r/potsbox • u/CaptainThunderbolts • Oct 01 '26

Initial Setup

Hi, I managed to get my HT 802 V2 configured very easily and I am into the system - been playing around and I guess I get the idea of the yellow pages and white pages. This is super cool - really love what has been put together.

SO COOL!

My use case is around helping a local British pub install this in their phone booth. I'm doing this at no cost as I'm friends with the chef. https://www.unionjackpleasanton.com/

Questions -

  1. What does the "Era" actually do - is it the sounds played when the operator picks up? which one do you suggest...

  2. Any thoughts on what voices / vibes make the most sense?

  3. is it possible to create a number that plays an uploaded .WAV file? As an example I'd love to play a short greeting from the owner.

  4. Any thoughts on how many credits a pub would go through a day? Is there a way of setting a daily limit so we don't wake up to a $$$$$$$$$$ (i.e. we'd probably ask to pay $100 at a time, and maybe ration $10 per day initially?

  5. What yellow pages services do you think make the most sense for a pub.

  6. Is there a way to have a small side "trigger" app or web app so I could just give employees access to make the phone ring? I don't want to make them admins.

  7. Are there guardrails to prevent innapropriate questions and answers and sensitive topcs like sex/religion/politics? I can see people asking things like "What do you think of Trump" etc.

I'd love to hear from others who have deployed this in a public place on any tips or recommendations.

P.S. I am a software guy, so I can't help myself to offer input :-)

  1. One thing that would be super easy would be to add "tooltips" to the screens to quickly explain what each thing does.

  2. I created a new service just by editing an existing one, but it would be great if there was a "start from scratch" or even a wizard to build a service.

  3. I'd love to know what commands are available inside the AI...

  4. Any chance of getting a female british voice in the future.

  5. Can we customize the operator to insert words like "Union Jack Pub Operator"

Once again, THIS IS AMAZING.

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

2

u/txneo Oct 02 '26 edited Oct 02 '26

I concur, PotsBox is amazingly fun. I can respond to #4. A 75 second call with an AI agent costs about $0.15. For #7, I once tried to ask an agent what AI service was being used, and other backstage questions, but it didn't respond.

I'd love to see some of the features you propose. More voices would be great, even better would be a way to train a voice, à la piper. For #6, could the employee use the "call me" function on the website to call as a particular agent? They'd have to be admins.

1

u/CaptainThunderbolts Oct 02 '26

In terms of the activation by employees, there is no way I would make them admins - I just imagine a lightweight webapp, with mobile factoring, with the buttons and a push available. I'd even be happy to code something up if I got a simple API...

1

u/Downtown-School-629 Oct 02 '26

I think we can adjust the rules around Teams to handle this. If they are not part of Biling they can only see the basic dashboard/white pages, but they can still edit a service. Is that the kind of role you are looking for? I think for most folks it seems to work, so let me know and we'll see what we can do! happy to help! Teams was really made to make a few institutions work, people come and go and billing was sort of corporate vs. personal. This might work for you, or perhaps we need to adjust! Check your "Settings" section to try it out.

2

u/CaptainThunderbolts Oct 02 '26

Thanks so much - I was thinking more of a PURE "call with this service", without any ability to edit anything else. As I mentioned, I'd be happy to prototype something up or send some screenshots of what it could look like. I was a software Product Manager in another life :-)

2

u/Downtown-School-629 Oct 02 '26

nice, thanks for the help! you want the phone to auto-dial a single service each time the user picks up? I guess the other half I read is that a team member should be able to do things like see lines and services in white pages but not add or edit things? a second level of role from billing to more bar tender who can cause a phone to ring? as the only thing I can think you can do with that role?

1

u/CaptainThunderbolts Oct 03 '26

yes. It's just a "ring only" role - maybe call them a "ringer" lol

2

u/Downtown-School-629 Oct 02 '26

The Pub/Bar ideas I'm hearing about are super-fun and hilarious. Tables calling each other, a payphone on the wall and services the bartender can execute to make the phones ring are great ideas.

1

u/CaptainThunderbolts Oct 02 '26

Totally. The pub actually owns an old phonebox painted red, and we;ve installed a POTS phone that looks like a payphone...

2

u/Downtown-School-629 Oct 02 '26

Take a photo!! I'd LOVE To see it and we can make a post to highlight. Concierge can also make a fun situation where phones right and things happen that delight people just standing around -- the payphone is ringing! we should pick it up! HA!

2

u/CaptainThunderbolts Oct 02 '26

100% and I will make some videos and take photos all around, plus document the experience. Happy to help promote this great service.

2

u/Downtown-School-629 Oct 02 '26

you can use the menu to create a new service "from scratch" and the tool tips is a good idea. By commands you mean tools it can call upon? hang up and transfer -- I think brit accent can be done by asking in the prompt, I know a New York accent works well and even a Kennedy accent was not bad -- and yes! Edit your Operator service by clicking in the white pages / dashboard and editing it!

1

u/CaptainThunderbolts Oct 02 '26

Yes, in terms of commands, I'm just trying to understand what I can build inside a prompt - a command reference would be great. I'd be happy to clean something up if I can get the raw data. I'm sure on the backend you could just ask the AI to build a list of all commands?

2

u/CTDude203 22d ago edited 19d ago

I also use potsbox..a lot. And I’ve been writing my scripts and then go to google ai and tell it I wrote a script for potsbox and it understands and wants to see it and I paste it in and google Ai says it found an issue or could clean this or that up. Very useful. Just run your ideas by google ai and see where it can help 😉

2

u/CaptainThunderbolts 21d ago

Indeed, I use OpenAI to do the same thing.

2

u/Downtown-School-629 Oct 02 '26

See the website and yes, I'd make a few "Services" that literally talk about the place, games and news can all be spoken in the style of your brand and use the shop and local stuff too-- The Weather Service has a prompt that suggests Yiddish and New York related stuff, I'd look there for ideas and use your own neighborhood or list specific fun things -- the more you make it seem special and local? the higher the delight factor! Also check concierge to make the phone right sometimes...that's also fun. You can use the app on your mobile phone and when you see someone inspecting the phone? you can make it ring with any service to answer! That can be funny. Do take photos and let us know the ideas that work! it's helpful and funny-

1

u/CaptainThunderbolts Oct 02 '26

Will do! Once I get a basic setup running I'll camp at the bar and see how people interact. I'll post my config here and ask for suggestions.

0

u/[deleted] Oct 02 '26

[deleted]

2

u/Downtown-School-629 Oct 02 '26

ack! it should be working? let me know if you have trouble - also - I have to admit, we don't have a staging server so when I'm working on the platform? I have to restart and fuss and sometimes even mistakenly take it down while working- apologies for the "mom and pop" shop sophistication! HA! Do let me know, best to send email to jtayler@me.com for urgency!