AI Virtual Receptionist for UK Businesses
When you're with a customer, on a job or in a meeting, your calls still get a proper answer. Callers are greeted in your business name, asked the right questions and told someone will be in touch, and the message is with you before they've hung up.
From £47/month · Works with your existing number · No contract · Cancel any time
Our own number is answered by AI Answerphone: call it to hear what your callers would.
Example call
AI: Thank you for calling Hartley Accountancy. How can I help you?
Caller: I've just started a business and need someone to do my accounts.
AI: We can certainly help with that. Can I take your name, please?
Caller: James Patel.
AI: Thanks, James. Is 07700 900456 the best number to reach you on?
A professional answer while you get on with the work
In a small business, the person who answers the phone is usually the person doing the work. So the phone rings mid-haircut, mid-survey, halfway up a ladder or in the middle of a client meeting, and you either stop what you're doing or let it go to voicemail.
A virtual receptionist takes that interruption away. Every caller hears a polite, consistent greeting in your business name, and gets a real conversation instead of a beep. You get a clear written message you can deal with when you're free, with the caller's number already there to ring back.
With AI Answerphone the receptionist is AI, not a person in a call centre. It's available the moment a call arrives, whatever the time, and it takes more than one call at once if things get busy.
With a customer
Stay with the person in front of you. The caller is looked after and you see the message afterwards.
Out on the road
No more answering while driving or pulling over. The details are waiting when you stop.
Lunch and breaks
The one-person office no longer goes quiet at lunchtime.
Holidays and sick days
Calls are covered even when there's nobody else to cover them.
Every message, to the right person
Each call becomes a written enquiry: who called, the number they'd like to be called back on, what they wanted, and the answers to any questions you've asked the receptionist to cover. A short summary sits at the top, and the full transcript is one tap away.
You choose where messages go. Add email addresses and WhatsApp numbers as notification contacts, and SMS if you'd like text alerts (these use prepaid credits). On the Growth and Pro plans you can split your business into departments, such as Sales, Service and Accounts, so each team only hears about its own calls.
Everything is also kept in your portal's call log, split into answered and missed calls, so nothing depends on a message being read.
Example message
- Caller
- James Patel
- Number
- 07700 900456
- Department
- New clients
- Company
- Patel Joinery
Summary: New sole trader wants an accountant for bookkeeping and his first self-assessment return. Happy to be called after 4pm.
View full transcript →
A receptionist set up around your business
You control what it says and what it asks, all from your online portal. Changes apply to the next call.
Your greeting
The exact words callers hear first, plus a separate greeting for when you're closed.
Voice and tone
Choose a male or female British voice and a tone that suits your business, from friendly to formal.
What you do
Describe your services, areas covered and staff. You can draft it from your website and edit it.
Questions to ask
Add questions for each department, and choose extra details to collect: email, company, postcode, urgency or reference number.
Opening hours
Set your hours for each day. The receptionist quotes them exactly and knows when you're closed.
Instructions
Rules in plain English, such as "We don't do boiler servicing" or "Never quote prices over the phone".
See the set-up steps or the full feature list.
Outsourced reception or an AI virtual receptionist?
Traditional virtual receptionist services use trained staff in a call centre who answer for many businesses. An AI virtual receptionist does the same job with software. They suit different needs.
| Staffed virtual receptionist | AI Answerphone | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | A receptionist working from a script for your business | AI working from your greeting, business details and questions |
| Availability | Set by the provider's staffing, sometimes with a premium for evenings and weekends | Any time your divert is on, with no extra charge for nights or weekends |
| Busy periods | Depends on how many staff are free | Takes several calls at the same time |
| How you pay | Varies by provider; often per call or per minute | A fixed monthly plan with an allowance of call minutes |
| Your records | A message from the receptionist | A message, a summary and a full transcript of every call |
| Unusual calls | A person can use judgement, transfer the call or book into your diary | Takes the details and passes them on; it doesn't transfer calls or book directly |
If most of your calls are new enquiries and messages, an AI virtual receptionist handles them well at a predictable monthly cost. If callers regularly need to be put through or booked in there and then, a staffed service may suit you better. See the cost comparison or read how AI compares with a traditional telephone answering service.
Built for small teams
It's designed for businesses where one person or a small team answers the phone alongside everything else they do.
Sole traders
One department, one set of contacts, every call answered. The Starter plan is built for this, and you can switch on out-of-hours answering too.
Small offices
Divert calls you can't get to and let the AI take the overflow, so a busy morning doesn't mean missed enquiries.
Businesses with teams
Route sales, service and accounts calls to different people, each with their own questions and notification contacts.
See how it works for trades, garages, salons, agents and more.
Virtual receptionist pricing
One fixed monthly price with call minutes included. Pick the plan that matches how many departments and notification contacts you need.
Starter
Perfect for sole traders and small businesses
£47/month
350 call minutes included
- AI answers every call 24/7
- 1 department
- 2 voice choices (1 male, 1 female)
- Professional greeting
Growth
For growing businesses with multiple departments
£77/month
750 call minutes included
- Everything in Starter, plus:
- Up to 3 departments with auto-detection
- 6 voice choices (3 male, 3 female)
- Per-department data collection
Pro
Maximum flexibility for larger businesses
£97/month
1,250 call minutes included
- Everything in Growth, plus:
- Up to 10 departments
- All 8 voice choices
- 10 email notification contacts
No set-up fee, no contract, cancel any time. Compare every plan feature or see how the cost compares with a staffed answering service.
Virtual receptionist questions
Related services
The same AI Answerphone service, from a different angle.
Give every caller a professional welcome
Set up your virtual receptionist online, divert your number, and get back to the work in front of you.
Our own line is answered by AI Answerphone, so calling it is the quickest demo. Prefer to talk it through? Get in touch.