chat, SMS, and voice. The persona is rebuilt server-side on every turn from a single profile (business facts, hours, escalation config), so every channel answers with the same brain and the same rules.

Emergency vs non-emergency: it is a COMPOSITE, not a boolean

Do not build a single if (emergency) classifier. The proven pattern is four separable mechanisms, configured per business:

1. Escalation keywords (the instant human ping). Case-insensitive keyword match on inbound messages ("urgent", "emergency", "complaint", "speak to manager", plus the niche's own panic words). On match: the AI GOES SILENT and the on-call human is notified immediately with a deep link to the contact. Allow per-channel keyword and notify-address overrides.
2. Live transfer (the ring-a-human path). Phone-system dial forward (e.g. Twilio Dial) to the on-call number with a ring timeout (~18 seconds) and an automatic text-back to the caller if unanswered.
3. Callback capture (the deferred queue). Voice calls run a structured extraction for "callback requested"; when true, a follow-up task lands on the operator's today list plus a notification email. Pure-info calls create nothing.
4. Booking tools (the non-emergency default). The agent gets get-availability / book / reschedule / cancel tools against ONE shared calendar-aware booking engine, so chat, voice, and the public booking page all see the same availability truth and send the same confirmation, invite, and reminders. Never let the model invent slots; hard-rule the booking protocol to real availability.

After-hours (where the money leaks)

Configure explicitly: business hours, after-hours behavior (AI handles and books vs capture-and-morning-queue), and when the AI hands off. For emergency-natured niches, after-hours emergency keywords route to the live on-call ping (mechanisms 1-2); everything else books the morning slot (mechanism 4). This is the beachhead pitch for any business losing overnight leads: the morning-missed-leads pile becomes booked calls.

Build order for a new site

• Define the niche's emergency vocabulary + the on-call contact
• Stand up the calendar (who takes the calls, when)
• Wire chat widget → persona → booking tools
• Add voice number → same persona → same tools
• Configure escalation keywords + notify address (+ live transfer if the business runs a real on-call)
• Set after-hours behavior explicitly
• Test all four paths: panic keyword pings, transfer rings + text-back fires, callback request creates the task, normal chat books a real slot and the confirmation lands

Rules

1. AI silence on escalation is a feature: after the ping, the human owns the thread. The bot resuming over a live human is the cardinal sin.
2. One booking engine, one availability truth. Two calendars = double bookings = dead client.
3. Disclose honestly: the assistant speaks as the business's intake assistant, never impersonates a specific human.
4. Every mechanism must degrade safely: failed webhook still captures the lead, unanswered transfer still texts back, failed booking still takes a callback.