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This guide will get you from zero to a working AI agent in 15 minutes.

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Prerequisites

  • An Emanate account (sign up here)
  • Your company website URL (for Business DNA extraction)

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Step 1: Complete Onboarding

After signing up, you’ll be guided through the onboarding wizard:
1

Enter Your Website URL

Emanate automatically extracts your brand context:
  • Company name and tagline
  • Products and services
  • Brand colors and visual style
  • Industry and target audience
2

Review Business DNA

Verify the extracted information and make any corrections
3

Configure Agent Context

Set the tone and personality for your AI agents
The Business DNA extraction typically completes in 30-60 seconds. This context is used to make all your agents sound authentic to your brand.

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Step 2: Import Your Documents

Before creating agents, upload your company files to the Knowledge Base so agents have the context they need.
  1. Navigate to Knowledge Base
  2. Use the Agent Files tab to upload documents (product catalogs, FAQs, sales materials)
  3. Use the AI Data Import tab to import spreadsheets (pricing tables, product lists, inventory data)
Supported formats: PDF, Word (.docx, .doc), Text (.txt), CSV, and Excel (.xls, .xlsx) — up to 25MB per file.
Start with your product catalog and FAQ — these give agents the most useful context for answering customer questions.

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Step 3: Create Your First Agent

Navigate to Agents → Voice Agents → Create Agent

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Basic Configuration

Give your agent a name (e.g., ‘Sales Assistant’), select Voice Agent as the type, and write a greeting message like ‘Hi, thanks for calling [Company]. How can I help you today?‘

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Model Selection

Choose your preferred AI model from the available options. Each model offers different strengths — hover over the options in the agent builder for guidance.

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Voice Selection

Browse the available voices in the agent builder and preview them to find one that matches your brand’s tone.

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Step 4: Attach Knowledge Base to Agent

Now connect your uploaded documents to your agent:
  1. Go to the Knowledge Base tab in the agent builder
  2. Select the files you want this agent to reference
  3. Give each attachment a descriptive name and description (e.g., “Product Catalog 2025 — Use for product questions”)
The name and description help the agent understand when to search each document. Be specific for better results.

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Step 5: Configure Lead Capture

Enable automatic lead capture to collect contact information:
  1. Go to the Overview tab
  2. Enable Lead Capture
  3. Select the fields to capture:
    • Name (required)
    • Email
    • Phone
    • Company
    • Custom fields
The agent will naturally ask for this information during conversations.

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Step 6: Test Your Agent

Use the built-in test panel to verify your agent works correctly:
  1. Click the Test button in the agent editor
  2. Start a test call or chat session
  3. Verify:
    • First message sounds correct
    • Agent answers questions from knowledge base
    • Lead capture collects information properly

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Test Checklist

  • First message plays correctly
  • Agent responds to common questions
  • Lead information is captured
  • Handoff triggers work (if configured)

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Step 7: Deploy

Once testing is complete, deploy your agent:

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For Voice Agents

  1. Go to Phone Numbers tab
  2. Click Add Phone Number
  3. Choose local or toll-free
  4. Assign to your agent
Your agent is now live and answering calls!

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For Chat Agents

  1. Go to Widget tab
  2. Copy the embed code
  3. Add to your website’s HTML
<script src="https://cdn.emanate.ai/widget.js" 
        data-agent-id="YOUR_AGENT_ID">
</script>

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What’s Next?

Voice Agents Deep Dive

Advanced voice configuration

Lead Enrichment

Set up lead enrichment

CRM Integration

Connect to your CRM

Run a Campaign

Launch your first outbound campaign

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Troubleshooting

Check that your knowledge base documents are uploaded and indexed. Document processing can take 1-2 minutes.
Try a different voice. Preview several options to find a more natural-sounding one.
Verify lead capture is enabled in the Overview tab and that the lead capture fields are configured correctly.