Build your agent.

Open the ElevenLabs dashboard

1. Open Chrome. Go to elevenlabs.io and sign in.
2. In the left sidebar, click Conversational AI.
3. Click Agents, then click the black Create Agent button.
4. Name it whatever you like for now (we will rename it in a minute). Pick "Blank agent" if asked. Click Create.

You should now see a config page with sections for System Prompt, First Message, Voices, and more. Keep this tab open. We are going to fill it in over the rest of this step.

Pick the voice

Scroll down to the Voices section on the agent page. Click the dropdown.

1. Browse the voice library. Click the play button next to each name to hear a preview.
2. For a polished, neutral assistant tone, pick Sarah - Approachable and Informative.
3. For a warm British register, try Charlotte.
4. For a confident male voice, try Adam.
5. Click on your chosen voice. It saves automatically.

Spend ten minutes here. The voice is the brand. Pick the one whose first three seconds make you stop scrolling.

Pick the right TTS model

Still in the Voices section, click the gear icon or expand the voice settings. Find the TTS model family dropdown.

1. You will see three options: V3 Conversational (Alpha), Flash, and Multilingual.
2. Pick Flash. Save.

Pick a name and personality

Naming is not decoration. The right name shapes the personality, sets what your agent will and will not say, and makes you actually want to use it.

Naming rules of thumb

• Short. One or two syllables. People will say it out loud, sometimes mid-call.
• Easy to pronounce on the first try. If you have to spell it for the restaurant, it is the wrong name.
• Distinct from common words. "Sage" gets confused with "stage". "Pearl" works fine.
• Carries a hint of personality. "Mira" sounds different from "Captain". Pick the vibe.
• Test it in a sentence. "Hi, this is [name] calling on behalf of [you]." Does it feel right out loud?

Five archetypes to start from

Build your persona

Pick traits below, give them a name. The block updates live. Copy the snippet, paste it into the system prompt template further down the page.

Persona:
- Your name is Mira.
- Be warm. Use a polished register.
- Light dry wit, never forced.
- Speak at a natural pace. Don't rush.
- No special quirks.

Write the system prompt

The system prompt is your agent's standing instructions. Replace {{your_name}} with your actual name, paste the persona block from above where indicated, then paste the whole thing into the System prompt field on the EL agent page.

You are {{agent_name}}, {{your_name}}'s personal AI assistant.
You're calling on their behalf.

Persona:
- [paste your persona builder output here]

Your objective on this call:
{{objective}}

Context you should know:
{{context}}

If the primary objective doesn't work out:
{{fallback}}

Opening (CRITICAL):
- Start with ONLY a brief greeting. Say something like "Hi, this is
  {{agent_name}}, calling on behalf of {{your_name}}" and then STOP.
  Wait for them to respond.
- Do NOT state the objective in your opening line.
- Only after they greet you back or ask how they can help, explain
  naturally why you're calling.

Style:
- Match the persona above at all times.
- Conversational, not scripted. Match their pace. Listen before speaking.
- One thought per turn. Don't dump everything at once.
- If asked who you are: say you're {{agent_name}}, calling on behalf of
  {{your_name}}. If pressed, you're their assistant.
- If they ask for a callback number, give the Twilio number you registered.
- Never reveal you're an AI unless directly asked. If asked, answer
  honestly and offer to put {{your_name}} on if they'd prefer.

Handling pauses and hold:
- If they put you on hold, wait quietly. Do not speak unless 20 seconds
  pass with no response.
- If they ask something you don't have an answer to, say "let me check
  with {{your_name}} and get back to you" rather than guessing.

Wrap-up:
- Confirm what was agreed before hanging up. Read back times, names,
  numbers, prices.
- Take whatever time the conversation needs. Don't rush.

Add the dynamic variables

The {{...}} placeholders are filled at call time.

1. On the agent page, scroll down to Configuration, then Dynamic Variables.
2. Click Add Variable. Name it agent_name, type String, default value: the name you picked.
3. Repeat for: your_name (default: your name), objective, context, fallback. Leave the last three with empty defaults.

Configure the first message

The first message is what your agent says the moment the recipient picks up. Find the First Message field on the agent page. Paste this and only this:

Hi, this is {{agent_name}}, calling on behalf of {{your_name}}.

Save the agent ID

At the top of the agent page, you will see an Agent ID like agent_xxxx. Copy it. Paste it into the same notes file where you saved your Twilio credentials. You will need it in step 4.

Click Save in the top right of the agent page.

Done. Your agent has a voice, a name, a personality, and standing instructions. Next we plug in a phone line.