Nothing tells you whether an agent works like hearing it answer. polite.ai gives you two ways to test, and in the Builder the results flow straight back into the chat so the assistant can fix what you both heard.
Test in the browser
The fastest loop needs no phone at all:
In the Builder action bar, press Test (Test draft while a draft is open). A drawer opens and a temporary browser call session is created on the spot.
Speak naturally — try the calls you actually expect: the easy booking, the awkward question, the caller who won't get to the point.
Press End test. The throwaway session is removed, and the call is recorded so you can listen back later.
You can also start a browser test from an agent's drawer — Test in browser on its Overview tab. Text-only agents don't take calls, so they have no browser-test button, and a brand-new team needs saving before it can be tested.
Test over a real phone
To hear exactly what a caller will hear — real network, real handset — use the telephone test. In the agent drawer's Deploy tab, choose one of your numbers or SIP registrations under Telephone test and press Start test. polite.ai temporarily deploys the agent there and shows Call this number to test; dial it from any phone and the live transcript streams into the drawer as you talk. Closing the drawer tears the temporary deployment down again — nothing is left answering.
Results feed back into the Builder
This is the part that makes testing more than reassurance. When you end a browser test in the Builder, the call's transcript and logs go straight back to the assistant, which reviews what happened, diagnoses anything that went wrong — the missed question, the clumsy hand-off — and proposes fixes to the draft. You confirm, it patches, you test again. It's the same loop as troubleshooting a real call, just without waiting for a real caller to find the problem first.
Drafts answer tests — callers stay live
While a draft exists, every test button talks to the draft, and the test drawer reminds you: callers stay on the live version. You can rehearse a half-finished redesign on a real phone line while the published team keeps answering your customers, then press Go live when the tests sound right — see Drafts, versions & going live.
Test calls are real calls — they use the same models and voices as the real thing and count as normal usage. That's deliberate: a test that behaves differently from a live call wouldn't be much of a test.