As the account owner, you're the one setting up Beside for your whole team. This guide walks you through every step - from configuring your AI Receptionist to inviting your teammates and making sure everyone is ready to take calls on day one.
You can run most of the setup from either 📖 Beside on the web at app.beside.com or the Beside mobile app - the web is the easiest place to manage members, lines, and billing.
Welcome - what Beside does for you & your team
Beside is your team's AI-powered business phone. Once you're set up, here's what changes - and what stays the same.
What changes:
Calls to your business number are answered 24/7 by your AI Receptionist - even when no one on the team is available
Every call gets routed to the right person based on rules you set up
Messages and call summaries are captured automatically, so nothing falls through the cracks
What doesn't change:
Your team keeps their current phone numbers - Beside works alongside them
No new hardware needed - everything runs from the Beside app
Your clients keep calling the same number they already know
How this guide works: follow the steps below in order. Each one builds on the previous - by the end, your AI Receptionist will be live, your number connected, and your team ready to take calls.
Your setup checklist
✅ Complete these steps in order. Each one builds on the previous - your teammates can't receive calls until the AI Receptionist is configured and your number is connected.
Sign in to Beside
Invite your team
Configure your AI Receptionist
Set up transfer rules
Connect your business phone number
Enable each teammate
Step 1 - Sign in to Beside
You can use Beside on the web or in the mobile app - whichever you prefer. Both sync with the same account.
Web: go to app.beside.com and sign in - no download needed
Mobile: download Beside from the App Store or Google Play
If you don't have an account yet, create one from either surface or at beside.com.
💡 Recommended setup: use the web for managing your team, lines, and billing, and the mobile app for setting up call forwarding on your phone (Step 5)
Step 2 - Invite your team
Once your lines and AI are configured, it's time to bring your team in. Each person you invite will receive an email with a link to join your account.
To invite a teammate from Beside on the web:
Go to app.beside.com
Click Settings in the sidebar, then Members under Workspace
Click Invite (top right) and enter their email address
They'll receive an invitation email with next steps
You can also invite members from the Beside mobile app under Settings, then Your Account, then Members, but the web makes it easier to manage roles and line access from a single view.
📌 Seats: Each invited member uses one seat on your 👥 Business plan. You can manage your seat count from Settings, then Plan & Billing on the web.
How many people to invite at once? It depends on your team size and how comfortable everyone is with new tools.
Small team or first rollout: start with 1-2 champions who are motivated to try it. Get them fully set up, collect feedback, then roll out to everyone else. This makes it easier to troubleshoot and builds internal momentum.
Larger or more confident team: invite everyone at once. The setup process is self-serve - share the teammate guide with them and they can follow it independently.
Either way, you can always invite more people later - there's no deadline.
After sending invites, keep an eye on progress: go to Settings, then Members on the web to see who has accepted their invitation and who still has a pending invite. If someone hasn't accepted after a day or two, you can resend their invitation directly from there.
Step 3 - Configure your AI Receptionist
Your AI Receptionist is the first thing your callers will experience. Set it up before connecting your business number so it's ready to handle calls from day one.
On the web, click AI Receptionist in the sidebar, pick the line at the top, and configure each section. On the mobile app, open your line's AI tab. You'll set:
Welcome Greeting - what your AI says when it picks up
Knowledge - Company Details, Contact Information, Additional Knowledge, and Products & Services so your AI can answer questions accurately
Tone of Voice - choose a voice that fits your brand
Phone Calls scope - choose whether your AI answers all calls, or only when you're unavailable
💡 Good to know: Each Beside line has its own AI Receptionist. If your team has multiple lines, you'll configure the AI separately for each one.
Step 4 - Set up transfer rules
Transfer rules tell your AI Receptionist how to route calls to the right person or line. Without them, the AI picks up but doesn't know where to send callers who ask for a specific person or department.
Common patterns to start with:
By topic - "calls about appointments → transfer to [teammate]", "billing questions → transfer to [line]"
By person - "caller asks for Sarah → transfer to Sarah's line"
By time of day - "calls after 6pm → take a message instead of transferring"
Start simple - one or two rules covering your most common call scenarios is enough to go live. You can always add more rules later as you learn how your calls actually flow.
On the web, go to AI Receptionist, pick your line, then click Transfer Calls under Actions. Click + Add to define each rule with a name, description (when to transfer), callee name, and phone number.
⚠️ Set this up before going live. Transfer rules need to be in place before your team starts receiving calls. If a caller asks for a teammate and there's no rule configured, the AI won't know where to route them.
Step 5 - Connect your business phone number
Call forwarding redirects your existing business number to Beside. Your clients keep calling the same number they already know - Beside handles the rest.
In the Beside mobile app, go to Settings, then Call Forwarding and follow the guided setup. The app will auto-detect your carrier and walk you through activation.
You can also enable Call Forwarding on the web: Settings, then Phone Numbers, click your line, then the General tab, and turn on Call Forwarding under Configure Number.
📌 Note: Call forwarding is managed by your carrier, not Beside. Setup steps vary by provider. If the in-app flow doesn't work, you can activate it manually using carrier dial codes.
Step 6 - Enable each teammate
Inviting someone to your account is just the first step. For your teammates to actually receive calls on a Beside line, you need to give them access to the right line and make sure they've completed their own setup.
As the account owner, you need to:
Assign each teammate to the right line - on the web, go to Settings, then Members, then use ⋯, then Manage inboxes to choose which lines they can access
Share the teammate guide with them - once they accept their invite, send them the link to the teammate setup guide so they can finish their own setup independently
💡 Tip: Depending on how your team is set up, teammates may need to configure call forwarding on their own phone. That's covered in the teammate guide - you don't need to do it for them.
What happens next
Once your AI Receptionist is live, your number is connected, and your teammates are set up, you're fully operational. Here's how to make the most of it from day one.
Don't try to configure everything at once. Start with your most important call scenario - the one that costs you the most when it goes wrong. Get that working well before adding complexity. You can always refine your AI, add transfer rules, and bring in more teammates over time.
Check your call activity regularly. In Beside, you can see every call that came in, how the AI handled it, and what the caller needed. This is your best feedback loop for improving your setup.
Questions anytime: tap the help icon in the Beside app or on the web to reach our support team via in-app chat, or email us at [email protected].
Manage your team on the web
Beside on the web at app.beside.com is where you handle the admin side of your account - members, lines, billing, and seats. Click Settings in the sidebar to access:
Members (under Workspace) - view all invited members, manage pending invitations, change roles, and remove access
Phone Numbers (under Workspace) - view all your Beside lines and create new ones
Plan & Billing (under Workspace) - manage your subscription, add or remove seats, and download invoices
FAQ
Does each teammate need their own Beside account?
Does each teammate need their own Beside account?
No. Teammates are invited to your account - they don't create a separate subscription. Each invited member uses one seat on your 👥 Business plan.
Can I assign a teammate to multiple lines?
Can I assign a teammate to multiple lines?
Yes. A single teammate can be added to multiple Beside lines. They'll see all their lines in Beside and can switch between them.
What if my teammate never accepted their invitation?
What if my teammate never accepted their invitation?
You can see pending invitations under Settings, then Members on the web. You can resend the invitation email from there. Make sure the email didn't land in their spam folder.
Do I need to set up call forwarding for each teammate?
Do I need to set up call forwarding for each teammate?
No. Each teammate sets up call forwarding on their own phone. It's covered step by step in the teammate guide. Your role as the account owner is to invite them and assign them to the right line.
Can I add more lines later?
Can I add more lines later?
Yes. You can add new Beside lines at any time from Settings, then Phone Numbers on the web (click + New Number), or from Settings, then Phone Numbers, then Add a line in the mobile app. Each line can have its own AI Receptionist, transfer rules, and invited members.