AI receptionist

AI receptionist vs virtual receptionist

The two terms get mixed up. A virtual receptionist usually means a real person who answers your calls remotely, from an answering-service company or from home. An AI receptionist is software. Both answer in your business's name; the difference is who is on the line, how the cost grows with your call volume, and what happens when three people call at once.

• Virtual receptionist: a person, works set shifts, takes one call at a time, usually billed per minute or per call.
• AI receptionist: software, answers every call at once, around the clock, from the information you give it.
• Some vendors use the words loosely, so ask which one you are buying.

Example

A plumber is under a sink when the phone rings at 7:40 in the evening. The AI receptionist answers in the business's name, learns that the caller's water heater is leaking, checks the calendar and books the first slot the next morning. It texts the caller a confirmation. When the plumber is done, the recording, the transcript and a summary of the call are waiting for him.

What it means for a small business

You stop losing the calls you can't pick up: during a job, after hours, or when two people call at once. You can keep your number and forward only the calls you don't answer, so your own phone still rings first. With Daber AI, building and testing the agent in your browser is free; a real number costs $3 for the first 14 days with 30 minutes of calls, then plans start at $49 a month.