An 8x8 AI receptionist through call forwarding
An 8x8 Work extension forwards its calls to a Cartesia agent's number, so the agent answers as your 8x8 AI receptionist and hands callers back to your team.
Front-line agent
Answers forwarded calls and passes the rest to your team.
Instructions
Answer warehouse hours and pickup questions. Transfer delayed or missing shipments to the dispatch ring group, and callers who ask for someone by name to that person's 8x8 number.
- Handoff
- 8x8 team number
Connected tools
- Transfer to 8x8Transfer
What a 8x8 Work AI voice agent can do
Open one to watch a call. The grey lines are the tools the agent calls mid-sentence.
A Forward all Calls rule on an 8x8 Work user sends that extension's calls to the agent's number, always or on a schedule.
The agent answers the questions your team repeats all day, such as warehouse hours and pickup cutoffs, and ends the call itself.
Callers who ask for someone by name, or need a person, go to an 8x8 number such as a ring group, an auto attendant or a user.
8x8 Admin Console settings
These are the Admin Console settings for forwarding one user's extension.
- Where
- Admin Console, Users, the user's pencil icon, Call forwarding rules.
- Rule
- Forward all Calls. When User is Busy and When User does not Answer the Call also work.
- Destination
- Selected User or Service, with the agent's number entered as an external number.
- Schedule
- Admins can add a custom rule with a Recurring Schedule or a Specified Date/Time Period.
- License
- The user needs a license. Without one, Call forwarding rules doesn't appear.
Set it up
A phone hand-off by call forwarding. There is no SIP trunk between 8x8 Work and Cartesia and no native 8x8 integration. Vendor details read in November 2026.
Give the agent a number
Import a number from Twilio or connect a SIP trunk number. Transfers work only on Twilio and SIP trunk numbers, not on Cartesia numbers.
Forward an 8x8 Work user's calls
In 8x8 Admin Console, open Users and click the pencil next to the user. Under Call forwarding rules, edit Forward all Calls, choose Selected User or Service, and enter the agent's number as an external number. Save, then save the user profile.
Set the way back
Add a transfer rule in Cartesia to an 8x8 number that reaches the right person or ring group, not the forwarded user's own number.
Test both directions
Call the forwarded 8x8 number, reach the agent, and ask for a person to check the transfer back.
Before you build
Caller ID can't be changed
8x8 doesn't let you customize caller ID on calls forwarded to an external line. Call the agent through the forward once to see which number it receives.
Ring groups forward too
A ring group's busy, no-answer and internet-down rules can send overflow to the agent's number. An auto attendant key can transfer to it too.
Every line needs a rule
8x8 says every line of service, such as an extension or ring group, must have at least one active forwarding rule. Leave a fallback rule in place when you edit.
Transfers are cold
The person who picks up gets the call, not the conversation. Have the agent tell the caller where it's sending them before it transfers.
Use cases for teams on 8x8 Work
More integrations
Enterprise-grade security
HIPAA compliant
SOC 2 Type 2
GDPR
8x8 Work AI voice agent FAQs
Does 8x8 have an AI receptionist?
8x8's AI voice self-service is the 8x8 Intelligent Customer Assistant, sold as an add-on to 8x8 Contact Center. On 8x8 Work, you can instead forward an extension to a Cartesia agent's phone number so the agent answers as your receptionist. 8x8 has no built-in Cartesia connection, so the agent only sees the calls you forward.
Can I use my own AI agent with 8x8?
Yes, if the agent has its own phone number. An 8x8 Work call forwarding rule sends a user's calls to that number, and the agent transfers callers back to an 8x8 number or ring group. A Cartesia agent calls webhook tools you define in your own systems and uses the voice and model you choose.
How do I forward 8x8 calls to an AI agent?
In 8x8 Admin Console, open Users and click the pencil next to the user. Under Call forwarding rules, edit Forward all Calls, choose Selected User or Service, and enter the agent's number as an external number. Save, then save the user profile. The user needs a license, or Call forwarding rules doesn't appear.
Can the AI take only overflow or after-hours calls?
Yes. Use the When User is Busy or When User does not Answer the Call rules for overflow, or add a custom rule with a Recurring Schedule for set hours. A ring group's busy, no-answer and internet-down rules can also send calls to the agent.
Will the agent see the caller's number?
Test it before you rely on it. 8x8 doesn't let you customize caller ID on calls forwarded to an external line, so place one call through the forward and check which number the agent receives. If it's your 8x8 number, have the agent ask callers who they are.
Who bills the minutes when 8x8 forwards to an agent?
Two parties. Cartesia charges $0.03/min, plus LLM usage and telephony, and the telephony on the agent's number is billed by Twilio or your SIP carrier at their rates. Transfers work only on Twilio and SIP trunk numbers, not on Cartesia numbers.
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