Build Your Own AI Calling System

Tool Setup

Set Up Each Tool.
One at a Time.

Apify

Lead Engine

Apify is a website scraping platform. You use it to automatically pull a list of leads — companies or people — based on signals like job postings or LinkedIn activity. Think of it as your automated researcher that never sleeps.

Go to apify.com and create a free account.

Search for "LinkedIn Jobs Scraper" in the Actor store — this is the tool inside Apify that does the scraping.

Set your filters: what industry you're targeting, what job titles you want (e.g. "Head of Talent", "Operations Manager"), and which countries or cities.

Run a test. You'll get back a table of leads with names, companies, and job context. This is your signal — it tells you why you're calling each person.

Set it to run on a schedule (daily or every 12 hours) so fresh leads feed into your system automatically without you doing anything.

💡 The more specific your filters, the better your leads. "SaaS companies in London with 10–50 employees actively hiring sales roles" beats "tech companies" every time.

Claude Code

The Brain

Claude Code is an AI that doesn't just answer questions — it takes actions. You give it a task and it figures out how to execute it across your other tools. In this system, it reads each lead, decides whether to call them, and tells Retell AI what to say.

Go to claude.ai and sign up. Then go to console.anthropic.com to get an API key — this is what connects Claude to the rest of your system.

You'll write a system prompt (instructions for Claude) telling it what your agency does, who your ideal client is, and what to do with each lead. The full prompt is in Section 3 below — just copy and paste it.

Claude reads the lead data from Apify and writes a personalised call brief for each person — what to lead with, what pain point to mention, what outcome to push for.

It then triggers the call by sending that brief to Retell AI, logs what happened after, and decides next steps — all automatically.

💡 Claude Code is the glue. The better your system prompt, the smarter every decision it makes. Don't rush the prompt — it's the most important piece of the whole system.

Retell AI

The Voice

Retell AI makes the actual phone calls and carries the conversation. It sounds human, handles objections naturally, and qualifies leads in real-time. It's not reading from a rigid script — it's reasoning through the conversation as it happens.

Go to retellai.com and create an account. Start on the free trial to test calls before paying.

Create a new Agent. Choose your voice (there are dozens of realistic options — pick one that sounds natural and professional for your niche).

Write your agent prompt — this tells Retell the goal of the call, what questions to ask, and what counts as a qualified lead. The full prompt is in Section 3 below.

Set up a webhook — this is just a setting that says "when the call ends, send the result back to Claude Code." You'll paste in a URL that Claude Code gives you.

Test it by calling your own phone first. Listen for where it sounds robotic or misses an objection. Tweak the prompt until it flows naturally.

💡 Your Retell prompt should always reference the lead's context — their company name, the signal you detected, the reason you're calling. Generic openers kill calls. Personalisation is what makes people stay on the line.

Google Calendar

The Closer

Google Calendar handles the booking. When Retell qualifies a lead on the call, the system checks your availability in real-time and books the meeting before the call ends. No "I'll send you a link" — the invite goes out while they're still on the phone.

You already have Google Calendar. What you need is to connect it via Google Calendar API — go to console.cloud.google.com, create a project, and enable the Calendar API.

Create a Service Account — this is a special login that lets Claude Code access your calendar without you having to approve it every time.

Share your calendar with the service account email — same way you'd share it with a colleague. Give it edit access so it can create events.

Claude Code will use this connection to check your free slots before each call and pass them to Retell as dynamic options. When a lead says yes to a time, the booking fires instantly.

💡 Block off focus time in your calendar before running the system. If your calendar is wide open, you'll end up with back-to-back calls on days you didn't intend. Boundaries in the calendar = boundaries in your week.

Build Walkthrough

6 Steps to Wire
the Whole System.

Set up Apify and run your first scrape

Get Apify pulling leads before you touch anything else. Pick your actor (LinkedIn Jobs Scraper), set your filters, and run it manually once. Make sure you're getting back real company names, contact context, and job signal data — not blank rows. This is your foundation. Don't build on top of it until it's clean.

Apify

Write your Claude Code system prompt

Use the prompt from Section 3 below as your starting point. Customise it with your agency name, your ICP, and your niche. The prompt tells Claude how to read each lead, what score to give them (1–10), and what to write in the call brief. Test it by pasting in a sample lead and checking if the output makes sense before connecting it to anything.

Claude Code

Build your Retell AI agent and test calls

Create your agent in Retell, paste in the agent prompt from Section 3, and call your own number. Have a conversation. Try to object. See if the agent handles it. Adjust the prompt until it sounds like a confident, natural human — not a robot reading a checklist. This step takes the most iteration but it's the one that wins or loses the call.

Retell AI

Connect Google Calendar to the booking flow

Set up your Calendar API access (see Tool Setup above), then write or configure a simple function that can check your available slots and create an event. Test it manually — run the function, make sure an event appears on your calendar with the right title, time, and a test invitee. Don't connect it to live calls until this works perfectly in isolation.

Google Calendar

Wire the loop together with n8n

Use n8n (free, self-hosted automation tool) to connect all four tools. The flow is: Apify webhook → Claude Code → Retell API call trigger → Retell webhook back to Claude → if qualified → Calendar booking. Each connection is a simple webhook or API node in n8n. Build one connection at a time, test it, then add the next. Do not build the whole loop in one session.

n8n · Orchestration

Run a live test end-to-end, then go live

With everything connected, trigger one real lead through the full loop. Watch what happens at each stage. Check Claude's brief — does it make sense? Listen to the call recording in Retell — did it qualify correctly? Check your calendar — did the booking appear? Fix any gaps, then turn on the schedule in Apify and let the loop run on its own. You're live.

Full System · Live

Copy-Paste Prompts

The Exact Prompts.
Customise & Deploy.

Claude Code · System Prompt Paste into your Claude Code agent config

This is the brain of the system. Replace the bracketed variables with your own details. The more specific you are about your ICP and agency positioning, the better Claude's scoring and briefs will be.

# Who You Are You are an autonomous outbound sales agent for [YOUR AGENCY NAME], a recruitment agency that specialises in placing [YOUR NICHE, e.g. "senior sales talent in SaaS companies"]. # Your Job You receive lead data. For each lead, you will: 1. Score their fit from 1–10 based on how well they match our ideal client profile 2. Write a short call brief (3 sentences max) that Retell AI will use to open the call 3. Trigger the call if the score is 7 or above 4. Log the outcome after the call ends 5. If the lead qualifies, trigger a calendar booking # Ideal Client Profile - Industry: [e.g. B2B SaaS, Tech Startups, Financial Services] - Company size: [e.g. 20–200 employees] - Signal: They are actively hiring or have recently expanded their team - Decision maker title: [e.g. Founder, Head of People, COO] # Call Brief Format Sentence 1: Why you're calling (reference their specific signal) Sentence 2: The problem they likely have right now Sentence 3: The outcome you can deliver # Qualification Criteria A lead is qualified if they confirm: - They are actively hiring or planning to hire in the next 60 days - They are the decision maker or can introduce you to one - They are open to a short discovery call this week

Key variable to customise: The ICP section. This is what Claude uses to score every lead. If your ICP is vague, scores will be inconsistent and you'll waste calls on bad-fit leads.

Retell AI · Agent Prompt Paste into your Retell Agent configuration

This controls what happens on the actual call. The yellow variables are dynamic — Retell fills them in automatically using the data Claude Code sends before each call. You do not need to fill them in manually.

# Your Identity Your name is [AGENT NAME, e.g. "Alex"]. You are calling on behalf of [AGENCY NAME]. You are a professional, warm, and direct recruiter. # Context for This Call (filled in dynamically) You are calling {{lead_name}} at {{company_name}}. The reason for this call: {{signal_context}} Your call angle: {{call_brief}} # How to Open the Call Start with: "Hi, is that {{lead_name}}? Great — I'll be quick. I'm calling because [use signal_context]. Do you have 90 seconds?" Always wait for a yes before continuing. If they say no, ask for a better time and end the call politely. # Qualification Questions (ask in order) 1. "Are you currently hiring or planning to hire in the next couple of months?" 2. "And are you the person who makes the final call on that, or is there someone else involved?" 3. "If we could take that off your plate completely — would it be worth a short call this week to see if we're a fit?" # Handling Objections "We already use a recruiter" → "Totally — most of our clients did too. We just tend to get better results in [niche] because we're more focused. What's your timeline on the current search?" "Not the right time" → "Understood. When would be a better time — next week or the week after?" "Send me an email" → "Of course — I'll send something over. But while I have you, just quickly: are you actively hiring right now or more exploring options?" # Booking If qualified: "Perfect. I have {{available_slot_1}} or {{available_slot_2}} free — which works better for you?" Once they confirm: "Done — I'll send the invite to {{lead_email}} right now. Looking forward to it."

Key variable to customise: The objection handling section. Rewrite each response in your own voice — the way you'd actually respond on a call. Robotic objection scripts are the number one reason AI calls fail.

Build Checklist

Tick These Off
Before You Go Live.

Complete in order — each step depends on the last

Apify account created and LinkedIn Jobs Scraper actor installed Apify

First scrape run manually — leads look clean with signal context Apify

Apify schedule turned on (daily or every 12 hours) Apify

Anthropic API key generated and saved Claude Code

Claude system prompt customised with your agency name, niche, and ICP Claude Code

Claude tested manually with a sample lead — brief output makes sense Claude Code

Retell AI account created and agent built Retell AI

Retell agent prompt customised — objections rewritten in your voice Retell AI

Test call placed to your own number — sounds natural, qualifies correctly Retell AI

Retell webhook configured to send call outcome back to Claude Code Retell AI

Google Calendar API enabled and service account created Google Calendar

Calendar shared with service account — test booking appears correctly Google Calendar

n8n workflow built — all 4 tools connected in sequence n8n

Full end-to-end test run with a real lead — booking confirmed Full System

System is live and running autonomously 🚀 Live

Build Your OwnAI CallingSystem

Set Up Each Tool.One at a Time.

6 Steps to Wirethe Whole System.

The Exact Prompts.Customise & Deploy.

Tick These OffBefore You Go Live.

Skip thebuild time.

Build Your Own
AI Calling
System

Set Up Each Tool.
One at a Time.

6 Steps to Wire
the Whole System.

The Exact Prompts.
Customise & Deploy.

Tick These Off
Before You Go Live.

Skip the
build time.