Timeline at a glance
Click any block or date to see what's inside it and why it takes that long.
The two routes
GHL route
Built with the AI calling tool inside GoHighLevel. Accounts and phone numbers are already in place, and we've already spoken with GHL.
- Led by
- Ahmed Gamal
- Practice calls passed
- Fri Nov 13
- Real calls on our leads
- Mon Nov 23
- Cost per call minute
- about 10–20¢
How we got these numbers
Nov 13: 4 days to write the rules and script (Oct 20–23, accounts and numbers already exist), 2 weeks to build in GHL (Oct 26 – Nov 6), and 1 week of practice calls with our team (Nov 9–13).
Nov 23: the Monday after the lawyer approves (Fri Nov 20). Real people can't be called before that. The week in between is used to polish and prepare the first leads.
10–20¢ a minute: GHL charges per minute for the AI agent and for the phone line, on top of the plan we already pay. Replace this with the exact price from our GHL conversation.
Recommended route
Built from specialist tools (Retell for the voice, Twilio for the phone lines). GHL stays our contact list and calendar.
- Led by
- One developer
- Practice calls passed
- Fri Nov 27
- Real calls on our leads
- Mon Nov 30
- Cost per call minute
- about 10–18¢
How we got these numbers
Nov 27: 2 weeks to prepare (Oct 20–30). Nothing exists yet for this route, so that means new accounts, phone verification and a technical design. Then 3 weeks to build the voice agent and a small program that connects it to GHL (Nov 2–20), and 1 week of practice calls with our team (Nov 23–27).
Nov 30: the Monday after practice calls pass. The lawyer has already approved by then (Nov 20).
10–18¢ a minute, added up from each part:
- Phone line (Twilio): about 1–2¢
- Voice agent (Retell), including the voice: about 7–8¢
- AI "thinking" model: about 1–6¢
- Hearing (speech to text): about 1¢
These are published list prices. Confirm them when the accounts are opened.
Key dates
Click a date to see how it was worked out.
Tue Oct 20Go-ahead needed, now. Every day of delay pushes every later date by a day.
- About 10 working days are left in October (Oct 19–30). Starting now uses them instead of waiting for November.
- The script has to reach the lawyer by Fri Oct 23, and the lawyer is the longest wait in the plan. Everything about real calls depends on that date.
Fri Nov 13GHL route passes its practice calls with our team.
Fri Nov 20The lawyer approves. Real calls can start from here.
Mon Nov 23GHL route makes its first real calls to a small batch of REI's own leads.
Mon Nov 30Both routes run side by side on REI's own leads for 2 weeks.
Fri Dec 18We pick the route to keep.
Mon Feb 1First client goes live, well inside the Q1 target.
GHL route, step by step
Led by Ahmed Gamal. Click "Details and reasoning" under any step to open it.
Recommended route, step by step
Built by one developer. Click "Details and reasoning" under any step to open it.
Outbound rules for B2C and B2B
What the AI may and may not call, in plain language. This is a working summary for planning, not legal advice. The lawyer confirms it by Nov 20.
Quick answer: what the AI may call
| Type of call | B2C (homeowners) | B2B, mobile phone | B2B, office line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answering incoming calls | AllowedSay it's an AI and that the call is recorded | AllowedSame | AllowedSame |
| Follow-up after a call with our rep (this pilot) | Written consentThe rep sends a consent link and the prospect taps "Yes" | Written consentNo exemption for business contacts on mobiles | Allowed*Federal consent rule doesn't cover office lines |
| Confirming or reminding a booked meeting (no selling) | AllowedThey gave us the number for this meeting | AllowedSame | AllowedSame |
| Re-contacting old leads | Written consentOnly if their consent mentions AI calls. Ask again by email. | Written consentSame | Allowed*Scrub against our own do-not-call list |
| Cold first contact (never spoken to us) | Not allowedUse humans, within do-not-call rules | Not allowedUse email, LinkedIn or a human call first | Check state*Federally possible. Some states restrict it. |
* The federal rules allow it, but some states add their own rules. The lawyer confirms which of our states allow it. The rules in the next section apply to every call, whatever the type.
The details behind the table
Rules for every outbound callB2C and B2B alike
- Say it's an AI in the first line, name the company we're calling for, and give a callback number.
- Say the call is recorded. Some states require everyone on the call to agree to recording (for example California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington).
- Calling hours: 8am–9pm in the person's own time zone. Some states are stricter: Florida and Oklahoma stop at 8pm.
- Call limits: some states, like Florida and Oklahoma, allow at most 3 calls in 24 hours to the same person about the same thing.
- "Stop calling" works instantly. The AI confirms, ends the call, and marks the number do-not-disturb. The legal maximum is 10 business days, but we do it during the call.
- Do-not-call checks: the national list (re-checked at least every 31 days), state lists, our own list, and the database of numbers that have changed owner.
- Honest caller ID on every call, from numbers registered with carriers.
What "written consent" meansAnd how we collect it
For any AI call that sells or promotes something, the person must have agreed in writing. Electronic is fine: a checkbox on a web form, a tapped link, or a "YES" reply. The agreement must:
- name the company that will call (our client, or REI for our own leads)
- say the calls may use an AI or artificial voice and may be marketing
- show the phone number being agreed to
- say that agreeing isn't required to buy anything
For each consent we save the date and time, the exact wording, where it came from, and the company named.
A spoken "yes" on a call isn't enough for marketing calls. That's why the rep sends a consent link right after the conversation, but only when the prospect agrees to receive it.
Asking old leads again: use email, not text. Email isn't covered by the phone-call rules (it needs an unsubscribe link and our address). A text message needs consent of its own.
B2C specifics: homeownersReal estate sellers and home services customers
- Almost every homeowner number is a mobile or home line, so every AI call needs consent.
- Homeowners are often on the national do-not-call list. Written consent overrides it for the company named.
- A past enquiry ("established business relationship") lets a human call a do-not-call number for a limited time. It does not allow AI calls without written consent.
- Open question for the lawyer: is a call offering to buy someone's house "marketing"? If not, ordinary consent may be enough. Until we know, we treat it as marketing.
- States with stricter rules that are common in real estate: Florida, Oklahoma, Maryland, Washington and Texas.
B2B specifics: business contactsImportant for the 2027 pivot
- There's no business exemption for mobiles. If a business contact's number is a mobile, the AI needs written consent exactly as for consumers. Most direct dials are mobiles.
- Office landlines (main lines, desk phones) aren't covered by the federal AI-voice consent rule or the national do-not-call list. The AI could call them, with disclosure, honest identity and opt-out, unless a state's law says otherwise.
- Check the line type before every AI call with a phone-number lookup service. Treat unknown and internet (VoIP) numbers as mobiles.
- Sole traders and agents using a personal mobile count as consumers.
- Since 2024 the FTC's rule against misleading sales calls also covers B2B calls. The AI must never exaggerate or mislead.
- Practical B2B pattern: first contact by email, LinkedIn or a human SDR. Collect written consent when they show interest. Then the AI handles follow-ups, confirmations, reminders and missed meetings.
Calling on behalf of clientsStage 3
- The consent must name the client (the company the call is for), not only REI.
- REI and the client can both be held liable for a wrongful call.
- The client agreement must say who collects consent, who stores it, and who pays if a claim arises.
Questions for the lawyerSent Fri Oct 30, answered by Fri Nov 20
- Is a call offering to buy a homeowner's property "telemarketing"? This decides whether B2C follow-ups need written or ordinary consent.
- Is our consent wording valid written consent for AI calls? Must it name each client, or can it name REI?
- Does a tapped link sent by text or email after the call count as written consent?
- Which states our leads are in add extra rules (hours, call limits, registration, consent)?
- For B2B: may the AI call office landlines without consent in those states? How should we treat VoIP numbers?
- Which state AI-disclosure laws apply, and is our opening line enough?
- When we call for a client, who is liable, and what must the client agreement say?
Outbound discovery, step by step
Runs alongside both routes. Click "Details and reasoning" under any step to open it.
More details
For anyone who wants the specifics. Open only what you need.
What the agent may and may not sayIts limits, and when it hands over to a human
May
- Say it's an AI calling for the company
- Confirm details the prospect already gave
- Ask the approved questions
- Offer meeting times
Must never
- Pretend to be human
- Quote prices or make promises
- Give legal or money advice
- Push after a "no"
Hands over to a human when the prospect agrees to a meeting, asks for a person, gets angry, or mentions a lawyer.
How we'll pick the route to keepWhat we compare on Dec 18
- Does everything work? Booking, handover, contact updates, recordings and "stop calling" all have to work on real calls.
- Call quality. People score a sample of calls from each route.
- Cost per booked meeting. Total spend divided by meetings booked, compared with human-only calling today.
- Zero legal mistakes. One mistake pauses that route for review.
If they're close, the recommended route wins, because REI fully owns it and can swap out any part later.
What each route is built withThe tools behind the scenes
| Part | GHL route | Recommended route |
|---|---|---|
| Phone lines | Our existing GHL numbers | New Twilio numbers, in REI's account |
| The AI voice agent | GHL Voice AI | Retell AI |
| Hearing and speaking | Chosen by GHL | Deepgram (hearing), ElevenLabs or Cartesia (voice) |
| Contacts, calendar, do-not-disturb | GHL | GHL, connected by a small REI-owned program |
| Recordings | GHL, copied to REI storage | REI storage (Amazon) |
What could delay thisThings the dates depend on
- The lawyer. This is the only thing holding back real calls. If REI's current consent wording is already approved for human SDR calls, only the AI-specific parts need review, and real calls could start a week or two sooner.
- Our existing numbers' spam status. If they aren't registered with carriers, that takes 1–2 weeks. It runs in the background and doesn't hold up internal testing.
- Our own lead volume. At about 30 calls a day per route, the 2-week side-by-side gives about 300 calls per route. That's enough to compare how well each route works, but the cost comparison is rough. About 60 calls a day per route would make it as reliable as a 4-week run.
- The developer. The recommended route assumes an experienced developer who can start on Oct 20. Every week they start later moves that route by a week, but the GHL route isn't affected. A junior developer adds about 2 weeks.