Call Simulator¶
The Call Simulator is an interactive training tool that allows agents to practice call handling skills by having realistic conversations with AI-powered prospects.
Premium Feature — Beta
The Call Simulator is a premium add-on feature currently in beta. During the beta period, it is available free of charge to participating organisations. Contact your administrator if you don't see this option.
Accessing the Simulator¶
Navigate to Training → Simulator in the navigation menu. Available to agents and users in organisations with Simulator access enabled. Agents are taken straight to the Simulator when they log in (or to their My Training page, where Training is enabled).
Key Features¶
- AI-Powered Conversations — practice with realistic AI prospects that respond naturally, including the ability to interrupt mid-speech
- Natural call endings — prospects end calls the way real people do: once you've said your goodbyes, they say a short farewell and hang up
- Scenario Selection — choose from three types:
- Shared Scenarios — pre-built scenarios shared organisation-wide by team leads or managers
- My Scenarios — personal scenarios you've created and saved
- Assigned to Me — scenarios specifically assigned to you by managers for targeted practice
- Custom Scenario Creation — create your own by describing the prospect's personality, objections, or skills to practice. Optionally base the scenario on an agent profile for more realistic context.
- Scenario Management — rename, share, or delete scenarios directly from the scenario cards (see Managing Scenarios)
- Automatic Call Analysis — every practice call of at least 1 minute is analysed as soon as it ends, and you receive a detailed feedback report by email, including a link to your practice recording (see Your Feedback Report)
- Microphone Check — the Simulator checks your microphone before it dials, and tells you early in the call if it isn't picking up your voice (see Microphone Check)
- Headphone Mode — tell the Simulator you're wearing headphones for even faster AI responses (see Settings & Troubleshooting)
How to Use the Simulator¶
- Select a Scenario — use the dropdown to choose from shared, personal, or assigned scenarios. Alternatively, select "Custom Scenario" to create your own.
- Review Your Mission — read the scenario description in the "Your Mission" card. Click View Background for additional context.
- Start the Call — click CALL PROSPECT to begin. The AI prospect will answer and you can start practicing.
- Practice Naturally — speak as you would on a real call. You can interrupt the AI mid-speech if needed.
- End the Call — click End Call when finished, or simply say your goodbyes — the prospect will wrap up and hang up naturally. Practice calls also have a maximum length; a warning appears shortly before the limit.
- Rate the Call — after each call, a short survey asks you to rate your experience. Calls of at least 1 minute are analysed automatically as soon as they end — you don't need to finish the survey or click anything to get your report.
- Save Custom Scenarios — after generating a custom scenario, save it immediately for future practice and optionally share it with your team.
Your Feedback Report¶
Every practice call of at least 1 minute is analysed automatically when it ends. Below the call controls, the Simulator keeps you posted:
| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| Preparing your CallCoach report… | The call is being analysed. This usually takes a few minutes — you can leave the page or start another call; the report is emailed to you either way |
| Your CallCoach report is ready. We've emailed it to you. | Done — check your inbox |
| Your report is taking longer than usual. | Still in progress; it will be emailed when it's ready |
| We couldn't analyse this call. | Click Try again. If it keeps happening, contact support@icana.ai |
Calls under a minute are not analysed.
Where Training is switched on, the report also appears in your recent sessions on your training page.
Microphone Check¶
The Simulator makes sure it can hear you — before the prospect's phone rings, and again at the start of the call.
Before dialling¶
When you click CALL PROSPECT, the Simulator first opens your microphone:
- If your browser asks for permission, the status reads Allow microphone access in your browser to start the call — allow it and the call carries on.
- While dialling, the status names the microphone being used, e.g. Dialling… (microphone: Jabra Evolve2 40). If that's not the one you meant to use, end the call and pick the right input in your browser or computer settings.
If the microphone can't be used, the call isn't placed. Instead a Microphone check panel opens and says what to do:
| The panel says | What to do |
|---|---|
| We can't access your microphone | Click the site-information icon at the left of the address bar (a padlock or a sliders symbol), set Microphone to Allow, then reload the page |
| No microphone was found | Connect or select a microphone, then click Try again |
| Another app is using your microphone | Close the other app (for example a softphone or video-call app), then click Try again |
| Your microphone is muted in your computer's sound settings | Unmute it — the call then starts by itself |
| We couldn't start your microphone | Check your headset and browser settings, then click Try again |
During the call¶
At the start of the call the Simulator listens for your voice. If it hasn't heard anything after several seconds, the panel opens with We're not picking up your voice yet and the name of the microphone in use — check that your headset isn't muted and that the right microphone is selected. The panel closes by itself as soon as it hears you (We can hear you), or you can Dismiss it.
If the microphone stops sending audio part-way through (for example, it's unplugged or muted in your computer's sound settings), the panel tells you so.
Headsets with a mute button
A headset's own mute button usually just sends silence, so your browser can't tell it's muted. That's why the Simulator listens for your voice rather than trusting the mute setting — if the prospect can't hear you, check the button on your headset first.
Prospect Behaviour¶
Prospects behave like real people on the phone:
- Natural endings — when the conversation wraps up, or you suggest ending the call, the prospect says a short goodbye and puts the phone down. The status bar shows "The prospect ended the call." and the normal post-call flow follows.
- Real-world limits — a prospect who is repeatedly talked over or treated rudely will push back first, and may eventually wind the call down politely and hang up. Prospects never hang up on a first offence, and never because a pitch was awkward or clumsy — practising through objections is the point.
Managing Scenarios¶
Each scenario card has icon buttons in its top-right corner: Edit (pencil), Delete (bin), and Share (send a scenario to a colleague by email). Edit and Delete only appear when you're allowed to use them.
The Edit Scenario dialog lets you change two things:
- Scenario Name
- Shared with your organisation — a switch that makes the scenario visible to everyone in your organisation
Who can do what:
| Action | Private scenario | Organisation-shared scenario |
|---|---|---|
| Rename | Owner | Administrators only |
| Share with organisation | Owner | — |
| Stop sharing | — | Administrators only |
| Delete | Owner | Administrators only |
Sharing is one-way for non-administrators
Sharing a scenario makes it visible to everyone in your organisation. Afterwards, only administrators can stop sharing it or delete it — so double-check before you share.
Confirmation prompts appear before sharing, un-sharing, or deleting. Deleting an organisation-shared scenario removes it for everyone.
Sending a scenario to a colleague: click the share (send) icon on the scenario card, enter your colleague's email (they must be a user or agent in your organisation), and optionally add a personal message. Only scenarios shared with your organisation can be sent — you'll be prompted to share a private scenario first.
Settings & Troubleshooting¶
Expand the Settings & Troubleshooting section at the bottom of the Simulator page to find:
- Voice selection — switch between Voice A (default) and Voice B if you prefer a different voice or are experiencing audio issues.
- "I'm using headphones" — switch this on if you're wearing headphones or earbuds. With headphones the AI can respond faster; on speakers the Simulator uses safer settings to stop the AI talking over itself. The preference is remembered per browser. If you select Voice B without the toggle on, a quick check dialog asks whether you're on headphones or speakers before the call starts.
Common Questions¶
Why can't I access the Simulator?
The Simulator requires organisation-level access to be enabled. If you don't see the Simulator option, contact your CallCoach administrator to request access.
What's the minimum call duration for analysis?
Practice calls must be at least 1 minute long. Calls that long are analysed automatically when they end, and the feedback report is emailed to you.
Where has the "Analyse this call" button gone?
It's no longer needed: every practice call of at least 1 minute is analysed automatically as soon as it ends. You only see a button — Try again — if an analysis didn't complete. See Your Feedback Report.
Do I have to fill in the survey to get my report?
No. The survey still appears after each call and your ratings help us improve the Simulator, but the report is prepared whether or not you complete it.
Does the feedback report include my practice recording?
Yes. Simulator feedback reports include a link to the recording of your practice call, so you can listen back while reading the feedback. Recording links are valid for 7 days after the report is created; after that the link is shown greyed out with an explanation.
The prospect hung up on me. Is that a bug?
No — prospects end calls naturally once goodbyes are said, or if the call clearly isn't working. A prospect may also hang up after sustained rudeness or repeated attempts to break the role-play, but always deflects and warns first. If a call ended unexpectedly for technical reasons instead, the status messages will look different — contact support if in doubt.
Why can't I rename or delete a scenario?
Once a scenario is shared with your organisation, only administrators can rename it, stop sharing it, or delete it. Your own private scenarios are fully under your control.
The Simulator says it can't hear me. What should I check?
Follow the steps in the Microphone check panel — see Microphone Check. The usual causes are a muted headset (check the button on the headset itself), the wrong microphone selected in your browser or computer, microphone permission blocked for the site, or another app holding the microphone.
The AI voice sounds unusual. What can I do?
Expand Settings & Troubleshooting at the bottom of the Simulator page. You can switch between Voice A (default) and Voice B to find better audio quality for your connection.
The AI keeps talking over itself on my speakers. What can I do?
Make sure the "I'm using headphones" toggle in Settings & Troubleshooting is switched off when you're on speakers — the Simulator then uses safer timing settings. For the fastest, most natural experience, use headphones and switch the toggle on.
Can I interrupt the AI during the call?
Yes! The Call Simulator supports natural conversation flow. You can interrupt the AI mid-speech, which is especially useful at the start of calls or when redirecting the conversation.
Will my practice calls affect my performance metrics?
No. Practice scores are kept apart from your real-call scores and never mix into your performance figures. Every analysed practice call still emails you the report as before.
Where Training is switched on, practice calls are also kept so that your progress through an assigned module can be worked out from them, and your recent sessions are listed on your training page. Practice you weren't assigned counts as practice and nothing more.