What you'll need
- A Cualify account (free signup — no card required)
- Your phone, with you, where it can receive a call
- Your phone number added to Bolna's verified list (we'll show you how)
That's it. You don't need Exotel, you don't need a paid plan, you don't need any credits in your wallet. The test call rides on Cualify's trial calling pool — free for new accounts.
Step 1 — Add your number to the verified list
While Cualify is in trial mode, outbound calls can only land on phone numbers you've verified. This is a Bolna platform restriction (our voice infrastructure partner) and it's what keeps random spam from being placed via free trial accounts.
- Open platform.bolna.ai/verified-phone-numbers (sign in with the same email you used for Cualify)
- Click "Verify phone number"
- Enter your phone in E.164 format (e.g.
+919812345678) - Bolna will text you an OTP — punch it in, you're done
Why a separate dashboard? Because Bolna runs the voice pool we use for free trials. Once you upgrade or connect your own Exotel, this restriction goes away.
Step 2 — Clone a starter playbook
Playbooks are the script + branching logic your AI agent follows. We ship 6 templates so you don't have to write one from scratch.
- In Cualify, go to Playbooks
- Pick a template that's closest to your use case (e.g. "Outbound sales — SaaS demo" for lead qualification, "Appointment reminder" for confirmations)
- Click "Use this template"
- The editor opens with the prompt pre-filled — leave it as-is for now, you can edit it later
Step 3 — Dispatch the test call
On the right side of the editor, you'll see a panel titled "Test call to me".
- Type your phone (same number you verified in Step 1) in E.164 format
- Click "Dispatch test call"
- Your phone rings within 10-30 seconds
- Pick up — the AI agent will greet you
- Have a 30-second conversation, then hang up
That's it. The call appears in /calls with full recording, transcript, and sentiment analysis within ~30 seconds of you hanging up.
What if my phone doesn't ring?
"Dispatched — your phone should ring within 10 seconds" but nothing happens
Most likely your number isn't on Bolna's verified list yet (Step 1). Check platform.bolna.ai/verified-phone-numbers — your number should show as Active.
Error: "This recipient number isn't on your verified-numbers list"
Same fix. Add the number to Bolna's verified list, wait 30 seconds for it to propagate, then retry.
The call rang but the agent sounded robotic
Default playbooks ship in Hindi. If you want a different language, go to Voice + Language in the editor and pick — try Hinglish (हिन्दी + English auto-mix) for the most natural-sounding Indian conversation.
What's next?
- Pick the right voice + language — how to make your agent sound like your best human rep
- Connect Exotel — for production, when you want to dial any number (not just verified ones)
- REST API — wire Cualify into your CRM so leads auto-dial as they arrive