What does an AI Receptionist actually cost?Honest pricing for AI call handling.
AI Receptionist pricing depends on your call volume, how the AI integrates with your booking/CRM systems, what languages it speaks, and whether it's bundled with phones. Here's an honest guide to what it costs, plus what you save.
What an AI Receptionist actually does for that money.
An AI Receptionist answers your business calls 24/7, in a natural conversational voice, trained on your specific business — your menu/services, your prices, your FAQs, your booking system. It books appointments, takes messages, qualifies leads, handles overflow when your team is busy, and texts/emails you instantly when a caller needs human follow-up. The cost depends on call volume, language requirements, integrations, and whether it's standalone or bundled with phones.
Indicative AI Receptionist ranges.
These are typical UK starting points. Actual cost depends on call volume, integrations, and bundling.
Single-business standalone
From £150/month · Up to ~300 calls/month
Small business — restaurants, salons, garages, single-site clinics
Single-business with integrations
From £250/month · Up to ~500 calls/month + booking system integration
Single-site businesses using OpenTable, Calendly, Booksy, Cliniko etc.
Bundled with VoIP phones
From £30 add-on · Per-user phone plan + AI add-on
Businesses already on or moving to Telexico cloud phones
Multi-site / multi-language
From £400/month · 1000+ calls/month, multiple locations, EN+EU languages
Multi-site groups, franchises, regional service businesses
Enterprise
POA · Custom integrations, dedicated training, white-label
Larger businesses with specific compliance, integration or branding requirements
Most SMBs settle in the £150-£300/month range. The price is usually a fraction of one part-time human receptionist's cost.
Six factors that shape your quote.
Why a quote that fits is more useful than a quote that's the cheapest.
Call volume
Most plans include a fair-use band (e.g. 300 calls/month). Heavy volume costs more. We help you forecast based on your current missed-call rate.
Integrations
Plain message-taking is the entry tier. Booking integration (Calendly, Booksy, OpenTable, etc.), CRM integration (HubSpot, Pipedrive), and EPOS integration each step the price up — usually worth it.
Languages
English-only is the base. Additional languages (Polish, French, Spanish, etc.) and accent-tuned models cost more.
Custom training depth
Standard training ingests your website, menu/services and FAQs. Deep training (industry-specific scripts, custom voice tuning, regulated-industry compliance) costs more but works better for specialist businesses.
Standalone or bundled
Bundling AI with our cloud phones is the cheapest entry point — you're already on the platform. Standalone (works alongside your existing phones) costs more but lets you trial without changing phone systems.
Contract length
Monthly rolling and annual contracts both available. Annual commitments reduce monthly cost. We don't push longer terms than you need.
What to look for beyond the headline price.
An AI Receptionist typically costs 5-15% of a part-time human receptionist's salary, with the advantage of 24/7 coverage, no holidays, no sick days, and consistent quality. The honest counter-argument: nothing beats a great human for complex/emotional calls. The best setup for many businesses is AI + a human escalation path for urgent or sensitive cases.
What it would cost to switch.
Most businesses we onboard either had no after-hours call cover (missing calls = lost revenue) or were paying £400-£2,500/month for a part-time receptionist or traditional answering service. AI Receptionist typically replaces 60-90% of those calls completely, with the human handling only the most complex ones. Send us your current setup — we'll model the saving honestly.
What you actually get from Telexico.
Honest about scope. No aggressive sales tactics, no surprise renewal jumps, no tier-1 call-centre triage. Real UK engineers, transparent pricing, one provider relationship across the stack.
UK-based provider
Wolverhampton-headquartered. Engineers cover the West Midlands daily; UK-wide install via our partner network. Real UK engineer support, UK data residency, UK contractual relationship — not US-routed SaaS.
Real engineer support
When you call Telexico, you reach someone who can actually fix things. Response SLA backed by real engineering capacity rather than call-centre headcount. Named account manager for ongoing customers.
Free infrastructure review
Every engagement starts with a no-obligation audit of your current setup. Honest recommendation — sometimes that's "stay with your current provider after negotiation." We'd rather be honest than oversell.
Transparent pricing
What you sign for is what you pay — including renewal. No teaser pricing that jumps 30-100% at year two. No mid-contract CPI shock. Predictable multi-year cost from day one.
One provider, one platform
Broadband, hosted VoIP, business WiFi, AI Receptionist, 4G/5G failover, CCTV consolidated onto one Telexico relationship. Single bill, single support number, single engineer when something needs attention.
Migration project-managed
Switching to Telexico isn't DIY. We handle contract audit, notice timing, ordering, parallel running, cutover, old-provider close-out. Customer-visible disruption typically measured in minutes.
Simpler telecoms. Fewer suppliers. Real support.
Send us your current setup. We'll show you where we can simplify, consolidate or reduce cost — no rigid pricing, no hard sell.
AI receptionist answers 24/7, captures the lead and sends it straight to your team.
Broadband, phones, AI, WiFi, failover and CCTV — one bill, one UK team.
We design around your team, your hours and your customers — not a generic package.
⚡ 30 seconds to share your details · 💬 We respond promptly · 🔒 No hard sell
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Free infrastructure review
Send us your current setup. We'll review what you have, what you pay, and where we can simplify.
Frequently asked questions
Is the AI voice convincing enough that callers don't hang up?
Modern voice AI is genuinely conversational. Most callers don't realise it's AI on a 30-second call. We tune the voice and personality to your brand. If a caller specifically asks whether it's AI, the agent always says so.
What happens if the AI can't handle a call?
Three options, configurable: (1) it collects details and texts/emails you instantly, (2) it transfers live to your team during opening hours, (3) it escalates to a human in our UK partner network for urgent calls (extra cost). You choose per call type.
Can it book appointments straight into my calendar?
Yes — Google Calendar, Outlook, Calendly, Microsoft Bookings, Booksy, OpenTable, Cliniko, Dentally and others. Setup takes a day. If you use something obscure, we'll check compatibility.
Does it work for my industry?
Most UK SMB industries yes — restaurants, takeaways, garages, dental, salons, retail, offices, healthcare, trades. Regulated industries (legal, financial advice) need additional setup but are supported. Tell us what you do and we'll confirm.
Can I trial it before committing?
Yes — we typically set up a 14-day trial on a test number so you can hear it answering your real calls. No commitment to switch the main line until you're confident.
What if I just want it for after-hours and weekends?
Very common setup. The AI takes calls only when your team is closed or busy — your normal lines work as usual during opening hours. Often the cheapest tier covers it.
How is this different from a chatbot on my website?
Voice AI is calls; chatbots are web text. Different channels, different buyers. Most businesses want both, but voice is higher priority because a missed call is more often a lost sale than a missed chat.
Want a proper quote for your business?
Cost ranges only get you so far. Send us what you actually need — users, sites, current setup — and we'll quote against your specific operation. No hard sell, no fixed-package pressure.