How much does an AI receptionist cost in the UK?
In the UK, an AI receptionist typically costs between £30 and £150 a month. The price turns on one thing: whether it only takes messages, or whether it books appointments into your real diary. Callso is £39 a month to answer and take details, £79 to book the diary, and £149 for a team of up to five.
What you are actually paying for
At the cheap end you get a phone answered and a message taken. That is worth having if your alternative is voicemail, but you still do the admin.
The step up in price buys diary access: the receptionist reads your real availability and writes the booking in. That is the tier that saves you evenings, and it is the one worth testing hardest before you buy.
Most providers, Callso included, charge per month plus the call minutes you use. Ask what a minute costs and what happens when you go over - a bill that surprises you is a bad start.
How to judge whether it is worth it
Do the sum with your own numbers, not a vendor's. Take the calls you miss in a week, guess honestly at how many of those callers ring the next business on the list, and multiply by what a job is worth to you.
A plumber missing ten calls a week at £180 a job does not need the receptionist to be perfect. They need it to save one job a month to be ahead. That is the honest test, and it is why Callso's calculator makes you set the assumptions yourself rather than quoting you a statistic.
Related questions
Is there a free AI receptionist?
There are free trials, but no serious free tier - answering a call costs the provider real money in telephony and processing every minute. Be wary of anything free that answers your business phone.
Do I need to change my phone number?
No. You keep your number and divert calls to the one the provider gives you - all calls, or only when you are busy or closed. It is a short code you dial once on your own phone.
What does Callso cost?
£39 a month for Answer (she picks up and takes the details), £79 for Book (she books into your real diary), £149 for Team (up to five diaries). Seven days free, then per month, plus call minutes.
Brenda answers your phone. And books the job.
Seven days free. Keep your number. Live in about twenty minutes.