• ACTIVE
  • DATA
  • HUMAN
  • LOGS

How to trigger outbound sales calls with your AI

Connect Retell AI to your agent to turn text-based leads into live voice conversations.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How can I make my AI start outbound phone calls?

Your agent identifies a prospect and then selects a specific voice agent to initiate the call. This process moves your leads from a list directly into a live conversation. You get a hands-off way to handle initial outreach.

The results of your outreach

Outcomes of automated calling

What happens once your agent starts making calls.

ACTIVE

Live prospect engagement

The AI picks a voice agent and starts the call. You get immediate verbal contact with the person on the other end.

DATA

Agent selection

Your agent looks through your available voice profiles. It chooses the right persona for the specific lead you want to reach.

HUMAN

Manual intervention

If a call hits a complex roadblock, the AI stops. You take over the conversation when the voice agent reaches its limit.

LOGS

Call execution

The AI executes the dialing process. You receive the results of the attempt through your standard workflow.

The workflow

What your AI does when a lead is ready.

The AI handles the technical handoff between your data and the phone lines.

  1. Identify the agent

    Your agent checks which voice profiles are ready for use. It finds the specific persona that matches your sales script.

    list_voice_agents

  2. Initiate the dial

    Once the agent picks a persona, it triggers the outbound connection. The call starts immediately using the chosen voice.

    start_phone_call

  3. Handle the connection

    The AI manages the initial handshake with the recipient. It ensures the voice agent is active and ready to speak.

    start_phone_call

  4. Verify availability

    The agent confirms which agents are online before attempting a call. This prevents errors from trying to use an inactive persona.

    list_voice_agents

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to kick off your first outbound campaign.

Starting points

These are instructions for your agent. Swap out the bracketed text with your actual lead info or agent names.

Retell AI Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_i92GeJfn7coovVKqsWz5m287Cb1SjmIFx6SBjK0v/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — Retell AI capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "retell-ai-alternative-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_i92GeJfn7coovVKqsWz5m287Cb1SjmIFx6SBjK0v/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • List my available voice agents so I can see who is ready to call.

  • Find the 'Sales Pro' agent and use it to call the number in my Google Sheet.

  • Check my voice agents and then call the contact from the recent email lead.

  • Use the most professional sounding agent to call the prospect in my CRM.

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect Retell AI once, then ask.

Just link your account once. Your credentials stay encrypted, and you can start calling through any MCP-compatible client.

Connect Retell AI to your AI

FAQ

How the calling task behaves

  • 01

    Can the AI change the voice agent mid-call?

    No. The agent is selected before the call starts using the available list.

  • 02

    Does the AI handle the actual conversation?

    Yes, the voice agent handles the dialogue once the call is connected.

  • 03

    Can my AI delete my voice agent configurations?

    No. The AI can only list and use existing agents; it cannot modify or delete them.

  • 04

    Will the AI call everyone in my contact list automatically?

    No. The AI only makes calls when you specifically instruct it to do so for a contact.

  • 05

    Can I use this to send text messages?

    No. This connector is strictly for initiating phone calls via voice agents.

  • More questions about Retell AI? The Connector page answers them. See everything the Retell AI Connector can do

Connect Retell AI to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more