Beyond the system prompt, VoiceForge Pro gives you a set of controls that shape how your agent handles calls at a technical level — silence detection, call duration limits, interruption handling, and more. This article explains every setting and what to adjust for your business type.

Where to find these settings

Go to Agents → Edit → Agent Setup. Scroll past the system prompt and voice selection to the Call Behaviour section. Settings here apply to every call this agent handles.

Silence detection

Silence detection controls what your agent does when the caller stops speaking. Two settings:

Agent Setup — Call Behaviour
Silence timeout
How long to wait after the caller stops speaking before the agent responds. Default: 0.8 seconds.
End-of-call silence
How long of total silence before the agent assumes the call is over and closes. Default: 10 seconds.
Max call duration
Hard limit on call length. Agent will close the call after this time regardless of conversation state.

Silence timeout — how to tune it

  • 0.5–0.8s — default. Works well for most English-language calls with clear audio.
  • 1.0–1.5s — better for callers who speak more slowly, have strong accents, or pause mid-thought. Reduces the agent interrupting before the caller has finished.
  • 0.3–0.5s — faster response. Suits high-volume, transactional call types where speed matters.

Interruption handling

When a caller speaks while the agent is talking, two things can happen:

⏸️
Stop and listen (default)
The agent stops mid-sentence when the caller speaks. More natural for conversational calls. Callers feel heard immediately.
▶️
Finish then respond
The agent completes its current sentence before responding to the interruption. Better for important disclosures or legal statements that must be heard in full.

For most businesses, Stop and listen is correct. It feels more human. Use "Finish then respond" only if you have compliance or legal reasons to ensure certain information is always delivered completely.

Call duration limits

Set a maximum call duration to protect your minute allowance from outlier calls. The agent will politely close the call ("I've reached my time limit for this call — let me arrange a callback so we can continue") when the limit is reached.

  • Most service businesses: 8–12 minutes. The vast majority of calls complete in 3–5 minutes.
  • Complex consultations: 15–20 minutes.
  • High-volume transactional: 5–6 minutes. Forces efficient calls.
⚠️
Set duration limits before going live
Without a max duration limit, a very long call or a caller who leaves the line open can consume a significant portion of your monthly minutes in a single call. Set a sensible limit from day one.

Call opening behaviour

Wait for caller to speak first
If enabled, the agent waits for the caller to say hello before delivering the greeting. If disabled, the agent speaks immediately on connection. Default: off (agent speaks first).

Most businesses should leave this off — callers expect the business to answer, not silence. Enable it only if your caller base tends to speak immediately when a call connects, creating a clash with the opening greeting.

Business booking configuration

If you've connected Google Calendar, additional booking settings appear:

  • Working hours — the days and hours your business accepts appointments. The agent won't offer slots outside these hours.
  • Booking lead time — minimum notice required for a new booking. E.g. "2 hours" means the agent won't book anything in the next 2 hours.
  • Appointment duration — the default length of a booking slot. Used when creating calendar events.
  • Buffer time — gap between appointments. Prevents double-booking.

These values are injected directly into your system prompt when you sync, so your agent always knows your real availability.

Settings recommendations by business type

🔧
Emergency trades
Silence: 0.8s. Duration: 10 min. Interruption: Stop and listen. Callers are often stressed — faster response and attentive listening are key.
🏥
Healthcare
Silence: 1.2s. Duration: 12 min. Patients often pause when describing symptoms. Give them time. Never rush.
⚖️
Legal & professional
Silence: 1.0s. Duration: 15 min. Interruption: Finish then respond — important for ensuring disclosures are delivered in full.
🛍️
Retail & bookings
Silence: 0.6s. Duration: 6 min. These calls are shorter and more transactional. Faster responses feel appropriate.