You set up your AI receptionist to handle inbound calls from ACA leads, your GHL number is live — but when a prospect calls, it goes straight to voicemail instead of the AI. Frustrating, right? Especially during open enrollment when every missed call is a lost policy.

This is one of the most common issues insurance agents face when setting up an AI receptionist in GoHighLevel. The good news is that it almost always comes down to a handful of configuration settings that are easy to check and fix.

In this guide, we will walk through every possible cause and show you exactly how to resolve each one so your AI receptionist never misses a lead again.

The Essential Configuration Checklist #

Before diving into advanced troubleshooting, run through this checklist. In most cases, one of these settings is the reason your calls are going to voicemail instead of the AI receptionist.

1. Verify Your Forwarding Number Is Added in GHL #

The most common reason calls go to voicemail is that the AI receptionist’s forwarding number was never added to the GHL phone number settings. Without a forwarding number, GHL has nowhere to route the call, so it falls back to voicemail.

How to fix: Go to Settings > Phone Numbers > select your number > and confirm the forwarding number (your AI receptionist number) is entered correctly.

2. Set Phone Incoming Timeout Between 10 and 45 Seconds #

Your incoming call timeout value must be greater than 10 seconds and less than 45 seconds. If it is too short (under 10), the system does not have enough time to connect before the call drops to voicemail. If it is too long (over 45), callers hang up before the AI picks up. A range of 15–30 seconds works best for most insurance agencies.

3. Uncheck the “Connect Call” Option #

The Connect Call option in GHL must be unchecked. When this is enabled, it interferes with the call routing flow and can cause calls to skip the AI receptionist entirely, sending them to voicemail or a user’s personal line instead.

4. Configure Call Recording Based on Your Needs #

The Recording option in GHL can be checked or unchecked depending on your preference. Enabling it records all calls handled by the AI receptionist, which is useful for compliance and quality assurance — especially important in the insurance industry. Just make sure you comply with your state’s call recording laws, as some states require two-party consent.

5. Select “Show Contact Number” Not CRM Number #

In your phone number settings, make sure you select Show Contact Number rather than the CRM number. This ensures the caller’s actual phone number is displayed during the call, which is critical for proper call routing and for the AI receptionist to function correctly.

6. Make Sure DND (Do Not Disturb) Is Not Enabled on the Lead #

This is one of the most frequently missed issues. If a lead has DND enabled for incoming calls, the call will be blocked before it ever reaches your AI receptionist. The call either goes to voicemail or does not connect at all.

This happens more often than you think — especially with insurance leads. ACA leads come in from multiple sources (Facebook ads, marketplace referrals, third-party lead vendors), and sometimes DND gets toggled on during import or through automation workflows. Always check the contact record and verify that DND is disabled for calls.

⚠️ Example: An ACA insurance agent is running Facebook ads for open enrollment leads. A new lead, Rosa Martinez (469) 555-7823, submits a form and gets added to GHL automatically. Rosa calls back the next day to ask about plan options, but the call goes to voicemail every time. After checking all other settings, the agent discovers that the lead import automation accidentally enabled DND on Rosa’s contact record. Fix: Disable DND on the contact. Rosa’s next call goes straight to the AI receptionist.

7. Make Sure the Contact Is Not Assigned to a Specific User #

This is the biggest and most misunderstood issue. When a contact is assigned to a user in GHL, incoming calls from that contact bypass your normal call routing entirely. GHL sends the call directly to the assigned user’s phone number instead of the AI receptionist.

Here is the priority order GHL follows:

1. Personal phone number — If the assigned user has a personal number on file, the call goes there first. This always takes the highest priority.
2. Assigned GHL number — If no personal number exists but the user has an assigned GHL number, the call routes there.
3. Normal routing (AI receptionist) — Only if neither of the above exists will the call follow your standard forwarding rules and reach the AI.

This means that if a prospect calls your GHL public number and that contact is assigned to an agent, the AI receptionist will never ring. The call goes straight to that agent’s personal phone. If they do not answer, it goes to voicemail — and you lose the lead.

⚠️ Example: An insurance agency uses GHL number (678) 555-2200 for all ACA enrollment calls. They have an AI receptionist set up to qualify leads and book appointments. Lead James Walker (770) 555-8844 calls in after seeing a Facebook ad about ACA plans. Instead of reaching the AI, the call goes to agent Priya’s personal phone (404) 555-1199. Priya is on another call with a client and cannot answer. James gets voicemail, hangs up, and enrolls with a different agency. Root Cause: James’s contact record was assigned to Priya when the lead came in. GHL routes his call directly to Priya’s personal number, skipping the AI entirely. Fix: Remove Priya’s personal number from her user profile and assign her a GHL public number instead. Now when James calls, the AI receptionist answers, qualifies him, and transfers to Priya if he wants to speak with an agent right away.

Check Your AI System Credits and Payment Card #

This one catches people off guard. Make sure your AI receptionist system has active credits and a valid payment card attached. If your credits have run out or your card has expired or been declined, your AI receptionist will not be able to answer any calls. The system simply will not process the call, and it will fall through to voicemail.

Always verify the following in your AI receptionist dashboard:

• You have sufficient credits remaining for call handling.
• A valid and active payment card is attached to the account.
• Auto-recharge is enabled so credits do not run out during business hours or peak enrollment periods.

⚠️ Example: An ACA insurance agency had everything configured perfectly in GHL. Forwarding number was correct, no DND issues, no assigned contacts — but calls still went to voicemail right in the middle of open enrollment season. After hours of troubleshooting, they discovered their AI system credits had run out two days ago and the card on file had expired. Fix: They updated the payment card, purchased new credits, and enabled auto-recharge. The AI receptionist was back online within minutes — no more lost enrollment leads.

Advanced Scenario: Ringing Agents First, Then AI #

A common request from insurance agencies is: “I want the phone to ring my agents for 5 to 6 rings first. If nobody picks up, then forward to the AI receptionist.”

Here is the challenge: GHL does not support delayed forwarding. When GHL detects a forwarding number, it transfers the call immediately. There is no built-in way to add a delay or ring count before forwarding.

But there are two solutions.

Solution 1: Staff Member Ring-First with Twilio Hold #

How it works: We add staff members (your insurance agents) to the GHL public number so that when an incoming call is received, all the agents’ personal numbers ring simultaneously. If no one picks up after 5–6 rings, the call moves to the AI receptionist.

Technical implementation: This is not an automatic setup — it requires manual configuration by our support team. Here is the process:

• Our support team will write a custom Twilio function that holds the incoming call for approximately 20 seconds (equivalent to 5–6 rings), giving your agents time to answer.
• We then assign that function to a specific phone number inside Twilio.
• That Twilio phone number is then used as the routing number in your setup. If no agent picks up within the hold time, the call is automatically forwarded to the AI receptionist.

Important caveat: When an assigned user calls back on the public number, the call will always go to that assigned user’s personal number — never the AI. This solution only works for calls from non-assigned contacts.

Solution 2: AI-First Routing (Recommended) #

How it works: Route all incoming calls directly to the AI receptionist. The AI handles the initial interaction — greeting the caller, asking one or two qualifying questions (such as “Are you looking for ACA health insurance plans?” or “Do you currently have coverage?”) — and then either transfers the call to an agent if the caller wants to speak with someone immediately, or books an appointment.

Why this is the recommended approach for insurance agents:

• Every call is answered instantly — no missed leads, no voicemail, no waiting. Critical during open enrollment.
• The AI qualifies and filters leads before they reach your agents, saving time on unqualified callers.
• It works consistently regardless of contact assignment or user configuration.
• No edge cases or workarounds to manage.
• Callers get a professional experience from the very first second — building trust from the start.

This is the solution we use internally, and it is what we recommend for insurance agencies.

Quick Troubleshooting Reference #

Issue	What to Check	Fix
Calls go to voicemail	Forwarding number missing	Add AI forwarding number in GHL phone settings
AI does not pick up	Timeout too short or long	Set incoming timeout between 10–45 seconds
Calls go to wrong person	Contact assigned to a user	Remove personal number or reassign GHL number
Calls blocked entirely	DND enabled on the lead	Disable DND for incoming calls on the contact
Wrong caller ID	CRM number selected	Switch to “Show Contact Number”
Unexpected routing	Connect Call enabled	Uncheck the Connect Call option
AI not answering at all	Credits or card issue	Add credits and attach a valid payment card

Next Steps #

If you have gone through this entire checklist and your calls are still going to voicemail instead of the AI receptionist, it is likely something specific to your account configuration that needs a closer look.

We are happy to hop on a Zoom call to walk through your setup together — either today or we can schedule one for tomorrow, whichever works best for you.

Let us know:

• Which solution you would like to implement (Agent-first with Twilio or AI-first routing)
• Whether you would like to discuss it live on a call today or schedule for tomorrow

We will get your AI receptionist up and running so you never lose another enrollment lead.