How to automate phone calls with AI and Zapier

Scrambling to pick up ringing phones while trying to run the rest of your business? You’re not the only one. Missed or poorly handled calls translate into lost revenue and frustrated customers, yet very few small teams can afford a full-time receptionist. 

Even the price of traditional answering services doesn’t make sense for small business owners who need help with a small number of calls each month.

That’s where the one-two punch of AI and Zapier comes in. In about the time it takes to finish your morning run, you set up an AI answering service that answers every call, captures exactly what the caller needs, books appointments, and posts that data straight into the tools your team already lives in.

In this guide we’ll walk through:

• How AI voice agents like Upfirst combine with Zapier to automate call flows
  
  
• The business benefits you can expect (beyond just fewer voicemails)
  
  
• A step-by-step setup that anyone can follow
  
  
• Real-world Zap templates you can copy today
  

By the end, you’ll have a working playbook to reclaim your time and deliver a professional caller experience 24/7, all without hiring another human.

How AI + Zapier work together to automate phone calls

What is a Zapier trigger?

Think of Zapier as the universal connector for different software. Pick almost any app—your CRM, calendar, or help desk—and Zapier can listen for something happening in that app (a trigger) and respond by doing something in another app (an action). 

More than 7,000 apps connect through Zapier, so once your phone data lands there, anything is possible.​ 

What’s an AI answering service?

The missing piece is an AI voice agent or voicemail assistant that turns live calls into structured data. Upfirst does exactly that. When a call comes in, it greets the caller with a natural, human-like voice, asks follow-up questions, and summarizes the conversation. 

Under the hood, it’s powered by large language models, so it can reference your FAQs, price list, or knowledge base and respond accurately to callers. And because Upfirst is software, it runs 24/7 for a flat monthly fee that starts at $24.95.

It’s kind of like having a virtual receptionist that’s dedicated to your business, except it’s actually affordable for just about any small business owner.

Put those two services together and you unlock endlessly customizable call workflows:

1. Caller asks for a quote → Upfirst gathers project details → Zapier sends the data to HubSpot as a new deal.
   
   
2. Patient rings after hours → Upfirst books an appointment → Zapier creates a Google Calendar event and emails an intake form.
   
   
3. Job seeker calls → Upfirst tags it as recruitment → Zapier routes the transcript to the hiring Slack channel.
   

No dev resources. No phone menus. Just happy callers and automatic follow-through.

Benefits of automating your phone calls

Step-by-Step: setting up AI phone automation with Zapier

1. Create your Upfirst account

1. Head to upfirst.ai and click "Try for Free", or click here.
   
   
2. Answer a few questions about your business and what you do.
   
   
3. Train your AI receptionist by uploading FAQs, pricing sheets, or adding quick knowledge-base articles. 
4. Customize it any way that fits your business. Set it up to simply collect info and take a message, ask qualifying questions, or even as a “front desk” agent that can listen to the caller’s needs and then forward to the correct department. It’s all up to you.
   
   
5. Place a few test calls to be sure your calls are handled exactly how you want them to.

2. Enable the zapier integration

1. In Upfirst, open Settings → Integrations → Zapier.
   
   
2. Find the enable button and click it.
   

1. Next, you’ll be taken to Zapier. Create a free account with Zapier, or login to it if you already have one. 
2. After you sign in, you’ll be taken to the Zap workflow. From here, you’ll select Account and then Grant access for Upfirst. You may be prompted to sign into your Upfirst account.

3. Build your first zap

1. Log in to Zapier and click Create Zap.
   
   
2. Trigger: search for Upfirst and pick Call Ended (triggers every time a call ends) or Call Started.
   
   
3. Connect your Upfirst account; Zapier will pull in a recent call as sample data.
   
   
4. Action: choose the destination app—Google Calendar, HubSpot, Slack, etc.—and map the fields surfaced by Upfirst.
   
   
5. Test the Zap and turn it on. From now on, every matching call will flow through automatically.

Three ready-made use cases to automate your phone calls with AI and Zapier

Below are the most common automations we see among service-based businesses. Feel free to adapt them to your stack.

1. Auto-add appointments to Google Calendar

• Trigger: Upfirst → Call completed
  
  
• Action: Google Calendar → Create Detailed Event
  
  
• Why it rocks: Callers can schedule an appointment with you, even when you can’t answer the call yourself. You and the customer both receive calendar invites and reminders, slashing no-shows.

Configuration tips

• Map the call summary to Description so you can see why they made an appointment. 
• In the Ask Questions section in your Upfirst account, customize the question for your receptionist to ask what day/time the caller would like to set an appointment.

2. Log Leads in Google Sheets for quick wins

• Trigger: Upfirst → Call Ended
  
  
• Action: Google Sheets → Create Spreadsheet Row
  
  
• Why it rocks: Perfect for teams that live in spreadsheets or want a simple dashboard of leads from inbound calls.

3. Push new clients into Jobber (home-service pros)

• Trigger: Upfirst → Call Ended
  
  
• Action: Jobber → Create Client
  
  
• Why it rocks: Landscapers, plumbers, and cleaners can turn a phone inquiry into a scheduled job without touching a keyboard.

Best practices:

• Combine Jobber’s Create Client with a follow-up Create Request action so the initial quote request lands in the right queue.
  
  
• Attach the full call transcript as an internal note so field techs arrive informed.

Pro tips for a five-star caller experience for automated phone calls

Write a natural greeting. Instead of a stiff “Thank you for calling…”, try “Hi! This is the virtual receptionist for FreshScape Lawn Care—how can I help you today?”

Anticipate FAQs. The more detail you give Upfirst (opening hours, pricing tiers, service areas), the fewer questions get escalated and the more helpful your phone agent will be.

Use rejection logic. Not every call needs human follow-up. Set rules in Zapier to close out spam or wrong-number calls automatically.

Review transcripts weekly. Skim a handful of calls to spot new objections or selling points, then update your Knowledge Base.

Test like a customer. Call after hours, mumble your name, or ask an oddball question. Tweaks here ensure your AI stays sharp.

Ready to automate your phone calls with AI?

Manual call handling is a productivity tax your business no longer has to pay. With Upfirst’s AI and Zapier’s 7,000-plus integrations, you can build an automated phone workflow that fits right into the rest of your stack—no scripting, IVRs, or developer hours required. Capture every call whether you’re busy at 2pm or sleeping at 2am. Just round-the-clock professional service that goes to work for your small business.

Upfirst offers a free trial, so you can hear the AI in action and launch your first Zap in under 15 minutes. Sign up today, connect your apps, and watch the calls (and the admin work) take care of themselves.

Frequently asked questions

Is the AI voice natural enough for my brand?
Yes. Upfirst offers multiple voice profiles and lets you adjust tone, pace, and greeting so the experience feels like a knowledgeable human receptionist.

Do I need a developer to maintain this?
No. Both Upfirst and Zapier use no-code interfaces. If you can drag-and-drop or fill out a form, you can update your flows. Technical teams appreciate how easy it is to make changes without knowing any code

How customizable are the call flows and AI scripts?
As flexible as you need. You can update scripts and call flows at any time in your account—no coding required.

What’s the price of an AI answering service?
Upfirst’s plans start at $24.95 per month for 30 calls, which includes a local phone number, unlimited call flows, 24/7 coverage, bilingual support, call transfer, and more.

Can it scale to high volumes?
Absolutely. When you need overflow reception during peak seasons, or often have multiple calls coming in at once, Upfirst can answer each call on the first ring, so not one person is left on hold.