AI glossary · Voice
AI receptionist
In one sentence
An AI receptionist is a voice agent that answers a business's phone the way front-desk staff would: it greets callers, answers common questions, books appointments, takes messages and puts the call through to the right person, at any hour.
Also known as: virtual receptionist · AI phone receptionist · AI answering service · virtual phone receptionist
For years, “virtual receptionist” meant a person answering your calls from an outsourced office. With AI, the term increasingly refers to an agent doing that same job.
Put it to work
A voice agent that picks up the phone
From €149/mo + VAT
It answers the calls you can't take, books appointments and logs every call in the CRM.
See the voice agentWhat is an AI receptionist?
It’s a specific use of a voice agent, which is itself a type of AI agent: the one that sits in front of a business’s main phone number. Its job isn’t selling or running campaigns, but receiving. It greets callers with the company name, works out what they want and either deals with it or routes it.
It differs from a traditional IVR because nobody has to press keys: callers explain what they need in their own words. And it differs from a general-purpose callbot in its focus: inbound calls and the everyday work of a front desk.
Related to this term
UTIO Voice
- 500 minutes and a number included
- Natural conversation in the customer's language
- Introduces itself as a virtual assistant
- 14-day free trial, no card needed
From €149/mo + VAT
See the voice agentHow it works
An AI receptionist usually covers five tasks:
| Task | What it does |
|---|---|
| Answer | Greets, introduces itself as an assistant and asks why they’re calling |
| Inform | Gives opening hours, address or services from the information you provide |
| Book | Checks the calendar and offers genuinely free slots |
| Take messages | Notes who called, what about and how to call them back |
| Transfer | Puts the call through by time of day, by topic or on request |
The last task is the trickiest. A good human handoff passes the call on with the reason already explained, so nobody has to repeat themselves. And if nobody is free, it takes a message and schedules a call-back.
Example
A small dental practice in Manchester has one person on reception. Between nine and ten, as patients arrive, the phone rings non-stop and calls get missed. The AI receptionist answers when the line is busy and out of hours: it offers the next free hygiene appointment, gives directions and takes the details of anyone asking about a quote for braces. A caller in severe pain is put straight through to reception as a priority.
AI receptionists at UTIO
UTIO’s voice agent works as an AI receptionist on your line: it answers at any hour, introduces itself as a virtual assistant, books into real free slots in your Google Calendar, takes messages and transfers to your mobile or a phone system extension by time of day or topic. Every call is logged in the CRM.
The plan built for this is called Reception: €149/month with 500 minutes, one number, the appointments vertical and notifications included. You can build it yourself for free with Creator, which sets up the agent by reading your website, or ask us to connect it to your calendar and CRM. The trial lasts 14 days with 30 voice minutes, no card needed.
What it does, what it doesn’t and what it costs, task by task, is on the AI virtual receptionist page.
Frequently asked questions
Can an AI receptionist replace a human receptionist?
Usually it works alongside one. It takes the repetitive calls (opening hours, bookings, messages) and covers when nobody can pick up: out of hours, at lunch or when two calls come in at once. Calls that need judgement still go to a person, with the context already taken.
How is an AI receptionist different from voicemail?
Voicemail records a message that someone has to listen to and return. An AI receptionist holds a conversation, sorts out what it can during the call, such as booking an appointment, and notes down the rest.
How much does an AI receptionist cost?
It depends on call volume and integrations. Most services charge a monthly subscription with a set number of minutes, plus a setup fee if the agent needs connecting to your calendar or CRM.
Related terms
- AI voice agent
An AI voice agent is an AI agent that works by speaking: it answers or places calls, understands what the caller needs and completes the task with your tools, such as booking into the calendar or logging a message in the CRM, rather than just replying.
- Callbot
A callbot is a voicebot that works inside phone calls: it answers inbound calls or places outbound ones, talks with the person by voice and handles tasks such as bookings, reminders or lead qualification, connected to your phone system and your tools.
- Human handoff
Human handoff is the point at which a chatbot or AI agent passes the conversation to a member of staff, together with the context it has gathered, because the case needs it, a rule requires it or the customer asks for it.
- Virtual assistant
A virtual assistant is AI software that helps a person, or a company's customers, with a range of tasks by text or voice: it answers questions, keeps track of the conversation and handles simple jobs such as booking an appointment.
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