> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brilo.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Give your agent a personality

> Set the tone of voice, answer length, and speaking rate for your Brilo agent so it sounds like your business instead of a generic phone robot.

Two settings in the **Configure** tab do most of the work here: **Tone of voice** and **Answer
Length**. Together they decide whether your agent comes across as a brisk receptionist or a chatty
one, and they change every call without you rewriting a word of your instructions.

## Before you start

* An agent, even an unfinished one. See [Create your first agent](/agents/create-your-first-agent).
* Two minutes.
* A sense of how your best member of staff sounds on the phone. That is the target.
* You will be working in your agent's **Configure** tab.

## Steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Configure tab">
    Open your agent and go to **Configure**. **Tone of voice** and **Answer Length** sit under
    **Agent Information**, below **Time Zone**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the tone of voice">
    Pick one of five. Each one shifts how your agent phrases things, not what it knows.

    * **Friendly.** Enthusiastic, upbeat, encouraging. Good for salons, clinics, and anywhere the
      caller wants reassurance.
    * **Neutral.** Casual, respectful, objective. A safe default if you are unsure.
    * **Matter of fact.** Plainspoken, direct, frank. Good for trades and dispatch, where callers want
      the answer and not the warmth.
    * **Professional.** Informative, confident, empathetic. Good for legal, financial, and medical
      front desks.
    * **Humorous.** Lighthearted, playful, irreverent. Use with care, and only if your brand already
      talks that way.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the answer length">
    Pick one of three. This is the setting callers notice fastest.

    * **Concise.** Roughly 30 percent shorter than standard. Best for booking and simple questions.
    * **Standard.** The default, and right for most businesses.
    * **Thorough.** Roughly 30 percent longer than standard. It can lift how often a caller gets a
      complete answer, at the cost of longer calls.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save and call it">
    Save, then call your agent and ask it something ordinary. Personality is not something you can
    check by reading the setting. See [Test your agent yourself](/go-live/test-your-agent-yourself).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## You will know it worked when

You call your agent, ask a normal question, and the answer is the length you expected in the register
you expected. If you find yourself waiting for it to stop talking, set **Answer Length** to
**Concise** and call again.

## How fast it speaks

Where your account has **Speaking Rate**, you get it in the **Call Settings** block on the same tab,
with three positions: slow, normal, and fast. Normal is the default and suits most callers.

* Choose **slow** if your callers are older, if your accent and their accent differ, or if your agent
  reads out numbers and addresses.
* Choose **fast** only for confirmations and short exchanges. It reads as impatient over a full
  conversation.
* Not every voice supports speed control. Brilo tells you when the voice you picked does not, and the
  fix is to choose a naturally slower voice instead. See [Choose a voice](/agents/choose-a-voice).

## Expressive speech

Some accounts have **Expressive Mode**, a beta setting under **Agent Information**. It adds
emotionally intelligent speech and better turn taking, so your agent handles interruptions and shifts
in the caller's mood more naturally. If you do not see it, it is not enabled for your account yet.

## What else you can do here

* Override any of this in writing. An explicit instruction like "keep answers to one sentence unless
  asked for detail" beats a setting. See
  [Write what your agent says](/agents/write-what-your-agent-says).
* Change the voice, which affects perceived personality more than either setting here. See
  [Choose a voice](/agents/choose-a-voice).
* Let callers cut in while it is speaking, so a chatty agent is less costly. See
  [Set your greeting](/agents/set-your-greeting) and
  [Pauses, silence and interruptions](/calls/pauses-and-silence).

## If it did not work

**It still talks too much on Concise.** A setting trims phrasing, it does not remove content. If your
instructions tell it to explain three things, it explains three things. Cut the instructions.

**The tone did not change noticeably.** Tone is a nudge, not a rewrite. For a real change in
character, say so in the instructions as well as setting the tone.

**Thorough made calls too long.** Go back to **Standard** and put the detail people actually ask for
into knowledge, so it answers fully only when asked. See
[What your agent can learn](/knowledge/what-your-agent-can-learn).

**Speaking Rate is greyed out or missing.** Either your voice does not support speed control or the
setting is not enabled for your account. Pick a slower voice instead.

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I make my Brilo agent less chatty?">
    Set **Answer Length** to **Concise** in the **Configure** tab, then cut anything in your
    instructions that asks it to explain or offer extra options. The setting shortens the phrasing and
    your instructions decide how much there is to say, so you usually need both.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Which tone of voice should I choose?">
    **Neutral** if you are unsure, **Friendly** for clinics and salons, **Matter of fact** for trades
    and dispatch, **Professional** for legal, financial, and medical. Change it after listening to a
    handful of real calls rather than guessing twice.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does answer length change what my agent knows?">
    No. It changes how much it says, not what it can say. Everything in your knowledge is still
    available on every setting, so **Concise** does not make your agent less accurate.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I make my agent speak more slowly?">
    Set **Speaking Rate** to slow in **Call Settings**, where your account has it. Some voices do not
    support speed control, and Brilo says so when the one you chose does not. Picking a naturally
    slower voice is the reliable fix.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Will tone of voice make my agent sound less like a robot?">
    A little. Voice choice matters more, and specific instructions matter most. The agents that sound
    human are the ones told exactly how to handle the awkward moments, not the ones with the
    friendliest tone setting.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is thorough worth the longer calls?">
    Sometimes. It gives a small lift in how often callers get a complete answer, which is worth it for
    complex services and not worth it for booking. Try it for a week and compare your call recordings.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What is Expressive Mode?">
    A beta setting that adds emotionally intelligent speech and better turn taking, so your agent
    reacts more naturally when a caller interrupts or changes mood. It appears under **Agent
    Information** on accounts where it is enabled.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [Choose a voice](/agents/choose-a-voice) because voice shapes personality more than any setting
* [Write what your agent says](/agents/write-what-your-agent-says) to override tone in writing
* [Set your greeting](/agents/set-your-greeting) for the first line every caller hears
* [Pauses, silence and interruptions](/calls/pauses-and-silence) for how quickly it takes its turn
* [My agent sounds wrong](/agents/my-agent-sounds-wrong) if it is chatty, rushed, or flat