AI receptionist for small businesses. What it is and where to start.

What is an AI receptionist?

An AI receptionist is software that handles the first part of a customer conversation for you. Some answer phone calls with a natural sounding voice. Others work by text, on your website chat, or in Instagram and Google messages.

It works from information you give it: your hours, services, prices, service area, booking link and the questions you get most. When a question is outside that, a good setup takes a message and sends it to you instead of guessing.

What can an AI receptionist do for a small business?

• Answer calls after hours, on weekends, or when you're busy with a customer.
• Answer common questions: hours, location, parking, prices and what you offer.
• Take the caller's name, number and what they need, then send you a summary by text or email.
• Book, move or cancel appointments in the booking system you already use.
• Text back anyone whose call you missed, so they don't call the next business on the list.
• Send urgent calls straight to your phone, based on rules you set.

AI receptionist, missed call text back or website chatbot: which do you need?

A missed call text back is the simplest. When you can't pick up, the caller gets a text right away asking what they need. It's cheap, quick to set up and works with many phone services. It suits trades, contractors and anyone who works with their hands.

A full AI phone receptionist actually answers and talks to the caller. It suits businesses with a lot of calls about the same few things, like clinics, salons and restaurants.

A website chatbot answers questions typed on your website. It suits businesses that get most of their questions online, like shops and online stores.

Many businesses start with the text back, watch what people ask, and add the others later.

What should you watch out for?

• Tell callers they're talking to an automated assistant. People are more patient when they know.
• Keep the answers to facts you've approved. Don't let it quote prices or promise dates you haven't set.
• Make it easy to reach a person. Urgent or upset callers should get to you fast.
• In Canada, texts that promote your business are covered by Canada's anti-spam law (CASL), which needs consent, your contact details and a way to unsubscribe. Keep a missed call text about what the caller asked for, and ask before you send them offers.
• In the US, carriers require businesses that text from a regular 10-digit number to register first (called A2P 10DLC). Unregistered texts can be blocked, so check that your provider handles this.
• Check where call recordings and transcripts are stored, and only collect what you need.

Sources: CRTC: Frequently asked questions about Canada's anti-spam legislation; Twilio: A2P 10DLC registration.

How do you set one up?

• Write down the 10 questions you get most, with your real answers.
• Check what your current phone service and booking system can already do. Many have missed call texts or reminders built in but switched off.
• Start with one job, like the missed call text back, and test it by calling yourself.
• Read the first few weeks of conversations and fix any wrong or awkward answers.
• Add more, like booking or a full voice receptionist, once the first step works.