What is an AI receptionist? It’s software that answers your business’s phone calls, WhatsApp messages or website chats automatically, in natural conversation. It handles the routine questions and collects the details your team needs, then hands anything complex to a person. Here’s how it works in plain English.
What is an AI receptionist, and what does it do?
- Answers calls and messages when your team is busy, after hours or on weekends
- Answers common questions: opening hours, location, services and policies
- Collects enquiry details: name, phone number, what the customer needs and when
- Takes booking or appointment requests, or books directly where your system allows it
- Sends your team a clear summary by SMS, email or WhatsApp
- Passes urgent, complex or sensitive conversations to a person
How it works, step by step
- A customer gets in touch by phone, WhatsApp or your website chat.
- The AI works out what they want. Modern language models understand everyday speech and short, messy messages.
- It answers from your approved information: a knowledge base of your hours, services, prices (if you choose to share them) and FAQs.
- It collects the details needed for a booking or call-back.
- It notifies your team with a tidy summary, and books where a booking system is connected.
- A person takes over whenever the customer asks or the AI isn’t sure.
Where AI receptionists work best
- Restaurants and cafes: booking requests during service and after close
- Tradies: capturing job details while you’re on the tools
- Salons, barbers and clinics (admin only): appointment requests and FAQs
- Real estate, property and cleaning services: enquiry capture and quote requests
What an AI receptionist should never do
Good AI receptionists are set up with clear limits. They should never:
- Make up prices, availability or policies
- Tell a customer a booking is confirmed before your system or team has confirmed it
- Give medical, legal or financial advice
- Stop a customer from reaching a real person
AI receptionist vs chatbot vs voicemail
Old-style chatbots follow rigid menus, and voicemail only records a message. An AI receptionist holds a real conversation, asks follow-up questions and turns the enquiry into something your team can act on straight away. It works across phone, WhatsApp and web chat. Read more on our AI receptionist and WhatsApp AI agent pages.
What you need to set one up
- Your information: opening hours, services, service areas, FAQs and any prices you’re happy to share.
- Your rules: which calls should go straight to a person, and how bookings are confirmed.
- Call forwarding: most Australian phone providers let you forward calls when busy, unanswered or after hours, so you can usually keep your number.
- A place for summaries: a mobile for SMS, an email inbox or a booking system.
Privacy and call recording
If calls are recorded or transcribed, callers should be told at the start of the call, and your privacy policy should explain how the information is used and stored. The Australian Privacy Principles from the OAIC are a good starting point. A well-built AI receptionist only collects what it needs to handle the enquiry.
How much does it cost?
In Australia, expect a one-off set-up fee plus a monthly fee. Our plans start from $149 a month for website chat and $349 a month for a voice AI receptionist (ex GST). See how restaurants reduce missed calls and our pricing.
Quick recap
So, what is an AI receptionist? In short, it’s a trained assistant that answers routine calls and messages for you, collects the details and passes everything else to your team. And what is an AI receptionist not? A replacement for the people who make your customers feel looked after. It simply makes sure nobody is left waiting.
Try one now
Try our interactive AI demo in two minutes, or book a free AI demo trained around your business.
