How an AI receptionist works
Calls reach the AI receptionist in one of two ways: customers dial a number the provider gives you, or your existing line forwards calls to it. A speech model turns the caller’s words into text, a language model decides what to say from your knowledge and instructions, and a voice model speaks the reply, all fast enough to hold a normal conversation.
What separates a useful AI receptionist from a talking FAQ is what happens around the answer. It needs your services, prices, hours, and service area; rules for when to bring in a person; and a place where your team reads every call afterward. Connected to a calendar, it can offer real open times instead of promising a callback. Read the full AI receptionist guide for setup and costs.
Example: a plumber’s 2 a.m. call
A two-truck plumbing company gets a call at 2 a.m. from a homeowner whose water heater is leaking. The AI receptionist reads the shut-off steps the owner wrote, takes the address and a callback number, books the first morning slot, and flags the call as urgent. At 7 a.m. the owner opens one summary instead of a voicemail. This scenario is illustrative.
InsertChat’s AI receptionist
InsertChat is built to answer every call a small business gets. Its AI receptionist answers from your website pages, documents, and written answers, in one of 10 voices with a greeting you write. It asks for the caller’s name, number, and reason for calling, books on the calendar you connect, and saves each call with a transcript and an AI summary in the shared inbox.
In the US and Canada you keep your business number and forward it; elsewhere you use a local or toll-free InsertChat number. Paid plans start at $98 per month with one number included, and new customers can test it free for 7 days with 500 credits. See industry examples for plumbers and other trades.
