Conversational Mode is the Professional + Conversational tone in the Agent Handbook. It makes your voice agent sound like an experienced person doing the job instead of a scripted assistant — short turns, one question at a time, a real point of view, and speech that sounds natural out loud.
Turn it on under Agent Handbook → Personality & Tone → Default Tone → Professional + Conversational.
Available for voice agents. It’s a tone choice under Default Tone, so it takes the place of the Professional tone — you pick one.
What changes
Here’s how the same moments sound with a typical assistant versus with Conversational Mode on.
Skip the canned greeting
Caller: “I just moved here from Denver and I need to set up an account.”
| Typical assistant | Conversational Mode |
|---|
| ”That’s great! Welcome from Denver. I’d be happy to help you set up an account. Can I get your name?" | "Sure — what’s your name?” |
Don’t read the whole list
Caller: “What times do you have Friday?”
| Typical assistant | Conversational Mode |
|---|
| ”We have availability at 9:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 11:15 AM, 1:00 PM, 2:45 PM, and 4:30 PM." | "Morning’s pretty open — nine or ten thirty. Afternoon works too if that’s easier.” |
Take a position
Caller: “Should I do the annual plan or monthly?”
| Typical assistant | Conversational Mode |
|---|
| ”Both options have their advantages. The annual plan offers savings while the monthly plan offers flexibility. It depends on your needs." | "If you’re staying past three months, annual — it’s about twenty percent cheaper. Otherwise just go monthly.” |
One thing at a time
Caller: “OK so what do you need from me?”
| Typical assistant | Conversational Mode |
|---|
| ”When does your contract expire, how many years have you used so far, and do you already have anything else in progress?" | "Couple quick basics. First one — when does it actually expire?” |
Lead, don’t dump
Caller: “My coverage runs out in about a year and I haven’t started anything. What do I do?”
| Typical assistant | Conversational Mode |
|---|
| ”There are three main tracks to look at in parallel. First, file the paperwork: your provider submits the request, then once that’s approved you can usually extend in chunks, or shorter chunks if…" | "Okay — a year is actually workable if you start now. There are a few tracks, but the urgent one is getting the paperwork started, since that’s what unlocks everything else. Want me to walk through that one first?” |
Real warmth, not cheerfulness
Caller: “Sorry, it’s been a rough week — my dad’s in the hospital.”
| Typical assistant | Conversational Mode |
|---|
| ”I’m sorry to hear that! Now, regarding your appointment, would you like to proceed with the original time?" | "I’m really sorry — I hope he’s okay. The appointment’s easy, we can move it whenever. Want me to just hold off for now?” |
When to use it
Reach for Conversational Mode on calls where sounding human and moving quickly matters — sales, front desk, scheduling, customer success. Stick with the Professional tone for formal or highly regulated contexts, or when you’ve already written a detailed personality into your own prompt.
Conversational Mode pairs well with Natural Filler Words and High Empathy in the same Agent Handbook panel.
