The AI Receptionist: A Plain Guide for Tampa Bay Service Businesses
What an AI receptionist does on a call, what it should hand to you, the questions to ask before you buy one, and what ours costs. Call one we built before you decide.
Here's a simple test: call your own business from a number you don't know, at your busiest hour. If you're on a roof, under a sink or driving, it rings out to voicemail. That isn't a staffing failure. You can't do the work and answer the phone at the same time.
In a study published in January 2016, 411 Locals, a local-SEO company, tracked the phone calls of 85 small businesses in 58 industries for 30 days. 37.8% of calls went to voicemail and 24.3% got no response, so 62% were not answered by a person. It is one small, older study, so read it as a warning, not as your number. We walk through it, and how to count your own missed calls, in What Missed Calls Cost a Small Business.
What happens on a call
An AI receptionist answers your phone when you can't. Here is what ours does, in the words on our services page:
- It answers on your number. 24/7: every call, or only the calls you don't pick up and the after-hours calls. You pick.
- It knows what you told it. Your services, service area, hours, the prices you allow it to say, and your emergency policy.
- It books the job. Into your calendar, or it takes a job ticket, with reminders.
- It sends real emergencies to you. Emergencies are transferred to your on-call number.
- It tells you what happened. You get a text with a summary and a transcript of every call.
Our home page shows a sample: an after-hours call where a homeowner asks for a quote on a roof replacement, and the AI books a morning estimate.
What it handles well, and what it should hand to you
- A good fit: after-hours and overflow calls, booking, taking down the job details, questions about the services, area and hours you gave it, and sending emergencies to your on-call number.
- Better with a person: complaints, negotiations, and any call where you'd want to hear the customer's tone yourself. The transcript and summary still reach you, so you can call back.
Call one we built
We built Jessica, the AI receptionist for W Real Estate Group, a Tampa Bay brokerage. Jessica answers every call, answers questions and transfers to the right staff member automatically. The number is on our home page, under "Working numbers". Call it and ask what your callers would ask. It is the quickest way to hear one work.
Questions to ask before you buy any AI receptionist
Ask these of anyone, us included. Our answers are on the right.
- Does it answer on my own number? Ours does.
- Can it take only the calls I miss and the after-hours calls? Yes. You pick: every call, or only those.
- What will it say about my prices? Only the prices you allow it to say.
- What happens in an emergency? It transfers emergencies to your on-call number.
- Do I get a record of every call? A text with a summary and a transcript of every call.
- Who changes the script when my hours or prices change? We do. The plan includes changes to script, hours and prices, monitoring, and a monthly call summary.
- What will usage cost, and will I see it? Usage (your own GoHighLevel plan, phone number, voice minutes, texting and AI model) is billed at cost, itemized, never hidden inside our monthly fee.
- Am I locked in? No. Month-to-month, no long-term contract.
What ours costs
Always-Answered Line: $1,500 setup + $497/mo, live in 1–2 weeks
- AI receptionist, 24/7, on your number: answers every call, or only no-answer and after-hours calls (you pick)
- Knows your services, service area, hours, the prices you allow it to say, and your emergency policy
- Books into your calendar or takes a job ticket, with reminders
- Transfers emergencies to your on-call number; texts you a summary and a transcript of every call
- We run it: changes to script, hours and prices, monitoring, a monthly call summary
For 1 location, 1 number and 1 calendar. If you also want missed-call text-back, an instant reply to web, Google and Angi-type leads, and a review request after each job, that is Front Desk: $2,500 setup + $800/mo, live in about 2 weeks.
Every plan is month-to-month, with a $500 refundable deposit to start: half the setup at kickoff, the rest at go-live, and the monthly fee starts at go-live. Usage (your own GoHighLevel plan, phone number, voice minutes, texting and AI model) is billed at cost, itemized, never inside our monthly fee; for a receptionist, we estimate it at about $130–280 a month. Voice goes live first. Texting follows carrier (10DLC) approval, which takes 1–3 weeks.
FAQ
What does an AI receptionist do?
Ours answers your number 24/7, books into your calendar or takes a job ticket, transfers emergencies to your on-call number, and texts you a summary and a transcript of every call.
Will it answer every call, or only the ones I miss?
You pick: every call, or only the calls you don't pick up and the after-hours calls.
Will it quote my prices?
Only the prices you allow it to say.
How does it compare with hiring a receptionist?
A person does much more than answer the phone. For reference, the U.S. median pay for receptionists was $38,010 a year in 2025, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Because ours can take only the calls you miss and the after-hours calls, it can work next to the people you already have.
Is there a contract?
No. Every plan is month-to-month. You pay a $500 refundable deposit to start, half the setup at kickoff and the rest at go-live; the monthly fee starts at go-live.
Next step
Book a free 15-minute call, or take the free 3-minute audit: it builds a recommended package with pricing, no conversation required.
Sources
- 62% of calls to small businesses unanswered (85 businesses, 58 industries, 30 days): Small Business Owners Don't Answer 62% of Phone Calls, 411 Locals, 2016.
- Median pay for receptionists: $38,010 a year (2025): Occupational Outlook Handbook: Receptionists, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025.