AI receptionist
A friendly voice for the calls you cannot take
When you are on a job and the phone rings out, a virtual assistant answers instead of the caller giving up. It takes their name, number and what they need, and emails you the message within seconds, so you can call back knowing exactly what the job is.
$99 a year on top of call tracking, which it requires. $148 a year for both.
The call you miss is often the job you lose
Most people who find you on a postcard or a website are calling more than one business. If your phone rings out, plenty of them will not leave a voicemail. They simply call the next number, and the first business to call back usually wins the work.
You cannot answer the phone from a roof, a crawl space or the middle of a haircut, and you should not have to. The AI receptionist answers the calls you cannot take, so every caller is greeted by name, has their question heard and is told you will call back. You get the details in writing, without having to listen to a voicemail.
At a glance
- Answers missed calls: when a call is not answered, the line is busy, or nobody presses 1
- Honest with callers: it says it is your virtual assistant, every time
- Message in seconds: emailed to you as soon as the call ends
- Your questions: the essentials, plus up to three of your own
- Never recorded: no audio and no transcript, only the written message
What a caller hears
Your tracking number rings your phone first, as it always does. If nobody takes the call within about 15 to 20 seconds, the assistant picks up in a warm, natural voice and greets the caller with your business name. For an example plumbing business, it says:
“Hi, thanks for calling Bayside Plumbing. This is their virtual assistant. They can't come to the phone right now, but I can take a message so they call you right back. What can they help you with?”
From there it is a short, friendly conversation. It listens to what the caller needs, then asks for their name, the best number and time to call back, how urgent it is, and where the job is if your trade works at the customer's address. It reads the details back, thanks them and tells them their message has been passed on. A call with the assistant is capped at four minutes, which is plenty for a message.
How it works
A call comes in
Someone calls the tracking number on your postcard ad or your website. It rings your phone, showing their number, exactly as call tracking always does.
You cannot take it
If you do not answer, your line is busy, or nobody presses 1, the assistant answers instead of the caller hearing that nobody is available.
You get the message
When the call ends, the conversation is written up as a short message and emailed to you within seconds. Urgent ones say URGENT in the subject line. Every message is in your account too.
What it does
- Greets every caller with your business name and says it is your virtual assistant
- Takes the caller's name, number, what they need, how urgent it is and the best time to call back
- Asks where the job is, if your trade works at the customer's address
- Asks up to three questions of your own
- Answers simple questions from the facts you give us, such as your hours or the areas you cover
- Passes on any question it cannot answer, written into your message
What it never does
- Pretend to be a person
- Quote a price or an offer
- Book a job or promise a time
- Claim you are licensed, insured or anything else you have not told us
- Record the call or keep a transcript
- Mention 911, unless you switch on emergency handling and a caller describes danger to life
The message you get
Each message arrives by email within seconds of the call ending, laid out so you can read it at a glance between jobs: the caller's name, a number you can tap to call back, the best time, what they need, where, how urgent it is, the answers to your own questions, and a one-line summary.
If a caller hangs up before leaving a message, you still get an email with their number, unless they hid it, so you can call them back. If a line cuts out part way through, the assistant reconnects when it can. If it cannot, what the caller had already said is written up and sent to you marked as possibly incomplete.
You can also have a text sent to your phone when the assistant takes a message. Text alerts are included with call tracking, off unless you switch them on, and you can stop them at any time.
Questions you can set
- Always asked: what they need, their name, a call-back number, the best time and how urgent it is
- Where: on by default for trades that work at the customer's address, in your own wording if you like
- Your own: up to three more, each with a short label for your message, such as "Size of the yard" or "Make of the boiler"
Change them whenever you like from your account.
Emergencies, handled your way
Some trades get emergency calls: a burst pipe, no air conditioning in August, a tree on a roof. For those, you can switch on emergency handling. An emergency is then marked URGENT and sent to you straight away, and only a caller who describes danger to life, such as a gas smell, a fire or someone hurt, is told to hang up and call 911.
With emergency handling off, the assistant never mentions 911 and simply takes the message, marked URGENT if the caller says it is urgent. We suggest a setting for your trade, and you can change it in your account at any time.
It only knows what you tell it
The assistant answers from your business name and trade, the services and area on your ad, your website, and anything you add in your account, such as your hours. That is all it knows about you.
If a caller asks something it does not know, it says it will pass the question on, and the question appears in your message. It will never make something up to keep the conversation going.
Private, and honest with your callers
Calls to the assistant are never recorded, and no recording or transcript is kept. When the call ends, the conversation is written up as your message and the conversation itself is discarded. The written message is all we keep.
Every caller is told at the start that they are talking to your virtual assistant, and if anyone asks whether it is a person, it says plainly that it is not. People are generally happy to leave a message with an assistant that is upfront about what it is. What frustrates them is a phone that rings out.
You stay in control
- Switch the assistant off and back on whenever you like
- Turn emergency handling on or off
- Change what it may tell callers, and the questions it asks
- Read your latest messages in your account
Price
The AI receptionist is an add-on to call tracking, because it answers the calls to your tracking number. It is its own yearly payment, renewing on the same day as your call tracking, and you can cancel it on its own whenever you like.
AI receptionist
$99 a year
on top of call tracking ($49 a year)
- 300 messages a year
- Messages emailed within seconds
- Your own questions, up to three
- Optional emergency handling
- $148 a year with call tracking
Busy receptionist
$249 a year
for lines that miss a lot of calls
- Everything in the AI receptionist
- 1,000 messages a year
- Upgrade any time, for the difference
Nothing is ever cut off
If your assistant takes more messages than its plan includes, it keeps answering. We let you know, and suggest the busy receptionist if that looks set to continue. If call tracking ends, the receptionist ends with it on the same day, any unused part of its year is refunded, and we tell you.
How to get it
Advertising with us
Add call tracking and the AI receptionist when you reserve your slot. You pay for call tracking first, then the receptionist on the page that follows.
Ordering a website
Tick call tracking and the AI receptionist under the optional extras on the website order form. The assistant answers the calls your website brings that you cannot take.
Already a customer
Sign in to your account with your email address and add it there. If you already have call tracking, the receptionist goes onto the same number and renews on the same day.
Want the full picture of call tracking first? It has its own page, covering how numbers are chosen, what counts as a real call and why you press 1. How call tracking works · Card pricing
Questions about the AI receptionist
What is the AI receptionist?
An optional add-on to call tracking for the calls you cannot take. When a call to your tracking number is not answered, is busy, or nobody presses 1, a virtual assistant answers instead of the caller being turned away. It takes a message (their name, number, what they need, where, how urgent and the best time to call back) and we email it to you within seconds. The messages are in your account too.
Does the assistant say it is not a person?
Yes. It greets every caller with your business name and says it is your virtual assistant, that you cannot come to the phone right now, and that it can take a message so you call them right back. If a caller asks whether they are talking to a person, it says plainly that it is a virtual assistant.
What will the AI receptionist tell callers about my business?
Only what you have told us: your business name, your trade, the services and area on your ad, your website, and anything you add in your account, such as your hours. It never quotes prices, never promises a time and never books a job. If a caller asks something it does not know, it says it will pass the question on, and the question is in your message.
Are calls to the AI receptionist recorded?
No. Calls are never recorded and no recording or transcript is kept. When the call ends, the conversation is written up as a short message for you and the conversation itself is discarded. The written message is all we keep.
What happens if a caller has an emergency?
That depends on a setting you choose. Emergency handling is meant for trades that get emergency calls, such as plumbing, heating and air, electrical, roofing and tree work. With it on, an emergency is marked URGENT and sent to you straight away, and only a caller who describes danger to life, such as a gas smell, a fire or someone hurt, is told to hang up and call 911. With it off, the assistant never mentions 911 and simply takes the message, marked URGENT if the caller says it is urgent. We suggest a setting for your trade and you can change it in your account at any time.
How much is the AI receptionist?
The AI receptionist add-on is $99 a year on top of call tracking ($49 a year), so the two together are $148 a year. It includes up to 300 messages a year; the busy receptionist is $249 a year with up to 1,000. It is its own yearly payment, renewing on the same day as your call tracking, and you can cancel it on its own or switch the assistant off in your account whenever you like.
Can I get the AI receptionist without call tracking?
No. The AI receptionist add-on requires call tracking: it answers the calls to your tracking number that you cannot take, so it is offered only to a business with call tracking. You can add both on the same page, or add the receptionist later from your account. If call tracking ends, the receptionist ends with it on the same day, any unused part of its year is refunded, and we let you know.
Can I turn the AI receptionist off?
Yes. In your account you can switch the assistant off and on, turn emergency handling off and on, and change what it may tell callers. With the assistant off, a caller you miss hears that nobody could take the call and is asked to try again, and we email you the time and their area code, as with call tracking alone.
How long does my phone ring before the assistant answers?
About 15 to 20 seconds. Your phone rings first, and if you take the call and press 1, you are talking to your customer. The assistant only answers when nobody takes the call.
How quickly do I get the message?
Within seconds of the call ending, by email. Urgent messages say URGENT in the subject line, and every message is also kept in your account.
What if the caller hangs up before leaving a message?
You still get an email telling you somebody called, with their number unless they hid it, so you can call them back.
Can I choose the questions it asks?
Yes. It always asks what the caller needs, their name, a call-back number, the best time and how urgent it is. You decide whether it asks where the job is, and you can add up to three questions of your own from your account.
Does it answer at night and at weekends?
Yes. It answers any call to your tracking number that you do not take, whatever the time, so a caller at nine at night or on a Sunday still leaves a proper message.
Does it work with the number on my website?
Yes. Your website shows the same tracking number as your postcard ad, so the assistant answers the calls from both that you cannot take.
How long can a call with the assistant last?
Up to four minutes, which is plenty for a message. It keeps the conversation short and friendly, and reads the details back before it says goodbye.
What if the call drops part way through?
The assistant reconnects when it can and carries on where it left off. If it cannot, what the caller had already said is written up and sent to you marked as possibly incomplete, and the caller is told their message was passed on.
Can it book appointments or give prices?
No. It never quotes a price or an offer, never books a job and never promises a time. It takes the details so you can call back and do those yourself.
Questions about the postcard itself are answered on our FAQ page. Read the FAQ
Never send a caller to a phone that rings out
Add call tracking and the AI receptionist when you book, and every call your card brings is either answered by you or answered for you.