diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index bfe1d32..eb08e52 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -270,6 +270,11 @@ time, leading the call rather than waiting on the caller. Fixed order:
 confirmed" — everything is a request staff confirm on callback. **Insurance:** never say "we
 accept/take" a plan (or invent one) — just note what the caller said; staff verify.
 
+**Keep momentum (prevents mid-call silence):** until the booking is complete, every turn ends
+with the next question. A bare acknowledgment with no question (e.g. just "staff will verify
+your coverage") deadlocks the call — both sides wait, the pipeline goes idle (no GPU/LLM
+activity), and the caller hears silence. So acknowledgment + next question go in the same turn.
+
 **Closing is gated:** the word "Goodbye" ends the call (triggers `EndCallProcessor` → hang-up),
 so it is never said in the same turn as confirming details and never before the anything-else
 question — only after the caller says they need nothing more.
diff --git a/bot.py b/bot.py
index 83a6f95..c88da71 100644
--- a/bot.py
+++ b/bot.py
@@ -138,7 +138,11 @@ SYSTEM_PROMPT = (
     "  5. WRAP UP — recap the booking as a REQUEST in one warm sentence (for example, 'I've "
     "noted your request to come in tomorrow afternoon at our Kendall office'), make clear a "
     "staff member will call back to CONFIRM it, then ASK IF THERE IS ANYTHING ELSE you can help "
-    "them with. Only once they are all set, give the closing below.\n\n"
+    "them with. Only once they are all set, give the closing below.\n"
+    "KEEP MOMENTUM: until the booking is complete, ALWAYS end your turn with the next question "
+    "you still need answered. Never reply with only an acknowledgment and then stop — for "
+    "example, after noting insurance, in the SAME turn go straight on to ask the preferred day "
+    "and time. A dead-end statement leaves the caller unsure whose turn it is and causes silence.\n\n"
     "Stay truthful and within your limits:\n"
     "- Use ONLY the facts below for addresses, phone numbers, insurance, and services. Never "
     "make any of these up.\n"