Set Up Your AI Receptionist in 5 Minutes

You don't need to be technical. You don't need to hire a consultant. You don't need to spend a weekend configuring settings. FrontdeQ goes from zero to answering calls in about 5 minutes.

Here's the setup process, step by step.

Step 1: Connect Your Square Account (1 minute)

Sign up at app.frontdeq.com and start the setup wizard. The first step asks you to connect your Square account.

Click "Connect Square" and log into your Square account. FrontdeQ requests permission to read your services, team members, and calendar, and to create bookings on your behalf. Approve it. Done.

FrontdeQ now knows your service menu, your stylists, their schedules, and your existing client database.

Step 2: Business Info (1 minute)

Enter your salon name and an optional custom greeting. The default greeting works well: "Thank you for calling [Your Salon]. This is your receptionist. How may I help you?"

You can also set:

• Cancellation policy (the AI will communicate this when relevant)
• Escalation phone number (where calls transfer when someone asks for a human)

Step 3: Choose a Voice (1 minute)

Pick the voice your AI receptionist will use. You can preview each option before selecting. The voices are natural-sounding, not robotic. Choose one that matches your salon's vibe.

Step 4: Custom Instructions (1 minute)

This is optional but powerful. Add any special instructions your receptionist should know:

• "We offer a 10% discount for first-time clients"
• "Our most popular service is the balayage highlight"
• "We don't accept walk-ins on Saturdays"
• "Mention our referral program to new clients"

The AI weaves these into conversations naturally.

Step 5: Get Your Number (1 minute)

Pick an area code (or use the default) and FrontdeQ provisions a dedicated phone number. This is your AI receptionist's number.

Now set up call forwarding on your business phone:

• After hours only: Forward when unanswered or outside business hours
• Overflow: Forward when busy or after a few rings
• All calls: Forward everything to the AI

Most salon owners start with after-hours forwarding and expand from there.

That's It. You're Live.

Your AI receptionist is now answering calls, looking up clients in Square, checking availability, and booking appointments. You'll see every call logged in your dashboard with the caller's intent, sentiment, recording, and booking outcome.

What Happens Next

The first few calls will teach you everything:

• Check the call logs to see how the AI handled real conversations
• Listen to recordings to hear the voice and tone
• Verify that bookings appear correctly in your Square calendar
• Adjust custom instructions based on what callers ask about

Most salon owners are surprised by how natural the conversations sound. The AI handles the standard calls (booking, rescheduling, hours, directions) and transfers anything unusual to you.

One More Thing

Your clients don't know they're talking to an AI. The voice is natural, the responses are conversational, and the booking happens in real time. From the caller's perspective, they just talked to a really good receptionist who happened to pick up on the first ring.

Learn more: /docs/identity-stack for customizing your receptionist's personality, procedures, and salon knowledge.