Back to Help Home
Last updated: 2025-10-25•Location: Journeys > Create Journey

Related Articles

Account Setup PrerequisitesCustomer Journeys - OverviewAI Text Agents - OverviewAI Voice Agents - OverviewCalendars and AppointmentsForm Lead Sources

brayv.ai Quick Start Guide

Overview

This guide walks you through setting up your first fully automated lead engagement system in brayv.ai. After completing account setup prerequisites, follow these steps to go live with AI-powered conversations, appointment booking, and automated follow-ups.

Prerequisites

Before starting this guide, complete:

Required:

  • ✅ Account setup prerequisites completed
  • ✅ A2P approval received (or in progress - you can set up while waiting)

Simple Setup Process

Step 1: Create a Calendar

Step-by-step walkthrough video for setting up your first calendar:

Go to Appointments & Calendars page

  1. Click the "Calendar Settings" tab
  2. Click "Create Calendar"
  3. Configure:
    • Name your calendar
    • Set appointment duration and intervals
    • Add at least one team member
    • Configure availability (days and hours)
  4. Click "Create"

Why First: You need a calendar before you can create an appointment journey or enable AI booking.

Step 2: Create Your First Journey

Step-by-step walkthrough video for setting up your first journey:

Go to Journeys page

  1. Click "Create Journey"
  2. Select "Appointment Journey"
  3. Select your calendar (the one you just created)
  4. Journey builder will load

Step 3: Configure Journey Settings

  1. Click "Journey Settings"
  2. Name your journey something descriptive
    • Example: "Main Journey for New Service Leads"
  3. Click "Save"

Step 4: Configure Starting Line Agent

Set Up the AI Agent:

You must have saved your Journey at least 1 time to move on to this step

  1. Click on "Starting Line" stage
  2. Uncheck the box that says "Turn Off AI"
  3. Click "Add Text Agent"
  4. Make at least 1 change to your agent
    • Example: Change model to gpt-4.1 (great general model)
  5. Click on the "Actions" tab
    • click "quick add"
    • select "not interested"
    • select "stop contact"
    • both highly recommended for Starting Line agents that do followups
    • Allows agent to automatically handle leads appropriately that aren't intersted or tell you to stop contacting them.
  6. Click "Save Changes"

Edit with AI (Recommended):

  1. Agent will appear in blue outline on right side
  2. Click "Edit"
  3. Click "Edit with AI" button
  4. Tell Ava what you want your agent to do

Example Request to Ava:

I want my agent to:
1. First ask what issue the customer is facing or what project they 
   are hoping to accomplish and save in the service description field
2. Then gather their address - at least street address, city, and zip code
3. Then gather their email where we can send quotes
4. Then move on to offering times for a technician appointment for 
   a free estimate

Additional Example:

I want Joe Smith to get an email notification when the user mentions 
a leaking pipe

Continue chatting with Ava about things you want the agent to do.

  1. When ready, click "Apply Changes"
  2. Review the Instructions, Actions, and Field Entry tabs to see what Ava configured
  3. Make any manual adjustments if needed

Configure Follow-Ups:

  1. Click on the "Follow-ups" tab
  2. Click "Enable Follow-ups"
  3. Click "Generate with AI"
  4. Enter additional context about your leads (optional)
  5. Review generated follow-up messages to ensure messaging feels right
  6. Edit as needed

Configure Booking:

  1. Click on the "Booking/Goal" tab
  2. Click "Calendar Booking"
  3. Select Booking Mode > Choose "Specific Calendar"
  4. Select Calendar > Choose your calendar
  5. Click "Save Changes"

Test Your Agent:

  1. Click "Test" button on the agent
  2. Run a test conversation
  3. If you want changes, click "Edit" again
  4. Click "Edit with AI" and tell Ava what to change (or make changes manually)
  5. Remember to Save

Step 5: Configure Appointment Scheduled Stage Agent

  1. Click on "Appointment Scheduled" stage
  2. Click "Add Text Agent"
  3. Make at least one change to your agent
    • Example: Change model to gpt-4.1
  4. Click "Save"
  5. Click "Edit" and review this agent's instructions

What This Agent Does:

  • Already preset with common configurations for this stage
  • Reactive (appointment already booked, just standby for questions)
  • Handles reschedule requests, answers questions about appointment

Customize:

  • Edit conditional tools to add notifications you'd like to receive
  • Example: Click Edit with AI and tell Ava "Send SMS notification to me when contact asks to reschedule"
  1. Remember to Save

Step 6: Wait for A2P Approval

Timeline: Typically 2-4 days

Contact support to find out current processing times.

What is A2P? External regulatory review that approves businesses for Application-to-Person (A2P) texting.

Important:

  • Support team will help you through the process
  • We don't control how long it takes (external regulatory review)
  • Must have completed account setup prerequisites

While You Wait:

Go to AI Agents > Knowledge Base and add FAQs your customers may ask that you want your agents to know the answer to.

Examples:

  • "What areas do you service?"
  • "Do you offer emergency services?"
  • "What payment methods do you accept?"
  • "Do you provide free estimates?"

Step 7: Add a Lead Source

Once A2P Approved:

  1. Go to Settings > Lead Sources
  2. Create a lead source (Form, Webhook, Facebook Lead Form, or Chat Widget)
  3. Configure it to add leads to your journey
  4. Test the lead source

You Are Live!

Leads coming through your lead source will now:

  • Automatically enter your journey
  • Get immediate AI engagement
  • Receive automated follow-ups
  • Be guided to booking appointments

Configure Global Default Agent

Your global agent handles contacts who aren't in an active journey (cold texts, chat widget messages, returning contacts, etc.)

Step 8: Set Up Global Agent

  1. Go to AI Agents page
  2. Click "Edit" on your Global Default Agent
  3. Click "Edit with AI"

Tell Ava:

Example:

I want my agent to add contacts to my main journey for service leads 
when they indicate they want a technician appointment or are experiencing 
some service issue

Additional Example:

I want Mary to get an SMS notification when the user says they need 
help with a warranty
  1. Click "Apply Changes"
  2. Review what Ava configured
  3. Click "Save Changes"

Your Global Agent is Ready!

It will handle any messages from:

  • Contacts who cold-text you
  • Contacts who use chat widget on your website
  • Contacts who weren't interested 2 months ago but now they are
  • Any contact not in an active journey

Add Inbound Voice Agent (Optional)

Voice AI allows your phone system to be answered by AI automatically.

Step 9: Create Inbound Voice Agent

  1. Go to AI Agents > AI Voice Agents
  2. Click "Create Voice Agent"
  3. Give it a name (e.g., "Receptionist")
  4. Select "Inbound Default" as agent type
  5. Select phone number
    • If none show up: Go to Settings > Phone > Search by area code > Purchase > Configure for Voice AI
  6. Click "Save Changes"
  7. Click "Edit" > "Edit with AI"
  8. Tell Ava what you want your agent to do
  9. Click "Apply Changes" and review
  10. If your agent should book appointments, click "Booking" tab and configure
  11. Click "Save Changes"

Configure Call Summaries:

  1. Click the bell icon on your agent
  2. Configure who should receive emails with call summaries (if desired)

Test Your Voice Agent:

  1. Click "Edit" to view agent details
  2. Note the phone number at the bottom
  3. Call that number from your phone
  4. Have a conversation with the AI
  5. Make changes as necessary after testing

Go Live: Set up your existing office number to forward to your agent's number. You are live!

Add Outbound Voice Agent (Optional)

Outbound Voice AI can proactively call leads in your journey.

Step 10: Create Outbound Voice Agent

Important: If you configure an outbound agent on a given number, you should also configure an inbound agent on that number! For people who call you back

  1. Go to AI Agents > AI Voice Agents
  2. Click "Create Voice Agent"
  3. Give it a name (e.g., "Outbound Sales Agent")
  4. Select "Outbound Default" as agent type
  5. Select phone number
    • If none show up: Go to Settings > Phone > Search by area code > Purchase > Configure for Voice AI
  6. Click "Save Changes"
  7. Click "Edit" > "Edit with AI"
  8. Tell Ava what you want your agent to do
  9. Click "Apply Changes" and review
  10. If your agent should book appointments, click "Booking" tab and configure
  11. Click "Save Changes"

Configure Call Summaries:

  1. Click the bell icon on your agent
  2. Configure who should receive emails with call summaries (if desired)

Test:

  1. Click the "Test" button on your agent
  2. Enter your phone number
  3. Click "Call"
  4. AI will call you
  5. Make changes as necessary after testing

Enable in Journey:

  1. Go to your Journey
  2. Click "Starting Line" stage
  3. Click "Enable Outbound Voice Call"
  4. Select your outbound voice agent
  5. Configure when to call (immediately or after delay if no SMS response)
  6. Configure time gating (highly recommended)
  7. Click "Save Journey"

You Are Live!

Important: Only use outbound Voice AI for contacts who have expressly agreed to be contacted by AI voices. Ensure your lead sources collect proper opt-in consent.

How It All Flows

Typical Lead Flow

Lead Source (Form/Webhook/Facebook Lead Form)
    ↓
Automatically added to Journey
    ↓
Starting Line AI Text Agent takes over
    ↓
Optionally, Outbound Voice AI Agent calls contact
    ↓
Engages, gathers info, follows up
    ↓
Books appointment
    ↓
Moves to Appointment Scheduled stage
    ↓
Appointment Stage Agent takes over
    ↓
Answers questions until appointment occurs (does not proactively reach out)
    ↓
Journey ends after appointment is past (or moves to later stages)

Global Agent Flow (Strays & Customer Service)

Contact texts in (not in active journey) or sends message via chat widget
    ↓
Default Global Agent responds
    ↓
Option A: Contact expresses interest 
  → Added to Journey for relevant product/service 
  → Journey agent takes over

Option B: Contact just has questions 
  → Global agent answers 
  → Maybe sends team notifications based on requests 
  → Conversation ends

Essential Best Practice

Utilize Your Knowledge Base!

The Knowledge Base is where you add any information you want your agents to know:

  • Common FAQs
  • Service area information
  • Pricing guidelines
  • Policies and procedures
  • Product/service details

Access: AI Agents > Knowledge Base

Add:

  • FAQs (question and answer pairs)
  • PDF documents (service catalogs, brochures)
  • URLs (link to your website pages)

The more complete your knowledge base, the better your AI agents will perform.

Summary: Minimum Viable Setup

To go live with basic setup:

  1. ✅ Complete account prerequisites
  2. ✅ Create one calendar
  3. ✅ Create one journey with:
    • Starting Line agent (configured with Ava)
    • Appointment Scheduled agent (default config is meets most businesses needs, add actions/instructions as desired)
  4. ✅ Configure Global Default agent
  5. ✅ Wait for A2P approval
  6. ✅ Add one lead source

Optional enhancements:

  • Voice AI agents (inbound and/or outbound)
  • Additional journeys for different services
  • Advanced conditional tools
  • AI Ads - quickly generate and launch facebook ad campaigns to bring in leads
  • AI Social Media - use AI to help with your social media presence
  • Email campaigns - design emails with AI - sequence them in campaign builder
  • Knowledge base content (The more you add, the better!)

You now have a fully automated lead engagement system!

Related Features