Caller Memory lets your Receptionist build context about individual callers over time. When the same person calls again, your Receptionist can greet them by name and use what it already knows instead of starting from scratch.
Example: a customer calls about a delivery window one week. With Caller Memory on, your Receptionist already has that context the next time they call.
📌 In beta: Caller Memory is rolling out gradually on iPhone, Android, and on Beside on the web, so you may not see it on your line yet.
How Caller Memory works
When Caller Memory is turned on for a line, your Receptionist works from two things.
The record of what actually happened
At the start of each call, your Receptionist reads your earlier calls and texts with that number on that line, along with appointments already booked. This is the real history, not a summary, so it includes what your business did since - a reply you sent, a price you texted over.
That means a repeat caller does not start over, and your Receptionist will not contradict a text one of your team already sent.
The written summary
Beside also keeps a short written summary of what has been discussed with that caller, and updates it after Receptionist calls, after texts, and after calls you answered yourself.
Beside picks up the caller's name from the conversation, so your Receptionist can greet them by name next time.
Memory is per caller, per line. The same caller has separate memory on each line they call.
Caller Memory is off by default. With it off, your Receptionist reads neither the record nor the summary.
Greet returning callers by name
When your Receptionist already knows a caller's name, it greets them by name the next time they call - "Hi Mike, thanks for calling..." rather than your standard opening.
How it behaves:
It uses your own Welcome Greeting. Beside rewrites your greeting so the caller's name fits naturally, keeping your wording, tone and language - you don't write a second greeting.
Only the caller's first name is spoken, even when a last name is stored.
If you use a different greeting outside your business hours, that one is personalized the same way.
When your Receptionist doesn't know the caller's name yet, it simply plays your greeting exactly as you wrote it.
💡 Where the name comes from:
Your Receptionist picks the name up from previous conversations with that caller - you never have to enter it.
It's the same name you can review and correct on the contact (see View memory for a specific caller below). Once you correct it, the next greeting uses your version.
🟡 There's no separate setting: Greeting by name follows Caller Memory. If Caller Memory is off for a line, your Receptionist never greets callers by name on that line.
Turn Caller Memory on or off
Caller Memory is what your Receptionist uses on the calls it answers, so make sure your Receptionist is set up first.
On mobile (iPhone + Android)
Go to Receptionist and open the Phone tab
Scroll to the Instructions section and tap Caller Memory
Toggle Caller Memory on or off
Changes save automatically for that line.
On the web app
Go to app.beside.com and click Receptionist in the sidebar
If you have more than one line, select the line from the dropdown at the top
On the Phone Calls tab, scroll down to Caller memory
Use the toggle
Changes save automatically.
View memory for a specific caller
Once Caller Memory is enabled, you can see what your Receptionist has stored about a specific person - and correct the name it will greet them with.
On iPhone
Open the contact's profile
Under Call History, tap Contact Memory
The screen shows:
Name - how your Receptionist will greet the caller, picked up from your conversations. This is editable, so you can correct a name it misheard.
Summary - what your Receptionist has remembered, written by Beside. This is read-only.
Last updated - when the memory last changed.
If the line doesn't have Caller Memory turned on, the screen tells you so instead. If nothing has been recorded for that caller yet, the summary is empty.
On Android
Open the chat with that contact and tap the contact header to open their contact info
Tap Caller memory
If you have more than one line, pick the line whose memory you want to see
The screen shows an editable First name and Last name, the read-only Summary, and when the memory was last updated. Tap Save to keep a name change - the summary is preserved untouched.
The Caller memory row only appears when at least one of your lines has Caller Memory turned on. It is hidden for contacts that belong to your personal line, which does not support caller memory.
On Beside on the web
Open a private (1:1) chat with that contact
In the chat header, click the Caller memory icon (sparkle / note icon)
A panel shows an editable Name and the read-only Summary
Change the name and click Save
📌 What you can change:
On iPhone and on Beside on the web, you can edit the caller's Name. On Android, you can edit their First name and Last name.
This is the name your Receptionist uses when it greets that caller, so correcting it here fixes the greeting too.
The summary itself is read-only everywhere - you can review what your Receptionist remembered, but you can't rewrite it or add your own notes.
If Caller Memory is off, or nothing has been stored yet for that caller, the panel may be empty or the icon may not appear.
Good to know
Caller Memory can only be switched on or off at the line level, not per individual chat.
The summary your Receptionist writes is read-only. On iPhone, Android and Beside on the web you can correct the caller's name, but you can't rewrite the summary or add your own notes.
The record of earlier calls and texts is not something you edit - it is your actual history on that line.
Your Receptionist greets callers by name only when Caller Memory is on for that line and it has already learned the caller's name. Otherwise it plays your Welcome Greeting as you wrote it.
FAQ
Does Caller Memory work for all calls?
Does Caller Memory work for all calls?
Your Receptionist uses it on the calls it answers. The written summary is kept up to date more broadly: it also updates after your texts with that caller and after calls you answered yourself, so what your Receptionist knows next time reflects what your business actually did.
Does Caller Memory work for text messages?
Does Caller Memory work for text messages?
Yes. Your texts with a caller count twice over: they are part of the record your Receptionist reads at the start of a call, and they keep the written summary up to date.
What this does not mean is a Receptionist that greets people by name in a text thread. Caller Memory shapes the calls your Receptionist answers; it is not a separate memory for your text conversations.
How far back does my Receptionist look?
How far back does my Receptionist look?
It reads your recent calls and texts with that number on that line, most recent first, and fits in as many as it can. A caller with a long history gets the latest part of it rather than everything, and your Receptionist is told plainly when older exchanges were left out.
Why don't I see Caller Memory on my line?
Why don't I see Caller Memory on my line?
Caller Memory is in beta and rolling out gradually, so it may not be on your line yet. It's available on iPhone, Android, and on Beside on the web.
Is Caller Memory included in my plan?
Is Caller Memory included in my plan?
Yes. Caller Memory is included for all subscribers - it isn't a paid add-on. Pricing differs by plan, but the feature set is the same. 📖 Compare Beside Phone plans and pricing
Can I stop my Receptionist greeting callers by name?
Can I stop my Receptionist greeting callers by name?
Yes. Turn Caller Memory off for that line and your Receptionist goes back to your standard Welcome Greeting for everyone. There is no separate setting for the greeting on its own. To stop it for one caller only, open their contact and clear the name - the rest of the memory stays in place.
Can I edit or delete what my Receptionist remembers about a caller?
Can I edit or delete what my Receptionist remembers about a caller?
Partly. You can correct the caller's name on iPhone (contact's profile → Call History → Contact Memory), on Android (contact info → Caller memory) and on Beside on the web (Caller memory icon in the chat header). The Summary is written by Beside and stays read-only, so you can't rewrite it or add your own notes, and the record of earlier calls and texts is your real history rather than something editable. To stop your Receptionist building or using memory for a caller, turn Caller Memory off for that line.
My Receptionist got a caller's name wrong. Can I fix it?
My Receptionist got a caller's name wrong. Can I fix it?
Yes, and the correction applies from the next call. On iPhone, open the contact's profile and tap Contact Memory under Call History. On Android, open their contact info and tap Caller memory. On Beside on the web, click the Caller memory icon in the chat header. Edit the name, then save. If the save fails, Beside tells you and you can try again.
My Receptionist greeted a caller by someone else's name
My Receptionist greeted a caller by someone else's name
This happens when several people call from the same number - a shared business line, a household, or a front desk. Your Receptionist keeps one name per number per line, so it uses the last one it learned. Open that contact, then correct the name or clear it so your Receptionist stops using a name for that number.
My Receptionist mispronounced a caller's name
My Receptionist mispronounced a caller's name
Your Receptionist speaks the name as it is written, so an unusual spelling can come out wrong. Editing the stored name to a spelling that reads the way it sounds is the best workaround for now. If it still doesn't sound right, clear the name and your Receptionist will use your standard greeting for that caller.
If a caller uses two of my lines, is memory shared?
If a caller uses two of my lines, is memory shared?
No. Memory is separate per line. The same caller has independent memory on each line they call.
Is Caller Memory available on Android?
Is Caller Memory available on Android?
Yes. Caller Memory is now rolling out on Android (from Beside 1.18.0), alongside iPhone and Beside on the web. Since Beside 1.24.0, you can also open a caller's memory from their contact info on Android and correct the name it picked up. It's still in beta and rolling out gradually, so you may not see it on your line yet.
Why is there no Caller memory row on this contact?
Why is there no Caller memory row on this contact?
Two reasons, both expected. The row only shows when at least one of your lines has Caller Memory turned on - turn it on for a line and it appears. It is also hidden for contacts that belong to your personal line, which doesn't support caller memory. Open the contact from one of your business lines instead. On iPhone the row is called Contact Memory and sits under Call History.