Why multi-language matters
If your callers speak several languages, routing them by hand is slow. The Calls channel in MyChatBot handles this inside the call. You set a primary language through the voice you choose, add the other languages your clients use, and turn on automatic language switching so the AI voice agent detects the caller’s language and can continue in it.
This guide covers phone calls (SIP Trunk or Twilio Account) and the Web SDK voice button on your website.
What you’ll set up and what you need
You’ll end up with one voice agent that answers in a primary language and can switch to additional languages mid-call.
- An agent with instructions and a knowledge base: the voice agent is built from them when you connect the channel. If you don’t have one yet, start with Create your first AI agent.
- A way to connect: a phone number on your SIP trunk, a number in your Twilio account, or no number at all if you only need the Web SDK.
- The languages your callers use, and which one is most common: it becomes the primary language.
Step by step
- Open Channels, select your agent and open the Calls channel.
- Under Provider, choose SIP Trunk, Twilio Account or Web SDK.
- Under Voice (Optional), pick a voice for your most common language. Use Play preview to hear it first. The voice also sets the agent’s primary spoken language.
- Fill in the provider fields. SIP Trunk needs Phone Number and Address; Twilio Account needs Phone Number, Twilio Account SID and Twilio Auth Token. Web SDK needs none of these.
- In Additional languages, add each language the agent may switch to, with an optional greeting for each one.
- Turn on Automatic language switching so the agent detects the caller’s language.
- Review the First Message. By default it is your agent’s welcome message.
- Click Connect phone number, or Create SDK Agent for Web SDK.
- Use Make a test call and talk to the agent in every language you added.
- Turn on Connect agent to this channel. New Calls channels start switched off, and connecting the provider alone does not activate calls.
Options that matter
- TTS Model. Picked automatically per language. Adding additional languages forces the higher-quality v3 Conversational model.
- Cost. Calls are billed by duration, converted into your plan’s AI messages, and prorated by the second. High-quality voices (v3 Conversational or multilingual) bill at 5 AI messages per minute, and additional languages move the agent to that rate. The panel shows the exact rate for your setup. See Pricing.
- Max Call Duration (minutes). A hard cap on call length; the default is 10 minutes.
- Transfer to human operator (phone only). Set the Operator number, an optional Phone line and a Transfer Condition, for example when the caller explicitly asks for a manager.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The agent does not switch languages. Check that the caller’s language is listed in Additional languages and that Automatic language switching is on, then test again with Make a test call.
- The call starts in the wrong language. The primary language comes from the voice. Choose a voice for the language most of your callers use and review the First Message.
- Calls ignore your updated instructions. Click Sync Agent when the Sync prompt appears. The knowledge base is a snapshot from channel creation: if you change which integrations feed the agent, recreate the Calls channel.
- Calls cost more than expected. Additional languages switch the agent to the higher rate. If you only serve one language, leave Additional languages empty.
- A channel with this phone number is already connected. The number is already used on another Calls channel; a number can be connected only once.
- Inbound calls are not answered. Make sure Connect agent to this channel is on.
- Outbound calls are refused. The agent is switched off or the balance is drained: re-enable the agent or top up.