AI receptionist for after-hours and overflow calls
An AI receptionist that answers when your team cannot. It asks the caller what they need and books the job on your calendar. It is built for your business, not rented off the shelf.
It says it is not a person. You write the list of what it will never handle.
- Answers as backup
- Only when nobody picks up, at any hour.
- A monthly cost, not a rate
- Based on how many calls you really get.
- You set the limits
- A written list of what it must never handle.
The missed call is the whole problem
Most businesses that need this already know it. Calls come in while the crew is on a job, at 7pm or on Saturday. The caller rings the next company instead of leaving a message. Voicemail is where those jobs are lost.
An AI receptionist is worth it when calls are similar and the work runs on appointments. It answers right away, asks the few things needed to send someone, and books the job while the caller is still on the line.
An AI receptionist is not worth it if a person already catches nearly every call, or if most calls are complex or sensitive. We will tell you on the first call.
If the same questions come by form and chat instead of phone, a chatbot costs less, and the answers carry over. A receptionist is only as good as where it puts the booking, which is CRM integration. Not sure this is worth it? AI consulting tells you first.
We agree three things before we build anything
First, the cost. It is charged per minute of talking. We give you a monthly estimate based on your real calls, so you agree to a bill, not just a rate.
Second, that an AI will speak to your customers. You hear it before it goes live. We agree what it says when it cannot help. It is your business answering the phone, and some owners are not comfortable with that. That is a fair answer.
Third, what it must never handle, and who checks the calls after launch. Each of these changes what we build.
How we build an AI receptionist
Four stages. The fourth is always included.
Answering when nobody else does
As backup, day and nightIt only answers when a person does not. That covers evenings and weekends. It also covers the busy Tuesday morning when everyone is already on a call. Most businesses miss more of those daytime calls than they think.
Getting the timing right with your phone system matters more than it sounds. If it is wrong, calls go to voicemail and the receptionist never hears them. We set it up and test it.
Asking only what a job needs
Name, number, address, the problemWe start from the job. What does someone need to show up and do the work? For most trades that is a name, phone number, address, what is wrong, and whether it is a home or a business.
Everything else is cut. Every extra question is another chance for the caller to hang up. The rest can wait for the follow-up.
Booking it on your real calendar
Into your CRM, not a spreadsheetIt works out which calendar the job belongs on, offers open times and books one. The customer lands in the same system your team already uses.
We check every test booking in your real system. A booking that looks fine but saves nothing is the most common failure, and people often find out weeks later.
Knowing what it must never touch
Honesty and firm limitsIt says it is not a person. Some states require that. Getting caught pretending costs more than it saves.
Then you decide what it must refuse. Emergencies are the usual example. It does not book them or take a message. It tells the caller to reach a person. A half-handled emergency is worse than none.
What you get, written down before you pay
All of this goes in the agreement before you pay anything.
In the build
- What it says, written and agreed with you
- Your phone set up so it only answers as backup
- Booking into your real calendar and CRM
- A written list of what it must refuse
- Tested on real cell phone calls, not just at a desk
After launch
- Call records reviewed and answers fixed
- AI and phone costs billed to your own account
- Changes when you hear a call that went badly
- Handover to your team whenever you want it
- You can switch it off at any time
Not included
- A receptionist that pretends to be a person
- An AI receptionist handling your emergency calls
- Replacing the people who answer your phone
- A per-minute rate with no monthly estimate
Tell us roughly how many calls go unanswered each week, and we will tell you if this pays for itself.
Three things to ask before you hire anyone
- Ask to hear one
- On a cell phone, on speaker. That is where a badly built one falls apart.
- Ask what it refuses
- If there is no written list, nobody planned for what happens when it goes wrong.
- Ask for a monthly figure
- Not a per-minute rate. The monthly bill is what you are really agreeing to.
Common questions
What does an AI receptionist cost to run?
It is billed per minute of talking, not per call. Instead of quoting a rate, we give you a monthly estimate based on your real calls. Thirty cents a minute sounds like nothing. Two hundred dollars a month is a number you can decide on. It grows with your calls, so a good ad campaign raises the bill.
Will it talk over my callers?
Not once it is set up properly, and many builders skip this step. A receptionist that sounds fine at a desk can talk over people on a cell phone in a truck. We test it the way your callers will really use it.
How is this different from a chatbot?
Same idea, but by phone, which is harder. A chatbot has time to think. A caller will not wait. Most businesses end up wanting both, and the answers you write for one carry over to the other.
Should I use an AI receptionist or an answering service?
An answering service uses people to take messages. An AI receptionist has the conversation and books the job during the call. For a business that runs on appointments, that is what matters. Many use both: the AI takes routine calls and a person takes the tricky ones.
Do I have to record the calls?
It depends on your state, and it is not our call. Some states need only one person on the call to agree. Others need everyone. Your lawyer confirms which applies, and the greeting must match. We build to that.
What happens when it gets something wrong?
You read the written record of the call and we fix it. If nobody checks the calls, quality slips and your customers notice. So someone must own that after launch: your team, or us each month. We agree who before it goes live.
Can it use the phone system I already have?
Usually, and we check before we price anything. Some basic phone plans cannot be set up for this. If yours is one, we tell you during planning, not after launch.
What if a caller asks for a real person?
It never argues. It either passes the call to your team or takes their details for a callback, whichever you choose. You decide this before it goes live, and you can change it at any time. Just tell us, and we update it the same week.
Can I see what it said to my customers?
Yes. Every call gets a written record you can read. In the first few weeks, reading them is the fastest way to spot answers that need fixing. Over time, they also show you the questions your customers ask most.
How long does it take to build?
Three to five weeks for most. Most of that is writing what it says with you, agreeing its limits and testing it on real cell phone calls. The code is the quick part.
Related: AI overview · Chatbots · AI consulting · CRM integration
The rules on recording calls vary by state, and the greeting must match them. They are set by state wiretapping and eavesdropping statutes. Your lawyer confirms which apply to you.
Tell us how many calls you miss in a week
We reply in writing within one business day, even when the honest answer is that you do not need one.