Google Voice | ElevenLabs Documentation

Google Voice has no direct connection to Reception.ai, so you connect it with call forwarding. Your receptionist answers on its own Reception.ai number, and Google Voice forwards calls to it. Callers keep dialing your Google Voice number.

First, go to Receptionists, select the Phone tile, and get a number. See Phone numbers.

Then pick one of the setups below.

Setup	What happens
Forward from a ring group	Google Workspace only. The group rings first; unanswered or after-hours calls go to the receptionist.
Link the receptionist’s number	Calls to your own Google Voice number ring the receptionist along with your devices.

Forward from a ring group

Ring groups need a Google Voice Standard or Premier subscription, and setting one up needs the Google Voice Admin role.

Open the ring group

In the Google Admin console, go to Menu → Apps → Google Workspace → Google Voice → Ring groups, and open or create the ring group for your business number.

Forward unanswered calls

Under Configure call handling, set Unanswered calls to Forward the caller. Set Forward type to Phone number and enter your receptionist’s number. For a number outside the US, choose the country or region first. Unanswered calls are forwarded after 30 seconds.

Forward after-hours calls

Select Edit Working Hours, set Opening hours to Customized hours, and add holiday closures if needed. Set After hours action to Forward the caller, with Forward type Phone number and your receptionist’s number.

An auto attendant can also send callers to another phone number, during open hours from a menu option or after hours.

Link the receptionist’s number

Use this for a Google Voice number assigned to you. Linked numbers ring together with your Google Voice apps, so the receptionist usually answers first.

Turn off call screening

On voice.google.com, open Settings → Calls and turn off Screen Calls. With screening on, whoever answers has to press 1 to accept the call, and your receptionist can’t press keys.

Show the caller’s number

In the same section, turn off Show my Google Voice number as caller ID when forwarding calls, so the receptionist sees the caller’s number.

Add the linked number

Under Account → Linked numbers, select New linked number and enter your receptionist’s number. Choose Verify by phone, then Call. Your receptionist answers Google’s verification call: open the conversation in Reception.ai’s Inbox, find the code in the transcript, and enter it in Google Voice.

Check forwarding is on

Under Settings → Calls → Incoming calls, make sure the receptionist’s number is turned on under Call forwarding.

Linked numbers aren’t available to SIP Link users, and your Google Workspace admin may restrict them. To ring your own devices before the receptionist, turn on Who answers first in Reception.ai instead, with a staff phone that isn’t your Google Voice number. See Who answers first.

What to know

Caller ID: For linked numbers, the Show my Google Voice number as caller ID when forwarding calls setting controls it: off shows the caller’s number. Google doesn’t document which number ring-group forwards show, so check it in your test call. If the receptionist sees your Google Voice number instead of the caller’s, every call looks like it comes from the same number, and your receptionist can’t recognize returning callers by their number.

Test it

Call your Google Voice number from another phone at a time when the routing you set applies. Check that your receptionist answers, then open Inbox and confirm which caller number the conversation shows. See Testing.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to check
The receptionist answers, then the call goes to voicemail	Screen Calls is on. Turn it off under Settings → Calls.
Every call shows your Google Voice number	Turn off Show my Google Voice number as caller ID when forwarding calls.
No verification code in the transcript	Retry Verify by phone and check the newest conversation in Inbox. If the code still isn’t there, use a ring group instead.
Calls never reach the receptionist	Call the receptionist’s number directly. If that works, check the ring group’s Unanswered calls and working hours, or that the linked number is on under Call forwarding.
Callers are asked to press a key before the receptionist answers	Spam protection asks callers whose number isn’t verified to press a key. Forwarded calls can arrive unverified. Turn it off if this affects real callers.