Pushbuild Switchboard: user guide

Switchboard is the phone desk for your AI agents. One phone number can serve several AI agents and your own people. Rules you write in plain sentences decide who handles each call and text, and everything lands in one inbox.

Getting started

1. Get your account. Switchboard is invite-only for now. Ask for access on the Switchboard page and we set up your account with you.
2. Sign in at the link we send you. Your account is private to you: your calls, texts and settings live in their own isolated space.
3. Connect your ElevenLabs account. Your agents' voices run on your own ElevenLabs plan (a paid plan is needed for business use). Under Connect → Your ElevenLabs account, save your ElevenLabs API key. We check it with ElevenLabs first.
4. Connect your Twilio account. Switchboard runs on your own Twilio account, so your numbers and phone usage stay yours. Under Connect → Your Twilio account, paste your Account SID and an API key you create in Twilio for Switchboard. Then pick which of your Twilio numbers Switchboard should answer. Don't have a number yet? Buy one in your Twilio console; the in-app steps show you how.
5. Name your business under Connect → Your business. Agents use this name when they introduce themselves.
6. Make your first agent (see Agents). Or start from a template: Receptionist, Appointment desk, Missed-call catcher or Errand runner.
7. Test it. On the agent's page, press Call me now and enter your own cell. The agent calls you so you hear exactly what callers hear.
8. Set your rules (see Rules), then give your number to customers.

Agents

An agent is an AI voice that answers or makes calls and texts for you.

Agents lists every agent with its status, today's calls and the numbers it works on. Press New agent to make one. Nothing is saved until you press Create agent, and Discard leaves without saving.

On an agent's page:

Save publishes your changes to the live voice agent right away. If publishing fails you see "Saved, but not published"; press Save again or contact us.

Call me now rings a phone you choose so you can try the agent. It won't call your own Switchboard numbers. Try it shows the live transcript while you talk.

Agents you make in Switchboard are created in your ElevenLabs account, so you can see them there too.

Use an agent you already built

Already built an agent in ElevenLabs? Add it under Connect by its agent ID. It runs as you set it up in ElevenLabs, except that its first message must include the AI and transcription notice; we won't connect an agent without it.

Rules

Rules decide who handles each call and text on a number. Open Rules, then a number.

• Rules run top to bottom, and the first match wins. Use the arrows (or drag) to reorder them.
• Each rule has an on/off switch, so you can pause it without deleting it.
• Each rule applies to calls, texts or both.

When (the condition):

Times are always in your business time zone, shown next to the time fields.

Then (one or more steps, in order):

Steps chain, for example "Agent → if it needs a person, transfer to my cell → text me the summary".

Test your rules with the rule tester under the list. Pick calls or texts, a caller, a message and a time, and it shows which rule would match, without placing a call.

Tip: put specific rules (keywords, VIPs) above general ones (business hours). Otherwise the general rule catches everything first.

Inbox

Every call, text and voicemail, newest first.

• Filter by calls, texts or voicemail, or by tag.
• Calls show an AI summary first, then the transcript, plus any booking request and why the agent handed off.
• Voicemail has the audio player and the transcript.
• Texts are grouped by person. Reply from the box at the bottom.
• Tags such as Booked or Needs you. Add and remove your own.
• Every item has its own link, so you can share it with a teammate who has access or come back to it later.

Call recording is off. You get transcripts and summaries instead of recordings. Voicemail audio is kept for 30 days and transcripts for 12 months.

Connect

Use Switchboard from your own software or AI tools.

MCP (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other MCP clients). Copy the MCP settings from Connect into your client. Your agent can then place calls, send texts and read its inbox and voicemail. See the MCP reference for every tool.

REST API. Every action in the app has an API. Copy the examples on Connect. Your API key is on the same page, and you can rotate it any time.

Webhooks. Add an https URL and tick the events you want: call.ended, sms.incoming, voicemail.received, voicemail.transcribed, booking.requested. We sign each request with X-Hub-Signature-256 using a secret shown once when you add the webhook. Each webhook shows how many deliveries succeeded and failed.

Usage and pricing

Usage shows this month's minutes and messages:

• Agent minutes: time your agents spent on calls (this is what Switchboard bills).
• Other minutes: carrier time outside the AI, such as transfers and ringing a person. Shown for your information; Twilio bills it.
• Numbers: number-months.
• Texts: sent and received, with message segments and picture messages.

Pricing:

Prices exclude applicable taxes and fees. There are no setup fees and no free tier. New accounts get a $5 trial credit. Billing is monthly by card; manage invoices, your card or cancellation from the billing portal.

Texting registration (US)

US carriers require businesses to register before sending texts from a regular local number (this is called A2P 10DLC). You register in your own Twilio account; Switchboard shows the steps and links you to the right Twilio pages. Until your campaign is approved, Switchboard holds outgoing texts. Calls and incoming texts work right away. Approval usually takes days to a few weeks.

Rules of the road

• Every call opens by saying it's an AI assistant and that the call is transcribed.
• Outbound calls and texts are only for people who expect them: confirmations, reminders, follow-ups, replies. No telemarketing, cold calling, robocalls or marketing texts.
• Outbound calls and texts go out only between 8am and 8pm in the recipient's local time, and at most 3 calls to the same number in 24 hours.
• Replies of STOP end texts to that person, and HELP gets an automatic help message. Numbers that opt out go on your suppression list.
• Switchboard can't call 911 or other emergency numbers, including through transfers. It is not a phone line for emergencies.
• No health information. Switchboard is not for medical practices or anything involving patient data.

See the Acceptable Use Policy for details.

FAQ

Can I keep my existing number? Yes, if it's in your Twilio account. Twilio can port an existing number in for you.

Which countries? US numbers first.

Do you record calls? No. Recording is off for every account. You get transcripts and summaries, and callers are told the call is transcribed.

Can a real person take over? Yes. Use a "Needs a person" rule with a Transfer or Ring step, and switch on transfer on the agent.

What happens when my agent can't answer? Your rules decide: transfer, voicemail or a text to you.

How do I cancel? Cancel from the billing portal or ask us. We disconnect your numbers (they stay in your Twilio account) and delete your data within 30 days. Usage up to that day is billed.

Who bills me for phone usage? Twilio bills you directly for your numbers, call minutes and texts. Switchboard bills only for Switchboard.