What is an AI receptionist? How it works and what it costs
Published 6 October 2026 · Provider pages read on 5 and 6 October 2026 · By Target Digital · 7 minute read
What is an AI receptionist? It is software that answers your business phone with an AI voice, talks to the caller, and books appointments or takes a message, so a call does not go to voicemail while you are busy. It handles calls people make to you. It does not chase enquiries that have already arrived, which is a different job.
This guide explains what it does, how the setup works, how it differs from older phone systems, what it costs, and what to check before you buy. We sell AI follow-up rather than receptionists, so we describe what providers publish, name them, and say where we are giving our own view.
What is an AI receptionist, in plain terms
When a customer calls your number and you cannot answer, the call goes to the AI instead of voicemail. The AI greets them in your business's name, answers common questions from the information you gave it, collects their details and, if it is connected to your calendar, books a time. You get a summary afterwards.
You will also see the terms AI answering service, virtual receptionist and AI phone agent. They overlap. AiDial's own FAQ says its AI answering and AI reception products use the same platform and call plans, and differ mainly in whether they are connected to booking, CRM and practice software.
How an AI receptionist works
Providers describe broadly the same steps. Trillet's published setup is a clear example:
- Learn. You give it your website address and it reads your services, hours, prices and FAQs, so you do not write scripts.
- Forward. You set up call forwarding so calls go to the AI when you are busy, in a meeting or closed. Trillet says you keep your existing number.
- Review. Each call is summarised with the caller's name, number, reason for calling and any appointment booked.
Other providers work slightly differently. AiDial issues a dedicated AI phone number that you forward your main line to, so you keep paying your existing phone provider as well. It configures the AI with a script and a knowledge base, which it says can hold about 6,000 words, and it offers human handover, including warm transfers with a briefing and notifications when a transfer fails.
Setup times are the providers' claims. Trillet says sign-up to first call takes about five minutes, and AiDial says most standard setups complete within a day, with integrations taking longer. Test each claim yourself.
What an AI receptionist can do
- Answer calls day and night, including after hours.
- Answer common questions about hours, services and prices from the information you provide.
- Take a caller's name, number and reason for calling.
- Book into your calendar, and send a confirmation by text if that is set up.
- Route or transfer a call to a person, according to rules you set.
- Send you a summary by email.
What it cannot do
- Greet people in person, take payments at a counter or handle the unexpected.
- Make a judgement call the way an experienced person does. That is our view, and it is why a human handover matters.
- Follow up enquiries that arrive by form or ad. An AI receptionist answers inbound calls. Outbound follow-up is the job of a system like our AI Outbound Call Engine.
For a full comparison with hiring a person, see our guide to AI receptionist vs human receptionist in Australia.
How it differs from a phone menu or an answering service
An older phone menu (IVR) asks callers to press buttons. AiDial's FAQ says its system uses natural conversation instead, so callers speak as they would to a person. A traditional answering service uses human operators. An AI receptionist uses software. In our view that usually means a lower cost per call and longer hours, and its quality depends on the information and settings you give it.
What it costs
On the published plans we compared, prices run from $49 a month (Trillet, 150 minutes included) to $449 a month (AiDial Max, 400 calls), with extra charges for calls over the allowance and for integrations. Neither page states a currency or whether GST is included. Our guide to AI receptionist cost in Australia has the table, the per-call arithmetic and the questions to ask.
Rules and privacy to check
- Say it is an AI. The OAIC says businesses should make sure public-facing AI tools such as chatbots are clearly identified as such to customers. See our guide to AI caller disclosure.
- Recording and data. Ask where recordings and transcripts are stored and for how long. The OAIC's guidance on AI products says to consider who will have access to personal information put into or produced by the tool.
- Health information. Health practices have extra duties. See dental enquiry follow-up with AI.
- Who is responsible. AiDial's FAQ says the customer is responsible for informing callers they are interacting with an AI agent, where required by law, and for ensuring appropriate consent. Ask any provider the same question.
Questions to ask before you buy
- How is a call counted: by call, by minute, or by connected minute? What happens to voicemails and wrong numbers?
- What does it cost over the allowance, and is there a cap?
- Is there a setup fee, a minimum term, and how do I cancel?
- Do I keep my number, or forward to a new one?
- What happens when the AI cannot help? Who gets the call, and what does the caller hear?
- Does it connect to my calendar and software, and who quotes that work?
What is an AI receptionist: common questions
How does an AI receptionist work?
Calls reach it by forwarding or a dedicated number. It answers using information you supply, takes details, books appointments if connected to a calendar, and sends you a summary.
Does an AI receptionist work?
For routine calls it can. Quality depends on the information you give it and how well it hands over difficult calls, so listen to real calls before you commit. We have no verified results to quote.
Are AI receptionists good?
They are good at availability and consistency and weaker at judgement and the unexpected. They suit a business that misses calls, not one that wants a front-desk replacement.
Is an AI receptionist the same as lead follow-up?
No. A receptionist answers calls people make to you. Lead follow-up contacts people who have enquired by form or ad, and it follows the telemarketing and Spam Act rules covered in our compliance guide.
Next step
If missed calls are your problem, a receptionist plan may be all you need and we will say so. If enquiries go cold, book a 30-minute call and we will show you what follow-up would look like.