The six steps
| Step | What you set | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Practice basics | Practice name, type, address, business hours | ~60s |
| 2. Services | Your common services + appointment durations | ~90s |
| 3. AI personality + voice | AI name, greeting, voice tone, transfer numbers | ~90s |
| 4. Widget customization | Colors, logo, header title, button label, greeting | ~60s |
| 5. Emergency alerts | Phone + email for emergency notifications | ~30s |
| 6. OpenDental integration | Server URL + API key (optional, can do later) | ~30s |
- Practice basicsPractice name, type, address, and business hours (~60s). Spend the most time on hours — they control when after-hours behavior kicks in.
- ServicesList your common services and appointment durations. This is the most important data for booking accuracy — wrong durations cause conflicts or missed slots (~90s).
- AI personality + voiceAI name, greeting, voice tone (Emma / Sarah / James / Marcus), and your main + emergency transfer numbers (~90s).
- Widget customizationColors, logo, header title, button label, and opening greeting. The live preview updates as you type. Skip if voice-only (~60s).
- Emergency alertsPhone and email for emergency notifications. Optional but strongly recommended — without it you don't get an immediate ping on emergency calls (~30s).
- OpenDental integrationServer URL and API key. Optional — skip if you're not on OpenDental or want to set it up later. Full walkthrough in Connecting OpenDental (~30s).
Step 1: Practice basics
The foundational layer. Salva uses your practice name in every greeting, your specialty to tune defaults, your address when patients ask "where are you," and your business hours for after-hours behavior.
Spend the most time on business hours — these determine when after-hours behavior kicks in.
Step 2: Services
List the services you commonly book. For each, set a name and a typical duration. Salva pre-fills sensible defaults based on your specialty — you can accept or adjust.
This is the single most important data for booking accuracy. See Services and treatment durations for why duration matters.
Step 3: AI personality + voice
Three sub-fields:
- AI name — what your AI calls itself (e.g., "Claire"). Use a human first name.
- Greeting — what Salva says when the phone is answered.
- Voice tone — Emma, Sarah, James, or Marcus. See Choosing your AI voice.
- Transfer numbers — your main office line and emergency line.
The greeting matters more than people expect. Make it short, warm, and on-brand.
Step 4: Widget customization
Skip this if you only care about voice. Otherwise, walks you through Customizing the widget. The live preview on the right updates as you type.
Step 5: Emergency alerts
Optional but strongly recommended. Add at least one phone + email — without it, emergency detection still routes to your emergency line, but you don't get the immediate ping.
Step 6: OpenDental integration
Optional. Skip if you're not on OpenDental or you want to set it up later. Full walkthrough in Connecting OpenDental.
What happens on submit
After step 6 (or your last completed step), your account is provisioned and you land on the dashboard. If your plan requires it, you're routed to Stripe checkout first.
Published May 19, 2026