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Configuring the business time zone

Valid for AI Receptionist.

By default, your AI Receptionist relies on a specific regional clock to execute time-based tasks accurately. Establishing a dedicated locale (via the project_business_time_zone parameter) guarantees that your bot can properly calculate when your office is open, schedule meetings accurately, and stamp logs with the correct local time. This article explains how to establish and optimise your AI Receptionist’s time zone settings.

Note

If this parameter is configured incorrectly, the virtual assistant will fail to process real-time operations accurately. An improper locale setting can lead to flawed appointment bookings, incorrect availability statements, and misdirected after-hours calls. Always double-check this setting before deploying your assistant.

Accessing the configuration area

  • Log in to your IONOS account.
  • Click on Menu > AI Receptionist in the title bar. The AI Agent Portal opens.
  • Click on Customer Portal under Actions for the desired receptionist. The Dashboard opens.
  • Click on Settings from the left-side menu.

Defining your regional time zone

  • Type in project_business_time_zone in the provided search field (Search by idn, title, group). The Business Time Zone setting will appear.
  • Choose the appropriate IANA standard locale for your primary physical office from the dropdown list (for instance, America/New_York for Eastern Time, or Europe/London for GMT).
  • Click on Save & Publish All Changes to apply this logic to your AI Receptionist.

Note

If your organisation operates a centralised contact centre covering various geographic regions, apply the locale of your primary headquarters.

Core functionalities driven by your time zone

To understand why this setup is critical, here is how the AI utilises your provided locale:

  • Operational status detection: The receptionist evaluates the current local time against your defined schedules to determine if your establishment is currently accepting customers or closed for the evening.
  • Dynamic conversational responses: Allows the AI to spontaneously generate accurate statements regarding your availability, such as confirming it is open until a specific hour in your local region.
  • Intelligent escalations: Dictates the appropriate routing pathways for transferred calls, ensuring inquiries reach the correct after-hours or daytime phone numbers.
  • Appointment verification: Synchronises with external booking platforms to ensure meetings and reservations block off the correct local hours on your calendar.
  • Chronological comprehension: Empowers the system to build accurate rolling calendars, enabling the bot to correctly interpret relative phrases from callers like "tomorrow afternoon" or “next week.”
  • Data logging: Ensures that all generated conversation transcripts, email summaries, and analytical reports are stamped with the correct regional timestamps.

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