A Grasshopper AI receptionist through call forwarding
A Grasshopper extension forwards its calls to a Cartesia agent's number, so the agent answers as your Grasshopper AI receptionist and hands callers to staff.
Front-line agent
Answers forwarded calls and passes the rest to your team.
Instructions
Answer crew hours, service area and what an estimate includes. Transfer estimate and pricing requests to the estimator's phone, and named requests to that person's mobile.
- Handoff
- Team phone number
Connected tools
- Transfer to your teamTransfer
What a Grasshopper AI voice agent can do
Open one to watch a call. The grey lines are the tools the agent calls mid-sentence.
The agent's number goes on an extension as a forwarding number, all day or on a schedule you pick in Grasshopper.
The agent answers what homeowners ask before they book, such as crew days and service area, and ends the call itself.
Callers who need a person go to a phone your team answers, such as an owner's mobile or another Grasshopper number.
Grasshopper settings
These are the admin portal settings for forwarding one extension to the agent.
- Where
- The Grasshopper admin portal, as a forwarding number on the extension.
- When
- All day, or on a schedule you pick in Grasshopper.
- Forwarding number
- The Cartesia agent's number, from Twilio or a SIP trunk.
- Way back
- A phone that reaches a person, not a Grasshopper number that routes to the agent's extension.
Set it up
A phone hand-off by call forwarding. There is no SIP trunk between Grasshopper and Cartesia and no native Grasshopper 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 a Grasshopper extension
In the Grasshopper admin portal, add the agent's number as a forwarding number on the extension, then call the extension to check that it rings the agent.
Set the way back
Add a transfer rule in Cartesia to a phone that reaches a person, not a Grasshopper number that routes to the agent's extension.
Test both directions
Call your Grasshopper number, reach the agent, and ask for a person to check the transfer.
Before you build
Give the agent a Twilio or SIP number
Transfers work only on Twilio and SIP trunk numbers, not on Cartesia numbers, so use one of those numbers if callers must be able to reach a person.
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 Grasshopper
More integrations
Enterprise-grade security
HIPAA compliant
SOC 2 Type 2
GDPR
Grasshopper AI voice agent FAQs
Does Grasshopper have an AI receptionist?
Yes. Grasshopper's spring 2026 update added AI receptionists that answer calls on their own or alongside live receptionists. To use a Cartesia agent instead, add the agent's phone number as a forwarding number on an extension. Grasshopper has no built-in Cartesia connection, so the agent only sees calls you forward.
Can I use my own AI agent with Grasshopper?
Yes, as a forwarding number on an extension. A Cartesia agent calls webhook tools you define in your own systems and uses the voice and model you choose.
How do I forward Grasshopper calls to an AI agent?
In the Grasshopper admin portal, add the agent's number as a forwarding number on the extension. Then call the extension to check that it rings the agent.
Can the agent transfer callers back to Grasshopper?
Yes, to a phone that reaches a person. Don't transfer to a Grasshopper number that routes to the agent's extension, or the caller loops back to the agent. Transfers work only on Twilio and SIP trunk numbers, not on Cartesia numbers.
Who bills the minutes when Grasshopper forwards to an agent?
Cartesia charges $0.03/min, plus LLM usage and telephony, and Twilio or your SIP carrier bills the agent's number. Check how your Grasshopper plan counts minutes on forwarded calls. Transfers work only on Twilio and SIP trunk numbers, not on Cartesia numbers.
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