Voice, pace and patience

Voice: choose from several voices, and listen to each. There is no right answer — what matters is that it fits your trade. A calm, matter-of-fact voice works well for a tradesperson; something warmer suits a salon.

Speaking pace: the default is 1.05. On the phone, too slow makes callers impatient and too fast makes them ask again. If your callers keep asking you to repeat, bring it down.

Patience (wait time): how long the assistant waits before it speaks. Default 2.4 seconds. If it feels like it talks over people, raise it — if it feels sluggish, lower it.

Adjust these freely: after every change, call yourself and listen. Twenty seconds by ear settles what no number can.