Quick Start — Get Your First Action Running in 5 Minutes
🚀 New to actions? Start here.
If you just want a working agent quickly, do this first:
Open your agent → click the Configure tab → scroll to Actions → click Add Action
Select Contact Data — this captures the caller's name and phone number
Write a natural question for each field (e.g. "Can I get your name?")
Click Save Changes
Go to the Overview tab and run a test call
That's it. Your agent can now capture leads. Come back to add more actions when you're ready.
The natural progression is: Contact Data → Extract Data → Book an Appointment or Call Transfer. Add them one at a time and test after each.
What Are Actions — and Why Do They Matter?
By default, your Romulus agent can hold a conversation — it greets callers, answers questions, and follows your prompt. But it cannot do anything with what it learns. It just talks.
Actions change that. They give your agent the ability to actually do things during the call:
Capture the caller's contact information so you can follow up
Ask structured questions and store the answers
Transfer the caller to a human when needed
Book a real appointment into a real calendar — without any human involvement
Think of it this way: the prompt is your agent's personality and script. Actions are its hands.
How a Real Call Works With Actions
Here is how a complete agent workflow looks when actions are properly configured — using an appointment-booking clinic as an example:
Call starts → Agent greets caller → Contact Data captures name and phone → Extract Data asks about service needed → Book Appointment schedules directly into the calendar → Call Transfer escalates if the situation is urgent
Each action fires at the right moment in the conversation. Your prompt tells the agent when to trigger each one — you will configure that connection after setting up your actions here.
When to Use Each Action
You do not need all four actions on every agent. Use this guide to pick what your agent actually needs:
Contact Data — Use when you want to capture the caller's name, email, or phone number. Example: a dental clinic captures patient name and phone on every call.
Extract Data — Use when you need custom information specific to your business. Example: a roofing company asks "What type of roof do you have?" and "How urgent is your request?"
Call Transfer — Use when the caller needs to speak to a real person. Example: an after-hours agent transfers emergency calls to the on-call technician.
Book an Appointment — Use when you want the agent to schedule directly into a calendar. Example: a wellness clinic lets the agent book appointments without human involvement.
💡 Most agents start with Contact Data + Extract Data. That covers lead capture and qualification. Add Book an Appointment or Call Transfer once those are working.
Opening the Actions Section
Open the agent you want to configure.
Click the Configure tab in the top navigation.
Scroll down to the Actions section.
Click Add Action to open the action type selector.
You will see a modal with four action types to choose from. Configure one at a time and test after each.
Action 1 — Contact Data
What it does
Captures three standard contact fields — name, email, and phone number. Data is stored against the contact record and appears in your call log.
When to use it
On almost every agent — if you are talking to callers, you want to know who they are.
Before you begin
No prerequisites. Works out of the box on any agent.
How to set it up
Click Add Action → select Contact Data.
For each field (Name, Email, Phone number), write the question your agent will ask. Keep it natural — e.g. "Can I get your full name?" or "What's the best number to reach you?"
Set the Answer Strategy: Override (always asks, even if data exists) or Set if missing (only asks if the field is empty).
For the Name field, add an Answer Example (e.g. "John Smith") to guide the agent.
Click Save Changes.
After saving, the Contact Data action appears as a card in the Actions section.
💡 Override vs Set if missing: Use Override for new lead capture. Use Set if missing for returning callers whose details you may already have.
⚠️ Common mistake: Writing robotic questions like "Please state your name." Write it the way your agent would naturally say it — the question goes directly into the live call.
Action 2 — Extract Data
What it does
Collects any custom information you define — beyond name, email, and phone. You create your own variables, write the questions, and choose how answers are captured.
When to use it
When you need business-specific information: service type, urgency, preferred time, property size, how they found you.
Before you begin
Think about what your team needs to qualify or serve a caller. Start with 2–3 variables. Add more later.
How to set it up
Click Add Action → select Extract Data.
Give the action a clear name (e.g. "Qualify Lead", "Collect Service Details").
Add a description explaining when the agent should run this action.
Click Add Data Item to create your first variable.
Set the Variable name — internal label, no spaces (e.g. "service_type", "urgency").
Write What to ask — the exact question the agent will say to the caller.
Choose the Answer type that matches the expected response.
Repeat steps 4–7 for each additional variable.
Click Save.
Answer types
Free answer — any open-ended response
Single choice — caller picks from options you define
Yes or No — binary response
Email — validates as an email address
Phone number — validates as a phone number
Date and Time — captures a specific date and time
💡 Real example — HVAC company:
"Is this a heating or cooling issue?" → Single choice
"How old is your system approximately?" → Free answer
"Is there no heat or cooling in your home right now?" → Yes or No
⚠️ Common mistake: Creating too many variables at once. Start with 2–3. Too many questions in one call makes callers hang up.
Action 3 — Call Transfer
What it does
Routes the caller to a specific phone number — typically a human agent, manager, or department line.
When to use it
Emergency escalation, sales hand-off, complaints, or when a caller asks for a specific person.
Before you begin
Have the destination phone number ready.
How to set it up
Click Add Action → select Call Transfer.
Give the action a descriptive name (e.g. "Emergency Transfer", "Transfer to Sales").
Enter the destination phone number including the country code.
Write a description telling the agent exactly when to trigger this transfer.
Click Save.
💡 The description is critical. Good: "Transfer when the caller mentions a gas leak, flooding, or fire, or asks to speak with a human." Too vague: "Transfer when needed."
⚠️ Common mistake: If the transfer is not firing, go to your prompt and add an explicit instruction: "When the caller asks to speak to someone, immediately execute the [Transfer Action Name] action."
Action 4 — Book an Appointment
What it does
Books directly into a connected calendar during the live call — no human involvement needed.
When to use it
Any business that takes appointments: clinics, salons, contractors, consultants, restaurants.
Before you begin
✅ You must connect a calendar integration before configuring this action. Supported calendars: Google Calendar, Calendly, GoHighLevel, Castrum. Go to the Integrations tab to connect one first.
How to set it up
Click Add Action → select Book an Appointment.
Give the action a clear name (e.g. "Schedule Consultation", "Book Service Visit").
Under Select Account, choose the connected calendar account.
Under Select Calendar, choose the specific calendar — all calendars in that account appear in the dropdown.
In Data items to be extracted, click Add Data Item for each piece of info to collect before booking (e.g. preferred date/time, appointment type).
Under Contact Info, the Lookup property defaults to Phone number — the agent uses this to find or create a contact.
Under Event Data, set the Title. Use Select Variable to insert dynamic values like ##{{ Name }}.
Click Save Changes.
💡 The calendar dropdown shows ALL calendars in the connected account. If a GoHighLevel account has five calendars, all five appear — pick the specific one your agent should book into. Availability is controlled by the calendar itself.
⚠️ Common mistakes:
Not adding a Date and Time variable — the agent has nothing to book without it.
Connecting the wrong calendar — verify it is the one your team monitors.
Forgetting to connect an integration first — go to the Integrations tab before this step.
Managing Your Actions
All actions appear as cards in the Actions section. Most agents have 2–4.
Edit: three-dot menu → Edit
Delete: three-dot menu → Delete (permanent)
💡 After configuring actions, go back to your prompt and tell the agent when to use each one. Example: "After collecting name and phone with Contact Data, ask the service type with the Qualify Lead action. If they mention an emergency, execute the Emergency Transfer action." The prompt is where you orchestrate everything into a complete workflow.
Common Issues
The agent is not collecting information even though I set up the action
The prompt does not tell the agent when to use it. Go to the prompt and explicitly reference the action by name.
The agent asks for information twice
Duplicate fields in Contact Data and Extract Data. Remove the duplicate. Also check Answer Strategy — Override vs Set if missing.
The call transfer is not firing at the right time
The description is too vague. Make it more specific and reinforce the instruction in the prompt.
The booking action is not creating appointments
Confirm the calendar integration is connected under Integrations. Check for a Date and Time variable in data items. Run a test call from the Overview tab.
I cannot see my calendar in the Select Calendar dropdown
The dropdown only shows calendars from the connected account. Go to Integrations and verify the correct account is authorised.
What to Do Next
Return to the prompt (Configure → Prompt → Edit) and add instructions for when to trigger each action.
Run a test call from the Overview tab.
Check the Calls tab to confirm data was captured correctly in Extracted Data and Contact Data.
If something is not working, check the Common Issues section above.
Related Articles
How to Define Your AI Agent's Behaviour Through the Prompt
How to Connect Third-Party Integrations
How to Create a Knowledge Base and Add Content
How to Read Your Call Logs and View Call Details
Understanding the Agent Overview Tab and Test Your Agent Panel