What is an AI receptionist?

An AI receptionist picks up calls you can’t, or every call if you set it that way. It speaks with a natural-sounding voice, answers common questions from information you give it, and takes down who called and why. Depending on the service, it can transfer the call to you, book a slot in your calendar, and email or text you a summary.

IONOS, for example, describes its AI Receptionist as answering calls, advising and booking appointments around the clock, with call forwarding and email summaries. Hey Jodie describes AI answering with bookings and call transfers.

I should be clear from the start: M1 doesn’t sell an AI receptionist. I’ve written this because many owners ask about it, and it’s worth understanding before you buy one from anyone.

The real choice is between a live conversation now (AI or a person) and a fast written reply followed by your own call back. The guide to missed-call text-back explains how that one works.

These are published prices from UK pages I checked this month. Check whether VAT is added before you buy.

• IONOS AI Receptionist (prices exclude VAT): £39 a month with 30 calls included and 49p a call after that; £69 a month with 100 calls and 39p a call after; £99 a month with unlimited calls. It lists a one-month trial.
• Hey Jodie: £49, £99 and £199 a month, each listed with unlimited minutes, plus an enterprise tier from £500. Tax is added at checkout. It lists a 7-day trial.

For comparison, human answering services price differently. Pocket Receptionist, which says every call is answered by a real person, lists plans from £75 a month for 30 answered calls and £2.99 a call beyond that. ReceptionHQ lists plans from £15 a month plus VAT, with per-call or per-minute pricing on top.

Watch the per-call charges. A plan that looks cheap can cost much more in a busy month. Want to know what missed calls cost you now? Try the missed-call cost calculator.

• Some callers dislike talking to a bot. Older customers, people with an urgent problem and regulars who expect you may hang up. Give callers an easy way to reach a person.
• Accuracy. It can mishear names, addresses and numbers, and it can answer wrongly if its information is thin. Callers will treat what it says as what you said, so keep its brief short and correct, and never let it quote prices it hasn’t been given.
• Call recording and data. Many AI receptionists record or transcribe calls to produce summaries. Recordings and transcripts are personal data under UK GDPR. The ICO’s guidance says you must tell people, at the time you collect their data, what you use it for, how long you keep it and who you share it with. The ICO reprimanded Surrey Police and Sussex Police in 2023 after an app recorded more than 200,000 calls without people being told. For a small business, the practical step is a clear message at the start of the call and a privacy notice that names the provider. This isn’t legal advice: check the ICO guidance for your situation.
• Emergencies and sensitive calls. A bot shouldn’t triage an emergency or take health details without proper safeguards. Clinics and emergency trades need especially careful set-up.

It tends to suit businesses with a high volume of routine calls where the questions repeat: opening times, availability, booking a standard appointment, directions. A busy clinic reception, a multi-van trade company or a venue taking lots of enquiries might fit.

It tends to suit less well where each call needs judgement, where callers are upset or at risk, or where your personal touch is the reason people choose you. Many sole traders fit that second group: callers want you, and a quick text now with a call back later can feel more personal than a voice that isn’t you.

If you’re weighing one up, ask the provider:

• What does a busy month cost, including calls over the allowance?
• How does a caller reach a real person, and how fast?
• Are calls recorded or transcribed, where is that data kept, and for how long?
• What does the caller hear at the start of the call about the AI and any recording?
• Can I read every call summary, and change what it says, without asking the provider?

M1 doesn’t sell an AI receptionist, and the two things below aren’t the same thing. They solve the same problem, lost enquiries, in a different way.

• Missed-Call Rescue, a fixed £800: when you miss a call, the caller gets a text from your business straight away, and every enquiry goes into a simple list so you can call back. It also includes automatic reminders and review requests. Nobody talks to the caller for you. Text and app fees are paid at cost or directly by you, and listed before you agree. Typically 1 to 2 weeks.
• Website Chat Assistant, a fixed £1,800: an AI assistant that answers written questions on your website, not your phone, and hands people to you on WhatsApp. AI usage (the cost of each answer) and any chat tool fee are billed at cost or paid directly by you, and listed before you agree.

If you’ve weighed it up and a live voice answer is what you need, one of the providers above may suit you better, and that’s fine.

Prices change, so check the provider’s current page before you buy.

• AI Receptionist: 24/7 Call Answering Service, IONOS, accessed 30 September 2026
• AI Receptionist Pricing for UK Businesses, Hey Jodie, accessed 30 September 2026
• Virtual Receptionist UK, Pocket Receptionist, accessed 30 September 2026
• UK Phone Answering Service Pricing, ReceptionHQ, accessed 30 September 2026
• Right to be informed, Information Commissioner’s Office, accessed 30 September 2026
• Surrey Police (reprimand), Information Commissioner’s Office, accessed 30 September 2026