How Nuvoca works¶
Mental model
Nuvoca is easiest to understand as a live phone workflow: a number routes to an agent, the agent listens and speaks, and tools or knowledge extend what it can do.
Once these layers are clear, setup decisions become much easier.
Nuvoca is easiest to understand as one operating setup for a live phone workflow. You bring a number into Routing, create the assistant that should answer it, and then tune how that assistant listens, speaks, reasons, and eventually acts.
Infrastructure¶
Infrastructure is the phone path. A number exists in Routing, that number is assigned to a voice assistant, and incoming calls are sent there. Without this layer, the rest of the assistant setup never becomes a live workflow.
Identity¶
Identity is what the caller experiences first. This includes the assistant name, persona, timezone, and time-based greetings. For onboarding, the important thing is not personality depth. It is whether the caller immediately understands who they reached and what will happen next.
Listening¶
Listening is configured in Speech. Recognition language, silence timing, and any phrase list entries determine how well the assistant captures names, company names, and callback numbers. Start with one recognition language and only add complexity when real calls prove you need it.
Speaking¶
Speaking is configured in Voice. This is where you choose the voice and tune how it sounds. Early on, the right question is not whether the voice is perfect. It is whether callers can understand the greeting and trust the assistant enough to give their callback details.
Brain¶
The brain lives in Technical. This is where you choose the model, set Temperature, cap response length, define the system prompt, and decide how much conversation history the assistant keeps. An optional knowledge base also connects here once you want retrieved document context available in the prompt.
Actions¶
Actions come after the call path works. Tools let the assistant send an email, forward a live call, or update another system. They are valuable, but they should extend a working phone flow rather than compensate for a weak one.
The prompt rule that matters most¶
If you want continuity, keep {conversation_history} in the prompt and set a conversation history limit greater than 0. Most first-call quality problems come from missing one of those two pieces.
You are {agent_name}, the callback assistant for our company.
Recent conversation:
{conversation_history}
What matters now vs later¶
Focus now: - Getting the number and routing path right - Creating the right voice assistant - Writing a prompt with a narrow callback job - Setting conversation history correctly
Tune later: - Tools and integrations - Knowledge base structure and retrieval tuning - Advanced voice settings and polish
Read Launch Your First Voice Agent if you want the fastest path to a working callback workflow, or go to Agents if you are already tuning assistant behavior.