When the AI Phone Agent does not call or shows a message, the cause is usually in one of three places: the ElevenLabs and Twilio accounts, the agent's settings or the form. This article collects all messages with their solution, a checklist for the case "No call comes" and the most common questions.
Requirements
- Funnelforms Pro. This feature is not included in Funnelforms Free.
- Funnelforms Pro 5.0.8 or newer.
- For the AI Phone Agent page the right to change the settings; for the entries the right to see entries.
Where to find it
- Messages while setting up: Funnelforms → AI Phone Agent.
- Status of a call: Funnelforms → Entries, open the entry, section Sent to, action AI Phone Agent. Error codes are shown with the status Failed.
- Result of a call: in the same entry under Notes.
- Log: Funnelforms → Support, card Diagnostics.
Features at a glance
- Checklist for when no call comes.
- Messages when connecting ElevenLabs and Twilio.
- Messages when saving an agent and during the test call.
- Error codes in the entry.
- Common questions.
Step-by-step guide
If no call comes, check in this order:
- Open Funnelforms → AI Phone Agent. The card Set up in four steps shows a tick at each completed step. If one is missing, complete that step.
- Check in the list Agents that the agent shows Ready. With Not ready the reason is shown next to it.
- Click Test call on the agent and let it call you. If your phone does not ring, the cause is at ElevenLabs or Twilio (table "During the test call").
- Open the form in the editor, contact step, After sending tab. The action AI Phone Agent must have an agent, a phone field and a consent box, and the form must be published.
- Send the form yourself, with your mobile number and the consent box checked.
- Open the entry in Funnelforms → Entries and look under Sent to for the status of the action AI Phone Agent.
- Waiting means it is outside the call hours, the waiting time is still running or the daily limit is reached. Skipped means consent or a valid number is missing. With Failed, the error code in the table below helps.
- If nothing happens at all, reload a page in the WordPress admin. On websites with few visitors, background tasks only start with the next page view.
Explanations
When connecting ElevenLabs and Twilio
| Message | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| "ElevenLabs refused the API key. Check that it has access to the Agents Platform." | Key wrong, deleted or without rights for agents. | Create a key in ElevenLabs with "ElevenLabs Agents" (write) and "Voices" (read) and paste it with Change key. |
| "ElevenLabs could not be reached (…)." | Your website cannot reach ElevenLabs, for example because of a server firewall. | Try again later. If it persists, ask your host whether outgoing connections to ElevenLabs are allowed. |
| "Enter the Account SID (starts with AC) and the Auth Token from the Twilio console." | A field is empty or wrong. | Copy both values from the start page of the Twilio console (Account Info). |
| "Twilio refused the Account SID or Auth Token." | Values swapped or token renewed. | Copy both values again. |
| "This Twilio account has no number yet" | The account has no number. | Buy a number with "Voice" under Phone Numbers → Buy a number and load again. |
| "ElevenLabs already has this number." | The number already exists in ElevenLabs. | Reload the page; the number then appears in the phone number step. |
| "ElevenLabs did not accept the request. Check the number and the Twilio credentials." | Number without "Voice" or credentials do not match. | Check in Twilio that the number has "Voice", and enter the credentials again. |
When saving an agent
| Message | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| "Please enter a name." | Name empty. | Enter a name. |
| "ElevenLabs does not allow this voice for agents. Choose another voice." | Blocked voice. | Choose another voice. |
| "ElevenLabs did not accept the agent. Check its settings and save again." | ElevenLabs refuses a setting. | Check voice and texts, save again. |
| "The agent does not exist any more." | The agent was deleted in another window. | Reload the page. |
| Not ready: "Choose the number it calls from." | No number chosen. | Choose a number in Calls from the number and save. |
| Not ready: "Not set up in ElevenLabs yet: save it again." | Setting it up in ElevenLabs did not work. | Open the agent and click Save. |
During the test call
| Message | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| "ElevenLabs did not place the call. Check the credit of your ElevenLabs and Twilio accounts and that Twilio may call this country (Voice → Geo permissions)." | No credit, or the country is blocked at Twilio. | Top up your credit and allow the country in Twilio under Voice → Geo permissions. |
| Call me now stays greyed out. | The number is not in international format. | Enter the number with the country code, for example +49 170 1234567. |
| "The call is still running or ElevenLabs has no result yet. …" | The analysis takes longer. | Look at the conversation later in your ElevenLabs account under Conversations. |
| "Not reached: nobody answered, or the mailbox did. …" | Call not taken or mailbox. | Take the next test call yourself. |
Error codes in the entry
| Code | Meaning | Solution |
|---|---|---|
no_consent (Skipped) | The lead did not check the consent box. | Intended; no call without consent. |
no_recipient (Skipped) | No valid phone number in the entry. | Make the phone field required. |
permanent:agent_missing | The agent of the action was deleted. | Choose another agent in the action. |
permanent:agent_not_ready | The agent has no number or is missing in ElevenLabs. | Choose a number or save the agent again. |
permanent:connection_missing | ElevenLabs is not connected. | Connect ElevenLabs under Funnelforms → AI Phone Agent. |
permanent:call_refused | ElevenLabs did not place the call, usually for lack of credit or because Twilio blocks the country. | Check the credit at ElevenLabs and Twilio and Voice → Geo permissions in Twilio. |
permanent:auth_failed | ElevenLabs refuses the key. | Create a new key and click Change key. |
permanent:result_timeout | No result two hours after the call. | Look at the conversation in ElevenLabs under Conversations. |
Other errors, for example a short outage at ElevenLabs, Funnelforms tries again by itself.
Best practices
- Make a Test call after every change to accounts, number or agent.
- After a new ElevenLabs key, test all agents marked Not ready and save them again.
- Keep enough credit at ElevenLabs and Twilio and keep an eye on usage.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| The agent says the AI disclosure in English. | For Greek, Hungarian, Romanian, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indonesian and Vietnamese the sentence exists only in English. | This is intended. The greeting after it comes in the language of the call. |
| The agent calls at any time of day. | No day is chosen on the agent. | Choose the Days under When it calls. |
| The agent does not call right away. | First call is set to a waiting time, or it is outside the call hours. | Set First call to Right away or check the call hours. |
| The agent calls at the wrong time or names a wrong time. | The agent's time zone does not fit your leads. | Choose the right Time zone on the agent under When it calls. |
| A number without a country code, such as 0152 …, is dialled in the wrong country. | The country of the leads does not fit. | Choose the Country of the leads on the agent under When it calls, or give the phone field a country picker. |
| The agent does not book an appointment during the call. | ElevenLabs cannot reach the website, for example a local test site or password protection. | Funnelforms then books the time right after the call. |
| The menu item AI Phone Agent is missing. | Funnelforms Free, a version before 5.0.8 or a missing right. | Update to Pro 5.0.8 or ask an administrator for the right to change the settings. |
Tips
- The log under Funnelforms → Support only names causes for calls, never phone numbers or anything said. You can therefore send it to support.
- The ElevenLabs tile under Funnelforms → Integrations leads to the AI Phone Agent page. There is no second way to connect ElevenLabs.
FAQ
Do I need an ElevenLabs and a Twilio account? Yes. ElevenLabs gives the agent its voice and runs the conversations, Twilio provides the phone number. A number you set up in ElevenLabs as a SIP trunk works instead of Twilio too.
Can I change the agent in ElevenLabs myself? Change it in Funnelforms. With the next save, Funnelforms sends its settings to ElevenLabs again.
Which languages can the agent call in? In 23 languages, including German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Polish and Turkish. Starting texts exist in German, English, French, Spanish and Italian.
How long can a conversation last? 10 minutes at most.
Is the AI Phone Agent part of Funnelforms Free? No. It is part of Funnelforms Pro.