Recognising returning callers turns on with the AI receptionist. We connect Airtable now; until that is switched on for your line, the receptionist takes a message instead.
Setup steps
- Choose Connect. A short guided-setup form opens, and our team takes it from there.
- In Airtable, create a personal access token with the data.records:read scope for just this base, then paste it into the secure key form on the Connectors page in the app.
- Tell us the table, the phone number field and which fields callers may hear.
- We call in with a test record, check what is read out, and confirm on your ticket.
Sending us your API key. Never email it or paste it in a ticket. A workspace owner or admin pastes it into the secure key form on the Connectors page in the app (choose Paste your API key next to Airtable). It is stored encrypted and we only ever show its last 4 characters.
Permissions we ask for, and why
- A personal access token that can read records (data.records:read) in one base: So the receptionist can find a caller's record by phone number and read the fields you choose. It can't change or delete anything.
What the AI receptionist will do
- Will find the caller's record by the number they call from, or by an account number they give.
- Will text a one-time code to the number on file, and read out balances or other personal fields only after the caller enters it.
- Will read only the fields you choose, word for word, and transfer the call or take a message for anything else.
What it can't do, and limits
- Guided setup: our team connects it with you and tests it on your account before callers rely on it.
- The texted code needs the Texting add-on and carrier registration (usually 1 to 2 weeks).
- Read-only: callers can't change anything in your base. Payments and changes go to your team.
- Airtable limits how many requests a base answers each second; one lookup per call stays well inside it.
- Not for patient or medical records.
The AI says something is booked or ordered only when Airtable confirms it. If Airtable doesn't answer in time, the AI takes a message instead and tells the caller someone will follow up.
Troubleshooting
Can callers change my base?
No. The token can only read records.
What if a phone number appears twice?
The receptionist asks for an account or order number to pick the right record, and never reads out one it isn't sure about.
Disconnecting, and the data we keep
An owner or admin can disconnect at any time from Phone, then Connectors, in the app. Disconnecting stops TimberSwitch using Airtable straight away.
- Your Airtable token, encrypted. We only ever show its last 4 characters.
- A log of each lookup and code check: time, result and a masked caller number. Never the values read out.
- Deleting the key or disconnecting stops lookups straight away.
Still stuck?
Get help: it opens an Integration support ticket. Include the time of the call and what you expected to happen.
Formagrid, Inc. (Airtable) is a trademark of its owner; TimberSwitch is not affiliated.