Have Astra place an outbound call
You can have Astra, your AI receptionist, call a number for you from the Ody web app: click Ask Astra to call on the Calls screen, enter the number, and Astra dials from your business line, has the conversation, and files the call in your Inbox with a recording, transcript and summary.
Typical uses: calling a lead back who left a web form, confirming tomorrow's appointments, or hearing exactly how Astra sounds by having it call your own cell phone.
Before you start
- Your AI agent must be published and Live — a draft or a turned-off agent can't place calls. See Turn Astra on or off.
- Your workspace needs an active number for Astra to call from (Settings → Numbers).
- Calls to numbers outside the US and Canada follow your workspace's international-calling rules — see International calling and limits.
- Every team member can ask Astra to call. Each answered call uses 100 AI credits — see Astra credits and usage.
Step-by-step
Click Calls in the left sidebar (on your phone: the Calls tab, then the dial pad button).
Optionally type the number on the dial pad — it pre-fills the next step.
Click Ask Astra to call under the dial pad.
Under NUMBER TO CALL, enter the number — US numbers with or without +1, other countries with their country code.
If your workspace has several numbers, pick the line under CALL FROM. Astra's connected line is selected by default.
Click Place the call. The window confirms Astra is calling and shows the line it's calling from.
When the call ends, open the Inbox — the contact's thread shows the Astra card with the summary, bullet points and transcript, and the call also appears in Calls history. Follow up yourself from the same thread.
You'll find the same button on the AI agent screen under Test call → Have Astra call you — the quickest way to hear a real Astra conversation on your own phone.
If the window shows a notice instead of the call button
- "Your AI agent isn't published yet" — open AI agent, finish the setup and click Publish.
- "Astra is turned off" — flip the badge next to the agent title to Live.
- "Your workspace needs an active number" — buy or port a number in Settings → Numbers.
- "Couldn't place the call" — the number may be invalid or blocked by your international calling settings; check it and try again.
Good to know
- Astra introduces itself with your configured greeting, so make sure it works for someone receiving a call (for example "Hi, this is Astra calling from Cedar Park Dental…") — edit it under Customize Astra's greeting and tone.
- Unanswered calls and voicemail boxes are free; Astra hangs up when nobody picks up.
- Developers and automations can place the same calls with
POST /v1/api/callsor the MCPplace_calltool — see Place AI calls and manage your agent via API.
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Frequently asked questions
Can Astra call a customer for me?
Yes. On the Calls screen (or AI agent → Test call) click Ask Astra to call, enter the number and click Place the call. Astra dials from your business line, has the conversation, and the call lands in your Inbox with a summary.
What does Astra say on an outbound call?
The same greeting, tone, jobs and business knowledge you configured on the AI agent screen. There's no per-call script yet — give Astra the context it needs in its knowledge base.
Does an outbound Astra call use credits?
Yes, like any Astra call: 100 AI credits per answered call, and calls under 15 seconds (or unanswered) are free.
Can I do this from the iPhone or Android app?
Not yet — use app.ody.co (it works in your phone's browser) or the developer API. The native apps show the resulting call like any other.