Beside lets you customize your Receptionist so it sounds like you or matches your business's tone of voice.
You can fully personalize your Receptionist's:
Voice: Clone your own voice or choose from a range of pre‑recorded options in our Voice Library.
Language: Choose from American English voices or bilingual voices in Spanish (Mexico), French (Canada), Portuguese (Brazil), and Russian.
Finally, you can test your Receptionist as a preview caller to hear its voice, tone, and bilingual capabilities before using it with real callers.
Customize your AI Receptionist's voice & language
From the web app
Go to app.beside.com and click AI Receptionist in the sidebar.
If you have multiple lines, select the line you want to update from the dropdown at the top.
Under Voice, click Tone of Voice.
Pick your Voice Clone (if you've created one from the mobile app) or click any voice from the Voice Library to select it. Language tags next to each name (e.g. EN-US, ES-MX, FR-CA, PT-BR, RU-RU) show which languages each voice supports.
From the mobile app
Open the Beside mobile app → AI Receptionist tab → under the 📞 Phone tab → go to Preferences: Tone of voice.
From there, you can either:
Create a Voice Clone, or
Choose a pre‑recorded voice from the library
ℹ️ If you're on a Business plan and have multiple lines, each line has its own Receptionist with unique, customizable voice settings.
Option 1 - Clone your voice
Voice cloning is only available from the mobile app. Once cloned, your voice clone appears under Voice Clone on both the mobile app and the web app.
➡️ Once on the Choose Voice screen, tap Clone Voice. Then:
Tap the red Record button.
Read the on‑screen script naturally (≈30 seconds).
Your voice clone is generated in under 10 seconds.
Preview, redo, or save your clone.
📌 Only one voice clone can be active at a time. Saving a new clone overwrites the current one.
🗣️ Voice Clones currently support English only. If you need your Receptionist to speak multiple languages, choose a pre-recorded bilingual voice instead.
Option 2 - Choose a pre-recorded voice
Browse our library of 20 professional voices.
Each voice has a different personality (supportive, helpful, enthusiastic).
All voices speak American English, and many offer bilingual options in Spanish (Mexico), French (Canada), Portuguese (Brazil), and Russian. On the web app, the supported languages appear as tags next to each voice name.
Tap or click any voice to preview it.
📌 Only one voice can be active at a time. Selecting a new one replaces the previous voice.
ℹ️ Voice previews are in English only. If your selected voice supports a second language, you will be able to hear it when testing your Receptionist.
⚠️ Voice library update (iOS 2.8.0):
The voice library was updated with 20 new voices replacing the previous selection.
If you were using a previous voice, it will continue to work for your calls, but it will no longer appear in the voice picker.
To explore the new voices, go to AI Receptionist → Voice → Tone of Voice on the web app, or AI Receptionist → 📞 Phone → Preferences → Tone of voice on mobile.
📌 Multilingual voices on Android:
Multilingual voices are currently available on iOS and the web app.
On Android, all voices operate in English for now. Additional languages are coming soon.
📌 Default call language:
Your AI Receptionist currently starts every call in English by default.
Callers can still ask it to switch to the additional language supported by the voice you selected.
The ability to start calls directly in the alternate language of the selected voice is coming soon.
Pronunciation
If your AI Receptionist mispronounces a name, company, or specific word, you can teach it the correct pronunciation. Add the word as it is normally written, then type how it should be said out loud. Your AI Receptionist will use that pronunciation on every call going forward.
Pronunciation hints are managed per line and apply to every call your AI Receptionist handles on that line.
📌 Platform availability:
Available on the Beside mobile app on iPhone only.
Not available on Android or Beside on the web.
Add a pronunciation
Open the Beside mobile app and go to the AI tab.
If you're on the 👥 Business plan with multiple lines, select the line you want to update from the dropdown at the top left.
Go to 📞 Phone → Preferences → Pronunciation.
Tap New Word.
In Word, enter the word as it is normally written (e.g. Acme).
In Pronounce as, type how it should be said. Spell it phonetically using regular letters and dashes (e.g. Ak-mee).
Tap Save.
💡 Tip:
Write the pronunciation the way you would tell a friend to say it. Break it into syllables with dashes and use letters that match the sound.
Examples: support → Su-pawt, Beside → Bee-side.
For email addresses or other read-aloud rules (e.g. "Please always spell our email address when telling it: Support at Beside dot com"), use Additional Knowledge instead. Go to AI Receptionist → Knowledge → Additional Knowledge.
Manage your pronunciations
All saved entries appear under Words on the Pronunciation screen, formatted as word → pronunciation.
Add another: tap New Word at the bottom.
Delete: tap the 🗑️ icon next to the word, then confirm Delete.
Changes apply to new calls immediately.
Call and test your AI Receptionist
Open the Beside mobile app → AI Receptionist → scroll down and tap Test Receptionist. When the demo screen opens:
Tap the green Call button.
Interact with your Receptionist to hear its greeting, tone of voice and pronunciation.
If you selected a bilingual voice, you can speak in any of its supported languages.
When finished, tap Done.
You can return to the settings anytime to fine‑tune the voice until it sounds just right.
Troubleshooting
Can I adjust how fast my AI Receptionist speaks?
Can I adjust how fast my AI Receptionist speaks?
Speed adjustment is not currently available. The voices in our library have been tuned for natural pacing - but if a particular voice feels too fast or too slow for your callers, the easiest fix is to try a different voice from the library, since each one has its own pace and personality.
Use Test Receptionist in the mobile app to compare voices before settling on one.
My AI Receptionist's voice sounds different - what happened?
My AI Receptionist's voice sounds different - what happened?
We recently updated our voice library with 20 new, higher-quality voices. If you were using a previous voice, it will continue to work for your calls, but it no longer appears in the voice picker. If you'd like to try a different voice, go to AI Receptionist → Voice → Tone of Voice on the web app, or AI Receptionist → 📞 Phone → Preferences → Tone of voice on mobile, to browse the updated voice library.
I was using a voice that's no longer in the list - what happened?
I was using a voice that's no longer in the list - what happened?
The previous voice library (including voices like Jack, Mia, Luna, Jordan, Taylor, and others) has been replaced with 20 new voices. Your current voice will continue working for your calls, but it won't appear in the picker anymore. If you'd like to switch, browse the new voice library - you may find a voice with a similar personality and tone.