# Build a 24/7 AI Receptionist in 15 Mins (Python + Google Calendar)

Voice AI demos are cool, but they usually fail at one thing: doing actual work. Today, I'm sharing how to build a production-ready Dental Clinic Receptionist that actually checks a real Google Calendar and books appointments over the phone. We'll use Siphon (an open-source framework) to do it in few lines of logic.

This tutorial shows you how to create an intelligent voice agent that:

* Books new appointments with calendar integration
    
* Modifies and cancels existing appointments
    
* Verifies caller identity for privacy
    
* Operates 24/7 without human intervention
    

**Time to build:** ~15 minutes

**Architecture Flow:**

[![Siphon google calendar flow](https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F09tyynyea8weoleo7fn1.png align="left")](https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F09tyynyea8weoleo7fn1.png)

## **Prerequisites**

Before starting, ensure you have:

* **Python 3.8+** installed on your system
    
* **SIPHON installed**: `pip install siphon-ai` ([Installation Guide](https://siphon.blackdwarf.in/docs/overview/getting-started))
    
* **API Keys**:
    
    * OpenRouter API key ([Get one here](https://openrouter.ai/))
        
    * Sarvam or Cartesia API key for voice ([TTS Plugins](https://siphon.blackdwarf.in/docs/plugins/tts/overview))
        
* **Services**:
    
    * LiveKit credentials (cloud/self-hosted)
        
    * Google Calendar with service account credentials ([Setup Guide](https://github.com/blackdwarftech/siphon/blob/main/examples/Dental_Clinic_Receptionist/CALENDAR_SETUP.md)) - *Required for the agent to check availability on your behalf*.
        

**Documentation:**

* [LLM Plugins](https://siphon.blackdwarf.in/docs/plugins/llm/overview) - Configure language models
    
* [TTS Plugins](https://siphon.blackdwarf.in/docs/plugins/tts/overview) - Text-to-speech providers
    
* [STT Plugins](https://siphon.blackdwarf.in/docs/plugins/stt/overview) - Speech-to-text providers
    
* [Agent Configuration](https://siphon.blackdwarf.in/docs/agents/configuration) - Advanced settings
    
* [Call Data & Observability](https://siphon.blackdwarf.in/docs/agents/call-data) - Recordings, transcripts, and metadata
    

## **Quick Start**

### **Step 1: Create Project**

```bash
mkdir dental-clinic-receptionist
cd dental-clinic-receptionist
touch .env prompt.py agent.py inbound.py outbound.py
```

### **Step 2: Configure Environment**

Edit `.env`:

```bash
# LLM Provider
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your_key

# Voice Providers  
SARVAM_API_KEY=your_key
CARTESIA_API_KEY=your_key

# LiveKit Server
LIVEKIT_URL=wss://your-livekit-url
LIVEKIT_API_KEY=your_key
LIVEKIT_API_SECRET=your_secret

# Google Calendar
GOOGLE_CALENDAR_ID=your-calendar@gmail.com
GOOGLE_CALENDAR_CREDENTIALS_PATH=/path/to/credentials.json

# Call Data Features
# These flags enable automatic capturing of call artifacts
CALL_RECORDING=false           # Set to true to enable recordings (requires S3 config below)
SAVE_METADATA=true             # Saves call details (duration, status, cost)
SAVE_TRANSCRIPTION=true        # Saves full conversation history

# Storage Configuration
# Metadata and transcriptions are saved locally by default. 
# To save to S3, set METADATA_LOCATION=s3 and TRANSCRIPTION_LOCATION=s3
METADATA_LOCATION=Call_Metadata
TRANSCRIPTION_LOCATION=Transcriptions

# S3 Configuration (Required for Recordings, optional for Metadata/Transcriptions)
# AWS_S3_ENDPOINT=http://localhost:9000
# AWS_S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID=minioadmin
# AWS_S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=minioadmin
# AWS_S3_BUCKET=siphon
# AWS_S3_REGION=us-east-1
# AWS_S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE=true
```

### **Step 3: Create System Prompt**

The system prompt defines your receptionist's behavior and conversation workflows.

Create `prompt.py` with your instructions. For a complete reference, see the [example prompt on GitHub](https://github.com/blackdwarftech/siphon/blob/main/examples/Dental_Clinic_Receptionist/prompt.py).

**Basic structure:**

```python
system_instructions = """
You are a professional dental clinic receptionist.

# CAPABILITIES
- Book new appointments
- Modify existing appointments
- Cancel appointments

# PRIVACY RULES
- ALWAYS verify caller identity (name + phone) before showing appointments
- Only display appointments for the verified caller

# CONVERSATION STYLE
- Be warm and professional
- Ask one question at a time
- Confirm information by reading it back
"""
```

### **Step 4: Create the Agent**

Create `agent.py`:

```python
from siphon.agent import Agent
from siphon.plugins import openrouter, sarvam, cartesia
from prompt import system_instructions
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

llm = openrouter.LLM()
tts = cartesia.TTS()
stt = sarvam.STT()

agent = Agent(
    agent_name="Dental-Clinic-Receptionist",
    llm=llm,
    tts=tts,
    stt=stt,
    system_instructions=system_instructions,
    google_calendar=True
)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # One-time setup: downloads required VAD models and assets (only needed on fresh machines)
    # agent.download_files()

    # For local development (logs, quick iteration)
    agent.dev()

    # For production workers, use:
    # agent.start()
```

[Agent Overview](https://siphon.blackdwarf.in/docs/agents/overview)

### **Step 5: Set Up Inbound Calls**

Create `inbound.py`:

```python
from siphon.telephony.inbound import Dispatch
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

dispatch = Dispatch(
    agent_name="Dental-Clinic-Receptionist",  # must match the agent_name used when defining/starting your agent worker
    dispatch_name="inbound-Dental-Clinic-Receptionist",
    sip_number=""  # from your SIP Provider
)

result = dispatch.agent()
print(result)
```

Run: `python inbound.py`

[Inbound Calling Guide](https://siphon.blackdwarf.in/docs/calling/inbound/overview)

### **Step 6: Set Up Outbound Calls (Optional)**

Create `outbound.py` for appointment reminders:

```python
from siphon.telephony import Call
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

call = Call(
    agent_name="Dental-Clinic-Receptionist",  # must match the agent_name used when defining/starting your agent worker
    sip_trunk_setup={
        "name": "Dental-Clinic-Receptionist",
        "sip_address": "",
        "sip_number": "",
        "sip_username": "",
        "sip_password": ""
    },
    number_to_call=""
)

result = call.start()
print(result)
```

Run: `python outbound.py`

[Outbound Calling Guide](https://siphon.blackdwarf.in/docs/calling/outbound/overview)

### **Step 7: Start Your Agent**

```basic
python agent.py
```

Your receptionist is now live and ready to handle calls.

**Production Scaling:**  
For high-volume production deployments, you can run multiple instances of your agent script horizontally. It automatically distributes calls across available workers.  
[Learn more about Horizontal Scaling](https://siphon.blackdwarf.in/docs/concepts/scaling)

## **Result**

Now your AI receptionist can handle:

**New Appointment Booking:**

* Patient calls: "I need a cleaning for next Tuesday at 2 PM"
    
* Agent asks for name and phone number
    
* Agent verifies details by reading them back
    
* Agent checks calendar availability
    
* Agent books appointment and confirms
    

**Appointment Modifications:**

* Patient calls: "I need to change my appointment"
    
* Agent verifies caller identity
    
* Agent shows only their appointments
    
* Agent reschedules to new time
    
* Agent confirms changes
    

**Appointment Cancellations:**

* Patient calls: "I want to cancel my appointment"
    
* Agent verifies identity
    
* Agent confirms which appointment to cancel
    
* Agent cancels and confirms completion
    

**Privacy Protection:**

* Built-in caller verification (name + phone)
    
* Only shows appointments for verified caller
    
* No cross-patient data exposure
    

## **Resources**

**Code & Documentation:**

* [📑 Complete Example Code](https://github.com/blackdwarftech/siphon/tree/main/examples/Dental_Clinic_Receptionist)
    
* [📅 Google Calendar Setup Guide](https://github.com/blackdwarftech/siphon/blob/main/examples/Dental_Clinic_Receptionist/CALENDAR_SETUP.md)
    
* [📖 SIPHON Documentation](https://siphon.blackdwarf.in/docs/overview/introduction)
    

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