The Four Controls
| Control | What it affects | Main doc |
|---|---|---|
| Greeting timing | When the first message starts and whether callers can interrupt it | Greeting Messages |
| VAD / turn detection | When the platform decides the caller has finished speaking | VAD & Turn Detection |
| Inactivity handling | What happens when nobody speaks for a while | Inactivity Timeout Settings |
| Ambient sound | How pauses feel between spoken turns | Ambient Sound |
1. Greeting Timing
The first few seconds set the tone for the whole call. Use greeting timing to control:- how long the agent waits before speaking
- whether the caller can interrupt the opening line
- whether inbound and outbound greetings behave differently
Recommended starting point
- short initial delay
- non-interruptible greeting for most inbound use cases
- outbound-specific override only when proactive calls need a different opening
2. VAD And Turn Detection
VAD decides when the caller has stopped speaking and the agent should respond. This strongly affects:- perceived responsiveness
- interruption behavior
- whether the agent cuts people off
- whether the agent waits too long after short pauses
When to tighten it
- the agent waits too long after obvious answers
- callers say the assistant feels slow
When to loosen it
- the agent interrupts mid-thought
- callers pause naturally before finishing
- the call includes number sequences or careful explanations
3. Inactivity Handling
Inactivity settings control what happens when the call goes quiet. Use them to define:- how long the platform waits
- whether it should reprompt
- when it should end the conversation
- outbound calls where the recipient does not answer clearly
- long pauses during support or booking flows
- calls where the customer may step away temporarily
4. Ambient Sound
Ambient sound does not change turn detection directly, but it changes how pauses feel. Used carefully, it can make pauses feel:- intentional
- less sterile
- more natural
- noisy
- distracting
- less professional
How These Controls Work Together
Symptoms And Likely Fixes
| Symptom | Most likely area to review |
|---|---|
| Agent starts talking too soon | Greeting delay or VAD sensitivity |
| Agent cuts callers off | VAD / turn detection |
| Agent feels slow after short answers | VAD / pause timing |
| Calls feel awkward during silence | Inactivity settings |
| Pauses feel sterile or abrupt | Ambient sound and overall pacing |
How Model And Transcriber Choices Affect Timing
One settings panel does not control all timing. Your experience also depends on:- the speech model and voice choice
- transcriber behavior
- how much work the agent is doing during the turn
- whether tools or knowledge retrieval add extra latency
A Practical Tuning Loop
- Start with default timing.
- Run a short Web Simulator test.
- Run at least one real Phone Test.
- Listen for interruptions, long pauses, and awkward silence.
- Change one timing variable at a time.
- Test again with the same scenario.
Common Mistakes
Changing too many timing settings at once
Changing too many timing settings at once
If you change greeting delay, VAD, inactivity, and ambient sound together, it becomes hard to know what actually improved or broke the experience.
Using ambient sound to hide a latency problem
Using ambient sound to hide a latency problem
Ambient sound can improve feel, but it does not fix slow tools, slow retrieval, or slow models.
Tuning only in browser tests
Tuning only in browser tests
Browser tests are useful, but phone calls expose timing issues more clearly, especially around greeting pace and interruption behavior.
Next Steps
Greeting Messages
Configure the opening experience
VAD & Turn Detection
Fine-tune how the platform detects completed speech
Inactivity Timeout Settings
Decide what happens during silence
Ambient Sound
Adjust the feel of pauses and background atmosphere