Build a 24/7 AI Receptionist in 15 Mins (Python + Google Calendar)

Question

Voice AI demos are cool — but most fail at one critical thing: doing real work.

Today, I’m sharing how to build a production-ready AI Dental Clinic Receptionist that can check a real Google Calendar and book appointments over the phone.

We’ll use SIPHON, an open-source Python framework, to build this with just a few lines of logic.

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What This Agent Can Do

This tutorial walks you through building a voice agent that:

• Books new appointments using Google Calendar
• Modifies existing appointments
• Cancels appointments
• Verifies caller identity for privacy
• Runs 24/7 with no human intervention

⏱ Time to build: ~15 minutes

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Architecture Flow

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Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

System Requirements

• Python 3.8+

Install SIPHON

pip install siphon-ai

Getting Started Guide

API Keys

• OpenRouter API Key (LLM)
  https://openrouter.ai/
• Sarvam or Cartesia API Key (STT / TTS)
  https://siphon.blackdwarf.in/docs/plugins/tts/overview

Services

• LiveKit credentials (Cloud or self-hosted)
• Google Calendar with Service Account
  Calendar Setup Guide

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Helpful Documentation

• LLM Plugins
• TTS Plugins
• STT Plugins
• ⚙️ Agent Configuration
• Call Data & Observability

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Quick Start

Step 1: Create Project Structure

mkdir dental-clinic-receptionist
cd dental-clinic-receptionist
touch .env prompt.py agent.py inbound.py outbound.py

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Step 2: Configure Environment Variables

Edit .env:

OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your_key   # LLM Provider

SARVAM_API_KEY=your_key       # STT Provider
CARTESIA_API_KEY=your_key     # TTS Provider

LIVEKIT_URL=wss://your-livekit-url
LIVEKIT_API_KEY=your_key
LIVEKIT_API_SECRET=your_secret

GOOGLE_CALENDAR_ID=*Emails are not allowed*
GOOGLE_CALENDAR_CREDENTIALS_PATH=/path/to/credentials.json

CALL_RECORDING=false
SAVE_METADATA=true
SAVE_TRANSCRIPTION=true

METADATA_LOCATION=Call_Metadata
TRANSCRIPTION_LOCATION=Transcriptions

AWS_S3_ENDPOINT=http://localhost:9000
AWS_S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID=minioadmin
AWS_S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=minioadmin
AWS_S3_BUCKET=siphon
AWS_S3_REGION=us-east-1
AWS_S3_FORCE_PATH_STYLE=true

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Step 3: Define the System Prompt

Create prompt.py.

The system prompt controls behavior, privacy, and conversation flow.

system_instructions = """
You are a professional dental clinic receptionist.

CAPABILITIES
- Book new appointments
- Modify existing appointments
- Cancel appointments

PRIVACY RULES
- ALWAYS verify caller identity (name + phone)
- Only show appointments for the verified caller

CONVERSATION STYLE
- Be warm and professional
- Ask one question at a time
- Confirm details by reading them back
"""

Full Prompt Example

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Step 4: Create the Agent

Create agent.py:

from siphon.agent import Agent
from siphon.plugins import openrouter, sarvam, cartesia
from prompt import system_instructions
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

llm = openrouter.LLM()
tts = cartesia.TTS()
stt = sarvam.STT()

agent = Agent(
    agent_name="Dental-Clinic-Receptionist",
    llm=llm,
    tts=tts,
    stt=stt,
    system_instructions=system_instructions,
    google_calendar=True
)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # agent.download_files()  # Run once on fresh machines
    agent.dev()               # Local development
    # agent.start()           # Production

Agent Overview

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Step 5: Enable Inbound Calls

Create inbound.py:

from siphon.telephony.inbound import Dispatch
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

dispatch = Dispatch(
    agent_name="Dental-Clinic-Receptionist",
    dispatch_name="inbound-Dental-Clinic-Receptionist",
    sip_number=""  # Provided by your SIP provider
)

result = dispatch.agent()
print(result)

Run:

python inbound.py

Inbound Calling Guide

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Step 6: Outbound Calls (Optional)

Use outbound calls for reminders or follow-ups.

Create outbound.py:

from siphon.telephony import Call
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

call = Call(
    agent_name="Dental-Clinic-Receptionist",
    sip_trunk_setup={
        "name": "Dental-Clinic-Receptionist",
        "sip_address": "",
        "sip_number": "",
        "sip_username": "",
        "sip_password": ""
    },
    number_to_call=""
)

result = call.start()
print(result)

Run:

python outbound.py

Outbound Calling Guide

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Step 7: Start the Agent

python agent.py

Your AI receptionist is now live

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Production Scaling

SIPHON supports horizontal scaling out of the box.

Just run multiple agent instances, and calls are automatically distributed.

Scaling Guide

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What This Looks Like in Practice

Booking an Appointment

• Caller: “I need a cleaning next Tuesday at 2 PM”
• Agent verifies name + phone
• Checks Google Calendar
• Books and confirms

✏️ Modifying an Appointment

• Caller requests a change
• Agent verifies identity
• Shows only their appointments
• Reschedules and confirms

❌ Cancelling an Appointment

• Agent verifies identity
• Confirms appointment
• Cancels and acknowledges

Privacy by Design

• Identity verification required
• No cross-patient data exposure

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Resources

• Complete Example Code
• Google Calendar Setup
• SIPHON Documentation

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⭐ Found this useful?
Give SIPHON a star on GitHub → https://github.com/blackdwarftech/siphon