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🛠️ Show & Tell: AI Voice Receptionist — Retell AI + n8n + Google Sheets + Retool
Hey Contra community 👋
Just wrapped a full AI voice receptionist build for a home services client and wanted to share what went into it.
What it does:
Answers inbound calls 24/7 using Retell AI
Runs 3 real-time checks via n8n: service area · slot availability · customer lookup
Books the appointment live on the call — no double-booking
Logs to Google Sheets and fires a confirmation email automatically
Full Retool command center for the client to manage everything
The tricky part:
Retell AI has a toggle called "Payload: args only" — when enabled, it strips the parent wrapper from the webhook payload. Took a solid debug session to figure out why n8n kept returning empty data. Once I caught it and rebuilt the payload mapping, everything worked end to end.
Stack: Retell AI · n8n · Google Sheets · Retool MCP
Happy to answer questions on any part of the build — webhooks, n8n sub-workflow structure, Retool dashboard setup, whatever.
If you're a builder who gets overflow work in voice AI or home services automation, let's connect 🤝
Nice systems thinking in this build—the handoff between voice intake, availability checks, booking, and confirmation is clearly mapped to a real user outcome. The Retool command center also makes the automation legible instead of hiding it behind the scenes.
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I built a workflow that turns a business website into a testable AI phone receptionist.
The system analyzes the website, extracts services, staff, opening hours, policies, and other relevant information, then creates an isolated voice-agent demo for that business. Instead of sending a generic recording, we can provide a real phone number that allows the business to test the agent through an actual call.
When the website or scheduling system supports an integration, the agent can check availability and book appointments during the call. Otherwise, it safely captures the caller’s details and preferred time for staff follow-up.
If a business decides to continue after the demo, the same foundation can be expanded into a production receptionist with databases, customer-specific business rules, calendar and CRM integrations, confirmations, call summaries, analytics, and administrative controls.
The extracted information can also reveal gaps in the business website. Its content and structure can then be improved so both visitors and the AI receptionist receive clearer, more reliable information.
The main lesson I share is that website extraction alone is not enough. Information must be normalized, validated, and restricted to the source material before it can be used safely in a live voice conversation.
The demonstration uses a fictional dental clinic and real recordings from my working voice-agent system. No patient data, real customer information, or invented testimonials are included.
I used Descript to assemble and refine the presentation, edit the narration and real-call sections, create captions, and prepare the final submission.
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Starting with an original product photo and turning it into a polished e-commerce visual through an AI-assisted workflow.
AI can speed up the production, but it doesn’t replace creative thinking. The creative direction behind the AI still matters; from composition, lighting, environment, and product placement to deciding what actually works for the brand.
These decisions come from human experience: everything we’ve learned, seen, and experienced, combined with our own creative taste and judgment. AI can execute the direction, but we’re still the ones defining it.
Original product photo → e-commerce-ready creative.
Faster production, without removing the human design decisions behind it.
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the red light makes the shot pop
Why are AI and SaaS such a powerful combination?
AI can make a SaaS product much more useful by taking care of tasks that normally require manual work.
Some common examples:
Automating repetitive workflows
Using data to support better decisions
Personalizing the user experience
Improving security and detecting unusual activity
The key is not simply adding AI to a SaaS product. It’s about using AI where it can make the product faster, smarter, and easier to use.
