> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://distance.gitbook.io/distance/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://distance.gitbook.io/distance/getting-started/quickstart.md).

# Quickstart

This guide walks you through the essential steps to get Distance live and responding to customers using AI Chat and AI Voice from a single platform.

Quickstart helps you set up Distance so your AI agents can begin handling real customer conversations with confidence.

By completing these steps, you’ll ensure your business information is accurate, agents are properly configured, and at least one channel is ready to receive and manage customer inquiries.

***

### **Add your business information**

Start by reviewing the core business details your AI agents will use when responding to customers.

Go to **Knowledge Base → Business information**.

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://distance.gitbook.io/distance/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2F4165927833-files.gitbook.io%2F%7E%2Ffiles%2Fv0%2Fb%2Fgitbook-x-prod.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fspaces%252FWHGGlctFzoGEVhyOAO17%252Fuploads%252FYOdoMaq7sTAidXwwy9SG%252Fimage.png%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3D4d91f8c5-6786-4037-a674-140ecf59730e&#x26;width=768&#x26;dpr=3&#x26;quality=100&#x26;sign=5b5384c6&#x26;sv=2" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

What to review:

* **Company name** – This is how your agents refer to your business in conversations and follow-ups. Use your exact business or brand name.
* **Train your agent** – Add or review your **website** and **Google business profile**. These sources help Distance learn about your business, services, and public-facing information.
* **Business overview** – This section gives your AI agents the context they need to answer general questions and describe your services accurately.

If you provided your website or Google business profile during account setup, Distance may automatically pull information from those sources and populate the **Business overview** for you. Review the generated content carefully and make edits as needed to ensure it is accurate and reflects how you want your business represented.

Accurate business information helps your AI agents respond confidently, reduce confusion, and provide more consistent answers across chat, SMS, and calls.

### **Configure your AI agents**

Distance includes AI Chat and AI Voice agents that handle conversations automatically.

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://distance.gitbook.io/distance/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2F4165927833-files.gitbook.io%2F%7E%2Ffiles%2Fv0%2Fb%2Fgitbook-x-prod.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fspaces%252FWHGGlctFzoGEVhyOAO17%252Fuploads%252Fr0lbFZP2nK4AF6SpwYlx%252Fimage.png%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3D59765d22-f077-474e-b5b7-540a5067eb56&#x26;width=768&#x26;dpr=3&#x26;quality=100&#x26;sign=523fff22&#x26;sv=2" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

1. Go to [**Agents**](https://distance.gitbook.io/distance/getting-started/agents)**.**
2. Review the default [**AI Chat**](https://distance.gitbook.io/distance/getting-started/agents/ai-chat-agent) agent and [**AI Voice**](https://distance.gitbook.io/distance/getting-started/agents/ai-voice-agent) agent.
3. Adjust tone, response length, and scripts if needed.

Agents define how your business communicates with customers. Reviewing them early ensures responses sound appropriate, follow your preferred flow, and reflect how you want your business represented. You can start with the default setup and refine behavior over time as you learn from real conversations.

### **Connect your customer channel**

Choose the main channel you want Distance to manage first so your AI agents can begin handling real customer inquiries.

Go to **Channels →** [**Connect channels**](/distance/getting-started/automations.md).

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://4165927833-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FWHGGlctFzoGEVhyOAO17%2Fuploads%2FyHajjbGuAFZmhDcvsw9L%2Fimage.png?alt=media&amp;token=72e5df76-f1e3-4c7f-bab1-e777f91ad4b9" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

You can connect:

* **Phone calls** by forwarding your business number to Distance
* **Live chat** for conversations from your website
* **SMS** using a verified business phone number
* **Facebook or Instagram** inboxes for social messaging

We recommend starting with the channel where your business receives the highest volume of inquiries, then expanding to additional channels over time.

Connecting your primary customer channel is what turns your setup into a live customer-facing workflow.

### **Assign agents to channels**

Once a channel is connected, assign the appropriate AI agent to handle incoming conversations.

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://distance.gitbook.io/distance/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2F4165927833-files.gitbook.io%2F%7E%2Ffiles%2Fv0%2Fb%2Fgitbook-x-prod.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fspaces%252FWHGGlctFzoGEVhyOAO17%252Fuploads%252FTJWIHEfYpO6S4JVtfsEN%252Fimage.png%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3Df136966a-73c1-4943-ae07-195603bd47b8&#x26;width=768&#x26;dpr=3&#x26;quality=100&#x26;sign=c52cc749&#x26;sv=2" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

1. Assign an **AI Chat** agent for live chat, social inboxes, and/or SMS.
2. Confirm the **AI Voice** agent assigned to handle calls.

Agent assignment ensures every incoming message or call is handled automatically. Without this step, conversations may not receive responses or be logged correctly. Proper assignment keeps interactions consistent and prevents gaps in coverage.

### **Test a real converstion**

Before going live, test the experience from a customer’s perspective.

Send a [test chat](https://distance.gitbook.io/distance/getting-started/playground) or SMS.

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://distance.gitbook.io/distance/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2F4165927833-files.gitbook.io%2F%7E%2Ffiles%2Fv0%2Fb%2Fgitbook-x-prod.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fspaces%252FWHGGlctFzoGEVhyOAO17%252Fuploads%252FJKc7or0NHkOEKGggJVjO%252Fimage.png%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3Dd7199ea4-4778-488d-8b1a-42f0732a3d5b&#x26;width=768&#x26;dpr=3&#x26;quality=100&#x26;sign=a5982e02&#x26;sv=2" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

Call your business number or **Talk to your agent**.

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://distance.gitbook.io/distance/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2F4165927833-files.gitbook.io%2F%7E%2Ffiles%2Fv0%2Fb%2Fgitbook-x-prod.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fspaces%252FWHGGlctFzoGEVhyOAO17%252Fuploads%252FTFvhz1opQCZbSXyBVUca%252Fimage.png%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3D4bfb6fc4-3118-4eae-ab08-e3de349b9a90&#x26;width=768&#x26;dpr=3&#x26;quality=100&#x26;sign=5844c498&#x26;sv=2" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

You can also test your AI Voice agent directly without going through your phone system: navigate to **Agents** → **AI Voice**, click **Edit** on the voice agent you want to test, and click **Talk to your agent**. This allows you to simulate a live call and experience how the agent responds.

Confirm that responses, transcripts, and tickets appear as expected. Testing helps validate that scripts, escalation rules, and agent behavior match your expectations, and ensures your call forwarding and conversation handling work properly.

### **Monitor conversations and tickets**

Once live, Distance automatically logs conversations and creates tickets when follow-up or escalation is required.

Use [**Inbox**](https://distance.gitbook.io/distance/getting-started/inbox-inbound) to manage conversations.

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://distance.gitbook.io/distance/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2F4165927833-files.gitbook.io%2F%7E%2Ffiles%2Fv0%2Fb%2Fgitbook-x-prod.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fspaces%252FWHGGlctFzoGEVhyOAO17%252Fuploads%252F4nlqdSGRfVr6VtgUcfFf%252Fimage.png%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3D874555b4-020b-482b-af88-01df25f232b0&#x26;width=768&#x26;dpr=3&#x26;quality=100&#x26;sign=bc728823&#x26;sv=2" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

Use [**Tickets**](https://distance.gitbook.io/distance/getting-started/tickets) to track follow-ups, escalations, and unresolved requests.

<div data-with-frame="true"><figure><img src="https://distance.gitbook.io/distance/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2F4165927833-files.gitbook.io%2F%7E%2Ffiles%2Fv0%2Fb%2Fgitbook-x-prod.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fspaces%252FWHGGlctFzoGEVhyOAO17%252Fuploads%252F27Eh6l1RJxg8wCWuUxOj%252Fimage.png%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3Dcf28feb1-d48e-447a-9e51-03c83544d209&#x26;width=768&#x26;dpr=3&#x26;quality=100&#x26;sign=9e83159e&#x26;sv=2" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

Monitoring conversations and tickets ensures nothing slips through the cracks. Having transcripts, context, and ticket history available in one place helps your team stay organized and respond more effectively as volume increases.

***

#### **What’s next?**

After completing **Quickstart**, you can continue refining your setup by:

* Improving AI scripts and knowledge content
* Customizing Live Chat appearance and behavior
* Setting escalation and transfer rules
* Adding more channels as your business grows

Distance is designed to improve over time. As you add more context and fine-tune behavior, your AI agents become more accurate, efficient, and aligned with how your business operates.

<figure><img src="https://4165927833-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FWHGGlctFzoGEVhyOAO17%2Fuploads%2Fto8lz5b9Te6Aql4SuSRK%2FFrame%201618872102.png?alt=media&amp;token=0a7213ef-80c0-47df-a66a-1775d8a49fa9" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>