AI Receptionist: Costs, Features and Setup Guide UK

An AI receptionist answers customer questions, captures enquiries and can arrange bookings without someone monitoring your inbox or phone all day. This guide explains what one does, how much an AI receptionist usually costs, and what to check before choosing one for a small business.

What is an AI receptionist?

An AI receptionist is software that handles first-contact conversations for a business. It can work on your website, over the phone, or through both channels. It uses information you provide, such as opening hours, services, prices, location, availability and common questions, to give customers useful answers.

Unlike a contact form, it can ask follow-up questions. For example, a plumber's receptionist AI could ask for the postcode, the type of fault and the preferred appointment time. It can then save the enquiry as a lead, send it to your team and, where connected, offer a booking slot.

The important distinction is that a good system should answer from your business information rather than inventing policies or making unsupported promises. You should be able to review and update the information it uses.

What can an AI receptionist do?

• Answer website questions: explain services, prices, preparation instructions, service areas and opening times around the clock.
• Handle initial phone calls: answer common questions, collect caller details and pass on messages when your team is unavailable.
• Capture every enquiry: record names, contact details, the reason for contacting you and other useful qualifying information.
• Take bookings: connect conversations to your calendar or booking process so customers can request or select an appointment.
• Route urgent matters: identify information such as emergency plumbing issues or same-day dental problems and follow the rules you set.
• Support multiple languages: useful for businesses serving customers who prefer to communicate in languages other than English.
• Send information to other tools: connect leads to a CRM, spreadsheet, email workflow or other system through Zapier or Make.

How much is an AI receptionist?

The cost depends mainly on the channel, conversation volume and whether you need bookings or a custom phone experience. As a practical buying guide, website-only services often cost around £20 to £100 per month for a small volume of conversations. Phone answering commonly starts around £50 per month and can rise beyond £300 when it includes more call minutes, transfers or complex routing. One-off setup fees may range from nothing to several hundred pounds.

Check what the monthly allowance means. Some providers charge per conversation, while others charge per minute, message or lead. A plan offering 300 conversations is not directly comparable with one offering 300 phone minutes. Also ask what happens when you exceed the allowance, whether unused capacity rolls over, and whether there are separate charges for a phone number, booking calendar or CRM connection.

Lyla plans start at £30 per month for about 300 conversations or £70 per month for about 1,000. Setup and testing are free, with optional call answering, custom voice, booking and image understanding add-ons available. The relevant comparison is not just the subscription price, but the cost of missed enquiries and the staff time saved.

AI receptionist versus a human receptionist

For many small businesses, the sensible choice is not either-or. An AI receptionist can handle routine questions and collect complete details, while a person deals with urgent, confidential or complicated cases. Tell customers clearly when a human will take over, and provide an obvious route to contact your team.

Who benefits most?

An AI receptionist is particularly useful when enquiries arrive outside opening hours or when staff are busy serving customers. Plumbers can collect job details before calling back. Dentists and clinics can answer preparation questions and direct appointment requests. Salons can explain treatments and availability. Tradespeople and local services can capture leads while working on site.

It may be less suitable as the only contact point when every enquiry requires professional assessment, when regulations demand tightly controlled advice, or when customers expect immediate human reassurance. In those cases, use it for administration and triage rather than diagnosis or definitive advice.

How to set up an AI receptionist

1. List the questions customers ask: review emails, calls, search queries and messages from the last month. Group them into services, prices, availability, location, policies and urgent requests.
2. Prepare the source information: write clear answers with current details. Include what you do not offer, cancellation rules, service boundaries and when a person must be contacted.
3. Choose the channels: start with website chat if most enquiries arrive online. Add phone answering if missed calls are a regular problem.
4. Define lead fields: decide which details are essential, such as name, phone number, email, postcode, service required and preferred time.
5. Set escalation rules: specify when the system should collect a message, transfer a call, alert a team member or advise the customer to contact emergency services.
6. Connect your workflow: send new leads to your CRM, inbox, calendar or job-management system. Test that names, phone numbers and notes arrive correctly.
7. Test before launch: ask realistic questions, use misspellings, try outside-hours requests and check that the system does not answer beyond the information supplied.
8. Review weekly: look for unanswered questions, incomplete leads and repeated requests. Update the source information and test important changes.

Questions to ask a provider

• Does it use my own business information, and can I edit that information?
• Are phone calls charged by minute, call or conversation?
• Can I see every enquiry and export the lead data?
• Can it book appointments and respect existing availability?
• What languages does it support, and can it recognise different accents?
• Can it connect to my CRM or other tools through Zapier or Make?
• What happens when a customer asks something it does not know?
• Can I test it before paying or going live?

Start with one clear job, such as answering service questions and collecting quote requests. Measure response time, completed lead details, booked appointments and questions that need improvement. Expand to phone calls or more advanced workflows only after the basic information is reliable.

Frequently asked questions

Is an AI receptionist the same as a chatbot?

Not exactly. A chatbot usually refers to a website conversation tool. An AI receptionist is a broader service that may handle website chat, phone calls, lead capture, appointment requests and routing to a person.

Can an AI receptionist answer my business phone?

Some can. Phone-enabled services use a dedicated number or connect to your existing call setup. Check whether the price is based on minutes, calls or another usage measure, and confirm how transfers and out-of-hours messages work.

Will an AI receptionist make up answers?

A well-configured system should be instructed to use your supplied business information and say when it cannot answer. You should provide clear boundaries, test unusual questions and review conversations after launch.

Can an AI receptionist take bookings?

Yes, if the service supports booking and connects to your calendar or appointment system. Confirm which calendars it supports, how it handles double-booking, and whether customers can request a callback instead of choosing a slot.

How quickly can I set up a receptionist AI service?

A simple website service can often be prepared in a day once your business information is organised. Phone numbers, calendar connections and CRM workflows may need extra testing. Allow time to check real customer questions before going live.