Beside includes a traditional voicemail feature: callers hear a recorded greeting and can leave a voicemail. Your voicemail greeting plays only when a caller is not handled by your AI Receptionist, based on your settings (caller type, business hours, missed-call rules, etc.).
If the AI Receptionist is configured to handle a caller, the AI Receptionist will answer instead of your voicemail.
📌 Set up voicemail from the Beside mobile app. Recording and configuring your voicemail greeting is currently done from the mobile app, support for this in the web app at app.beside.com is coming soon. Voicemails themselves can be heard on any surface once they land in your conversation thread.
How voicemail works
Your voicemail greeting is a recorded message that callers hear when you don't answer and the AI Receptionist is not active for that caller. It can be:
A Default greeting - Beside announces your number
A Custom greeting - you record your own message
Set up your voicemail greeting
Open the Beside mobile app
Go to Settings
Select your line
Under Phone, tap Traditional Voicemail
You'll see two options:
Use the default greeting
Plays a simple, generic message asking the caller to leave a voicemail after the tone
No recording required
Record a custom greeting
If you want to personalize your message:
Tap Custom
Tap Record
Clearly speak your greeting into the microphone
Tap Stop when you're done
Tap Play to preview
Tap Save to apply your new greeting
Your custom greeting will play for callers whenever you don't pick up and the AI Receptionist is not active for them.
Change the number of rings before voicemail picks up
You can adjust how many times your line rings before the call rolls over to voicemail (or to the AI Receptionist, if it's active for that caller). The same setting controls both flows - there is a single ring count per line.
From the Beside mobile app
Open the Beside mobile app
Go to Settings, then select your line
Open the AI Receptionist settings, then look for Rings before AI answers
Pick a value between 0 and 10
📌 iOS note: the option 1 ring is not available on iOS - pick 0 or 2+ instead.
From Beside on the web
Go to app.beside.com
Click Settings in the sidebar, then Phone Numbers under Workspace
Open the line you want to manage
In the AI Receptionist / Phone settings, find the Rings setting
Pick a value between Direct to Receptionist (0) and 10 rings
💡 How the value applies: your custom ring count applies when the AI Receptionist or voicemail flow is the one taking the call. If a particular call doesn't go through the AI Receptionist (for example, caller scope rules don't apply), Beside may use a default ring behaviour for that call path instead.
FAQ
When does voicemail play instead of the AI Receptionist?
When does voicemail play instead of the AI Receptionist?
Voicemail plays when you don't answer and the AI Receptionist is either turned off or not configured to handle that specific caller. If the AI Receptionist is active for a caller, it will pick up instead of voicemail.
Can I have different voicemail greetings for different lines?
Can I have different voicemail greetings for different lines?
Yes. Each Beside line has its own voicemail greeting. Go to Settings, select the specific line, then configure its Traditional Voicemail.
Where do I find my voicemails?
Where do I find my voicemails?
Voicemails appear in the conversation thread with the caller. You can play them from the mobile app, the web app at app.beside.com, or Beside for macOS.
Can I set up my voicemail greeting from the web app?
Can I set up my voicemail greeting from the web app?
Not yet - recording and configuring your voicemail greeting is currently done from the Beside mobile app. Support for this in app.beside.com is coming soon.
What's the difference between the AI Receptionist and voicemail?
What's the difference between the AI Receptionist and voicemail?
The AI Receptionist is an interactive assistant that can answer questions, take messages, book appointments, and qualify leads. Traditional voicemail simply plays a greeting and records a message. You can use both - the AI Receptionist handles callers you configure it for, and voicemail catches the rest.
Is the ring count separate for AI Receptionist and voicemail?
Is the ring count separate for AI Receptionist and voicemail?
No - there's a single ring count per line that controls both. When a call comes in and you don't pick up, the same ring count determines when the call rolls over, whether the AI Receptionist or voicemail is the one taking it.